You Only Have a Week Left to Stream an Overlooked 2020s Sci-Fi Gem on Hulu

February 20, 2026, 6:30pm

The 2020s are experiencing a sci-fi renaissance on both the big and small screens, with groundbreaking, high-budget, and critically acclaimed works defining the era. Over the past few years, audiences have packed theaters for movies like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Dune. Many of those films have since found streaming homes, with Hulu boasting a wide array of great titles, but the streamer is about to lose an overlooked 2020s sci-fi gem in just a matter of days.

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Hulu subscribers are running out of time to stream Next Exit. Mali Elfman’s 2022 directorial debut is scheduled to exit the Disney-backed platform on March 1st. The sci-fi comedy-drama is set in a near-distant future where the existence of the afterlife has been confirmed and a research scientist has launched a program to track people in the afterlife. It follows the story of two strangers with opposing personalities, Katie Parker’s cynical Rose and Rahul Kohli’s lighthearted Teddy, as they share a car on a journey from New York to San Francisco to end their lives and participate in the study. Rose McIver, Karen Gillan, Tongayi Chirisa, and Diva Zappa also star in the film, which originally premiered at the Tribeca Festival.

Next Exit Is a Darkly Comedic, Heartfelt Sci-Fi Road Trip Movie

If you’re in the mood for a spectacle-driven, fast-paced sci-fi adventure, then Next Exit probably isn’t the best choice. The movie is more like an intimate, character-driven, melancholic drama than it is a traditional, high-stakes science fiction thriller. While it starts with a premise about confirmed afterlife science, it uses the sci-fi hook and genre elements to focus on the emotional journeys of its two main characters, prioritizing emotional depth over dazzling spectacle.

Next Exit leans into those quieter, more thoughtful, and poignant moments as two complete strangers travel to end their lives and forge a deep, unexpected connection that forces them to confront their pasts and their reasons for dying. In doing so, it delivers what becomes a heartbreaking and quietly hopeful meditation on grief, trauma, and human connection that balances moments of dark, existential comedy with serious, heartfelt drama. The movie is largely driven by the slow-burn relationship between the two leads, with Kohli and Parker delivering authentic and compelling performances and sharing great onscreen chemistry. Although Next Exit received a mixed reception from general audiences, holding a 59% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, it was overwhelmingly well-received by critics, who gave it a “Certified Fresh” 80% rating.

Where to Stream Next Exit After It Leaves Hulu?

Hulu subscribers will want to make sure they squeeze in a watch of Next Exit while they still can. The movie doesn’t currently stream outside of Hulu, meaning it will be a lot more difficult to watch following its March 1st departure. The movie is available to rent or purchase online, and it is possible that it will simply jump to a rival streamer next month, but since several streaming platforms haven’t released their March 2026 newsletters just yet, that isn’t guaranteed.

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