The first three Men in Black films are due to leave Hulu on 1 September 2026, removing a well-known blend of science fiction, workplace comedy and buddy-cop action from the streaming service. The article argues that the trilogy’s appeal rests chiefly on the comic partnership between Will Smith’s enthusiastic Agent J and Tommy Lee Jones’s deadpan Agent K.

The 1997 original introduces the secret Men in Black agency, which regulates extraterrestrial activity on Earth and erases witnesses’ memories to remain hidden. It follows New York police officer James Edwards as he becomes Agent J and joins K to stop an alien “Bug” threatening the planet; later films continue the pair’s adventures, with Men in Black II reversing their veteran-newcomer dynamic. A fifth film in the long-dormant franchise is reportedly in development.