Hulu’s most popular show starring the fan-favorite sci-fi star

Pa Jonathan Klotz
| Published 11 seconds ago

The television landscape has changed thanks to the rise of streaming, but one thing remains the same: people love procedurals, whether they’re medical, legal, police, or mystery, watching comfort food isn’t going anywhere. Okay, make that two things, because people love Nathan Fillion, too, and that explains why Castle was a big hit. Lightning struck twice like now RecruitFillion’s latest police procedural, has once again become the number one show on Hulu.

Nathan Fillion’s latest hit

Recruit stars Nathan Fillion, by far the most famous science fiction fans as Captain Malcolm Reynolds Fireflyas John Norris, a 45-year-old man pursuing his dream of becoming a police officer in Los Angeles. After Norris helps stop a bank robbery in his hometown, he signs on with the LAPD in what sounds like an absurd plot, but is based on a true story by William Norcross, who serves as executive producer of the series, as well as Los Angeles Police Department. Officer to this day. Fillion, as he always does, can take any concept and make it must-see with the sheer force of his sly charm.

In the hands of any other star, Recruit it may not be seven seasons and counting, but in addition to Fillion, part of the appeal is that the characters are allowed to change and grow, which is big news for the procedural. As of Season 5, Norris is no longer a “rookie” but instead a training officer overseeing a new class of rookies. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but consider the general concept NCIS hasn’t budged in 20 years, although McGee is no longer a “tester”, he does the same thing week in and week out.

Nathan Fillion is the most famous name in the cast Recruitbut sci-fi fans will also recognize Melissa O’Neill from Dark matter as Lucy Chen, a fellow rookie, and X-Men’s Sean Ashmore as lawyer Wesley Evers. The guest star list includes more established sci-fi favorites including Felicia Day, Stephen Lang, David Dastmachlein and Secret materials Mitch Pileggi, among many others. Sean Maher, Simon of Firefly and Peace of mindeven appears in one episode as a different type of escaped convict.

Procedurals are still a staple of television

For all conversations streaming original shows from Shogun to Strange thingsthe foundation of each service is classic sitcoms and routines that can be watched and re-watched over and over again, often with dozens of seasons and hundreds of episodes. That’s why NCIS dominates Paramount+ between seasons Yellowstone, Max was built on The big bang theoryand why is it a huge deal if the rights to Friends change hands. Recruit doesn’t reinvent the wheel, and it covers every procedural trope you can think of, but it’s not bad.

The procedurals are comfort food because they are so predictable, with enough twists and colorful characters to keep audiences coming back week after week for another hour of living in their world. Nathan Fillion achieved success with Castle and now Recruitwhich proved so popular that it spawned a spin-off product, Rookie: The Fedsit’s exactly what it sounds like, and it’s still not bad. It’s ironic that Fillion’s most beloved series was also the least successful, but at least millions of people can now appreciate the unmatched charm and swagger of Captain Malcolm Reynolds.

Recruit is streaming on Hulu.