As we fast approach the end of the year, already thinking about what comes next might seem like jumping the gun. But once the merriment dies down, the celebration hangover lifts, and we enter that no-man’s land of the New Year, it’s important to have some bright spots on the calendar to get us through the less festive winter months. Sometimes, all you need is some good TV on the horizon for it to feel like spring has sprung, even while it’s still dark outside at 4 p.m.
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2026 is replete with great TV to look forward to, from returning prestige faves like The Pitt, Industry, and the long-awaited follow-up to The Night Manager; to addicting reality bites like The Traitors and Queer Eye’s final season; and new potential faves like Ryan Murphy’s John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette series, Love Story, and the Scrubs revival. With even more on the roster, here are the most anticipated TV shows of 2026.
New Series
His and Hers (Netflix), Jan. 8
What happens when the person trying to uncover the news behind a murder ends up getting sucked into the investigation as a suspect? In Netflix’s His and Hers, Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal join forces on the small screen in a story about a small-town murder that instantly isn’t as it seems. Thompson plays a news anchor who’s drawn to the murder in her hometown, while Berthnal plays the cop who’s instantly suspicious of her nosy arrival. As clues unfold, fingers start pointing in all directions.
Ponies (Peacock), Jan. 15
The new year is the perfect time to hunker down with an icy thriller, and there’s nothing colder than a little Cold War espionage. In Ponies, Haley Lu Richardson and Emilia Clarke star as two PONIES—or ‘persons of no interest’—working as U.S. embassy secretaries in 1977 Moscow (think big fur hats and ‘70s lapels!). However, their lives under the radar are thrown into the limelight when their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances in the USSR. As frigid Cold War conspiracies start unfolding, they’re roped into becoming CIA operatives to help uncover what exactly happened to their partners.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (Paramount+), Jan. 15
Like The Boys spin-off Gen V and DC’s Titans series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy finally takes us into the Star Trek training ground. Essentially, it’s Star Trek: The College Years. A series bringing us into the boot camp era of Star Trek has been swirling in the ether for more than 30 years. The show will follow a group of cadets as they train at Starfleet Academy, facing all the coming-of-age hurdles of love, friendship, and, you know, saving the Federation from annihilation. Just normal kid stuff! It boasts a stacked lineup, including Holly Hunter, Paul Giamatti, and Tig Notaro, with newcomer cast members Karim Diané, Zoë Steiner, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Sandro Rosta, and Bella Shepard.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO Max), Jan. 18
Following the very successful Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, the latest Westeros installment is situated somewhere between the timelines of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones and follows the adventures of Sir Dunk and his squire Egg. (Thankfully, they decided to change up the title from the original George R. R. Martin novellas that led with their names). The logline for the series includes much of what you’d expect: bloody battles, grizzly power struggles, lots of grubby men with swords and armor fighting each other, a whisper of dragons, etc. Look, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Star Search (Netflix), Jan. 20
The show that brought us Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Adam Sandler is relaunching in 2026 in the hopes of finding this generation’s next global icon. Back in the ’80s and ‘90s, Star Search scoured the country to find the next big thing, and, honestly, didn’t do a bad job! The new series, hosted by Anthony Anderson, will be Netflix’s next foray into live television. Viewers will be able to watch along and vote in real time on Netflix while they watch. Will we find our next Britney?
The Beauty (FX), Jan. 21
Is it a year in anticipated TV without at least a few Ryan Murphy shows that we’re guaranteed to either completely love or absolutely hate? It’s the natural order of the world, at this point. The first—but not the last—on this list from the Ryan Murphy Industrial Complex is The Beauty, a show based on a comic book by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley. The comic tells the story of an STI —which may or may not be a governmental bioweapon—that makes whoever is infected extremely beautiful before ultimately killing them. In the cast are some of your usual Murphy cohort, like Evan Peters and Billy Eichner, alongside Ashton Kutcher (in his first substantial TV role since Netflix’s cursed The Ranch), Lux Pascal, Bella Hadid, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Pope, and Anthony Ramos.
Memory of a Killer (Fox), Jan. 25
Patrick Dempsey makes his return to network television with this new crime thriller. The series is inspired by the 2003 Belgian film De Zaak Alzheimer, which follows a hitman suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s. Having spent his entire life compartmentalizing his two sides, this new foe that he can’t escape threatens to bring everything down. As he starts to lose his memory, the walls he’s meticulously put up start to come down, and his double life edges closer to being revealed. Also in the cast are Gina Torres and Michael Imperioli.
Wonder Man (Disney+), Jan. 27
Whether you love it or hate it, you can’t deny that Marvel getting a little meta with its output does something to cut through the superhero fatigue we’re trying to claw our way out (She-Hulk, anyone?). With Wonder Man, Marvel is trying its hand again at morphing its original IP into something a bit off the wall. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Simon Williams, an actor who loves Wonder Man—the superhero with superhuman strength, speed and flight—auditioning for the role in a new film adaptation. Except it turns out he just so happens to have the same powers as Wonder Man. Also in the series is Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery, the iconic villain of Iron Man 3, who ended up being an actor playing a villain. Yeah, meta.
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (NBC), February TBA
If you have seen an influx of 30 Rock glazing over the last year from people desperate for the return of its particular brand of joke-a-minute humor, you might jump for joy at the news that the team behind the iconic comedy are reuniting for The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins. Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey, co-showrunner Robert Carlock and writer Sam Means team up for this series, starring Morgan, about a fallen football star looking for a chance to save his tarnished reputation. Daniel Radcliffe also stars, which is never a bad sentence to read, alongside Erika Alexander and SNL alum Bobby Moynihan.
Love Story (FX), February TBA
The second Ryan Murphy joint in this list is probably already his most contentious, having drawn the ire of the Kennedy clan and fashion experts in equal measure. Love Story is the doomed true story of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. The couple, who courted in a whirlwind romance, became tabloid fixtures in the ‘90s. Their fashion sense was iconic, lending itself to it-girl mood boards for decades to come, and their marriage was paparazzi fuel thanks to publicized bust-ups and make-ups alike. It all ended tragically in 1999 when they died in a plane crash, bolstering the already brutal lore of the Kennedy curse. Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Kelly star as the couple, with supporting roles from Naomi Watts and Grace Gummer.
The ‘Burbs (Peacock), Feb. 8
As the name suggests, The ‘Burbs is the TV adaptation of the 1989 horror-comedy starring Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, and Bruce Dern, about a man who is convinced his eccentric suburban neighbors are harboring a dark secret. White-picket-fence Americana has always provided a great backdrop for sinister situations (Desperate Housewives executed it perfectly), so it makes sense we’d dip into this archive for another go. On the small screen, the series will star Keke Palmer, Max Carver (yes, a Desperate Housewives alum), British comedian Jack Whitehall, and Paula Pell. When a new neighbor joins the cul-de-sac, old secrets are unearthed and start to chip the paint off the pristine facade of suburban living.
Strip Law (Netflix), Feb. 20
It’s been a good time for adult animated comedy on Netflix, following, of course, the reign of Bojack Horseman and Big Mouth as well as newer additions like Long Story Short and Haunted Hotel. New in the lineup is Strip Law, a series about an uptight Vegas lawyer who teams up with a low-rent magician to add some pizzazz to Sin City’s dumbest cases. The voice cast is stacked with comedy vets, including Adam Scott, Janelle James, Keith David, and Stephen Root.
Scrubs (NBC), Feb. 25
No, you didn’t just wake up in the halls of Sacred Heart Hospital from a coma you fell into in 2008. Yes, Scrubs is back, and the whole gang is together again. The iconic Bill Lawrence medical comedy, which ran for 10 seasons and birthed the IRL bromance of Zach Braff and Donald Faison, followed medical interns JD, Turk, and Elliot, played by Braff, Faison, and Sarah Chalke, and the ludicrous endeavors they got up to on the ward. This series will bring them back after a 15-year break, alongside fan faves Judy Reyes, who played Carla, and John C. McGinley, who played Dr Cox. Medicine may have changed, but the bromances, romances, and love-hate-mances have stayed the same.
DTF St. Louis (HBO Max), March TBA
David Harbour and Jason Bateman star in this new series about a love triangle between three adults in a midlife crisis that ends up being less sexy and more murdery when one of them ends up dead. While the original conceit was based around the New Yorker article My Dentist’s Murder Trial: Adultery, False Identities, and a Lethal Sedation, it’s been reported that the show ended up spinning out into a completely original story, albeit probably one with similar themes. This might be a good one to know less about before going in.
Scarpetta (Prime Video), March 11
You didn’t think you’d make it through a list of glossy TV series and not see Nicole Kidman pop up, did you? The most employed woman in prestige-esque television isn’t slowing her roll for 2026, as she’s starring in this new series adaptation of Patricia Cornwell’s crime books. Kidman will star as Kay Scarpetta, a forensic medical examiner who is determined to uncover the serial killer behind a series of gruesome murders. The cast list is bursting at the seams, with Jamie Lee Curtis starring alongside Simon Baker and Bobby Cannavale.
Imperfect Women (Apple TV), March 18
Following the wrap-up of the behemoth Handmaid’s Tale, Elizabeth Moss’ next small-screen outing is Imperfect Women, based on Araminta Hall’s book of the same name. The series follows three long-term female friends whose relationship is thrown into turmoil when a crime, and the subsequent investigation, start to shatter their lives. The series also stars Kerry Washington and Kate Mara as the other friends in the equation.
The Testaments (Hulu), April TBA
The Handmaid’s Tale might have wrapped up, but the Margaret Atwood canon isn’t over. The Testaments is the direct follow-up to the series, set five years after the finale takes place. While The Handmaid’s Tale followed the women whose lives were upended by the enshrinement of totalitarian fascism, forcing them to become baby-making slaves, The Testaments is a coming-of-age story of girls whose only understanding of life is the grim reality of Gilead. Dreading the life set out before them, these young women seek allies in each other as they figure out how to navigate a future destined for subservience. The series will bring together 2025 breakout star Chase Infiniti (seen in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another), Rowan Blanchard, and Ann Dowd, who reprises her role from the original series.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple TV+), April 15
A Fanning sister, a David E. Kelley script, and another Nicole Kidman small-screen slay. This show has it all! Margo’s Got Money Troubles is based on the Rufi Thorpe book of the same name, and follows Elle Fanning as Margo, a messed-up college student who, after getting pregnant by her English professor, turns to OnlyFans for some cash. Her predicament reconnects her with her professional wrestler father (Nick Offerman) and former Hooters waitress mom, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. The series will mark the first time Kelley has worked professionally with his wife, Pfeiffer, who also exec-produces.
Widow’s Bay (Apple TV), April 29
We always have time for a horror comedy, especially one from Katie Dippold, whose comedy chops behind the pen on Parks and Recreation and the Sandra Bullock-starring The Heat have always proven their punch. The Apple TV series Widow’s Bay will land us in a small and mysteriously cursed New England town and the superstitious residents that inhabit it. The series will star Matthew Rhys as the town’s stubborn mayor who refuses to believe in the townspeople’s warnings.
The Audacity (AMC), TBA
A lot has changed in the world of Silicon Valley since the last series dedicated to its weird cast of characters, so it makes sense to dive back into it in the bleak light of 2026. The Audacity will star Billy Magnussen and Zach Galifianakis, and revolve around everyone in the orbit of tech’s Disneyland, from the makers and dreamers to the billionaires and bosses.
Half Man (HBO), TBA
After his searingly vulnerable autobiographical series Baby Reindeer became a global phenomenon, focus turned to what Richard Gadd would possibly do next. The answer is Half Man, a series about the tumultuous relationship between two “brothers” played by Gadd and Jamie Bell. After a period of estrangement, Gadd’s Ruben shows up unexpectedly at Niall’s (Bell) wedding, and we’re thrust into a saga spanning almost 40 years, from when they met as teenagers to their falling out as adults. Not much else is known about the series, which is probably for the best, considering how we all experienced Baby Reindeer.
Rooster (HBO Max), TBA
Another one joining the Bill Lawrence canon next year is Rooster, which stars Steve Carell alongside Scrubs alum McGinley and Ted Lasso’s Jamie Tart, Phil Dunster. Carell, who was last on the small screen in Netflix’s The Four Seasons and HBO’s Mountainhead, stars as a middle-aged author who winds up on a college campus while trying to navigate a tricky relationship with his daughter. Not much else is known, but with Lawrence at the helm, it’s probably a good one to bet on.
Unspeakable: The Murder of JonBenet Ramsey (Paramount+), TBA
While several documentaries have explored what really happened to JonBenet Ramsey, the 6-year-old beauty pageant winner who was murdered in her home in Colorado in 1996, there have only been a few dramatizations of her story. Unspeakable: The Murder of JonBenet Ramsey will mark the fourth time the story has been brought to the small screen, with Melissa McCarthy starring as JonBenet’s mother, Patsy Ramsey, and Clive Owen as her father, John.
Returning Series
The Pitt Season 2 (HBO Max), Jan. 8
That’s right, barely a year since its debut, 2025’s most beloved show is back for Season 2. Everyone say it: We love da Pitt! The high-pressure series starring Noah Wyle, Patrick Ball, and Katherine LaNasa, about doctors, nurses, and residents at a Pittsburgh trauma medical unit set over one single shift, will pick up 10 months after the finale of Season 1 and take place over the Fourth of July weekend.
The Traitors (Peacock) Season 4, Jan. 8
Everyone’s favorite camp reality series, where celebrities take part in an intricate game of Mafia in a picturesque Scottish castle, is back for its fourth season. Stars looking to convince each other that they’re actually faithful and not duplicitous this time will include Dancing with the Stars’ Mark Ballas, Laguna Beach’s Stephen Colletti, Kelce matriarch Donna Kelce, Real Housewives’ icon Lisa Rinna, and Ru Paul’s Drag Race queen Monet X Change. Alan Cumming will, of course, return as host.
A Thousand Blows Season 2 (Hulu), Jan. 9
New Bond-scribe Stephen Knight’s second season of A Thousand Blows, the gritty tale of East London boxers in the 1880s, takes place a year on from the show’s first season. Malachi Kirby’s Hezekiah Moscow, once riding high, is now a shadow of his former self, while his coach, Sugar Goodson, played by Stephen Graham, is slowly drinking himself to death. Still, there’s more fight left in them!
Industry Season 4 (HBO Max), Jan. 11
Did you want your 2026 to be stress-free and chill? Well, maybe don’t lock in for Season 4 of Industry, the tensest show on TV, which follows investment bankers in London. Back for round four are Myha’la, Marisa Abela, and Kit Harrington, while Max Minghella, Kiernan Shipka, Kal Penn, Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton, and Ted Lasso’s Toheeb Jimoh join the cast.
The Night Manager Season 2, Jan. 11
Ten years after the first season aired and launched Tom Hiddleston straight into the Bond conversation, The Night Manager is back for a second installment. Hiddleston remains Jonathan Pine, who, after lying low as a low-stress MI6 agent, is thrust back into the world of action when a figure from his past encounter with Hugh Laurie’s Roper gang reappears. Olivia Colman returns as Angela Burr, while Diego Calva and Camila Morrone join.
Hijack Season 2 (Apple TV), Jan. 14
First, you end up on a hijacked plane, now you find yourself on a hijacked train? What are the odds! Idris Elba’s business negotiator, Sam Nelson, just can’t get himself out of sticky situations. After saving the day from the sky in Season 1, Season 2 of Hijack will see him use the same tactics on a commandeered London underground train. Boat next time?
Shrinking Season 3 (Apple TV), Jan. 28
The beloved Apple TV series about a grieving therapist, played by Jason Segel, which lured Harrison Ford to the small screen (and honestly seems to be the most fun he’s had making anything in literal decades), is back for an 11-episode third season. All the regular cast, like Michael Urie and Jessica Williams, will return, while Jeff Daniels and Michael J. Fox will also be joining for this go-round.
Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 and Part 2 (Netflix), Jan. 29 and Feb. 26
Beloved readers, the ‘ton is ready to welcome us back for a new season of balls and bodice rips. The regency romp returns for its fourth season, this time focusing on the eldest Bridgerton boy, Benedict (Luke Thompson), who, last season, had an iconic bisexual awakening, and now seems ready to settle down with a new lady on the scene, Sophie Baek, played by Yerin Ha.
Dark Winds Season 4 (AMC), Feb. 15
The fourth season of AMC’s Dark Winds will launch us back into the 1970s as we pick up with the Navajo Tribal Police and the crimes they need to solve on their reservation. The new episodes will focus on the search for a missing Navajo girl, taking us from the reservation into the gritty underbelly of ‘70s Los Angeles. Zahn McClarnon will return as Lt. Joe Leaphorn, alongside Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, and Deanna Allison.
The Night Agent Season 3 (Netflix), Feb. 19
New year, new espionage case to sink your teeth into. The Night Agent is back for a third season, with Gabriel Basso’s Peter Sutherland on another mission. Much is being kept under wraps still, but that’s the best way to go into a spy caper. What we do know is that True Blood’s Stephen Moyer is joining the cast this time around.
The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2 (Apple TV), Feb. 20
Season 1 of Apple TV’s The Last Thing He Told Me, based on the Laura Dave novel of the same name, followed Jennifer Garner’s Hannah Hall after her husband, played by Nicholas Coster-Waldau, went missing. The season was such a hit that Dave had to quickly write a follow-up, which will also be released next year, to make it into a sequel. For season 2, Garner will return alongside Coster-Waldau, Angourie Rice, and David Morse.
Paradise Season 2 (Hulu), Feb. 23
Paradise is coming back, and this time, we’re heading out of the bunker instead of getting in it. After the shock twist of Season 1, which (spoiler) told us that the entire world we’d come to know actually existed underground after a climate-related disaster, Sterling K. Brown’s Xavier Collins now wants to venture out into the fiery open to try and find his missing wife.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 (Apple TV), Feb. 27
We’ve got monsters on monsters on monsters! Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ second season will land us on Skull Island with everyone’s favorite enormous ape and all the other Titans (big monsters!) that Monarch, the secret agency, are trying to monitor. Kurt and Wyatt Russell will utilize their identical bone structure once again by playing the older and younger versions of one another, and newly minted Emmy/SAG/Golden Globe winner Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, and Ren Watabe will also return.
One Piece Season 2 (Netflix), March 10
Netflix’s foray into the expansive live-action world of One Piece (there are over 1,000 episodes of the animated series) will next set sail to even more distant lands as our core group of heroes, made up of Luffy and the Straw Hats, continues in their quest to find the mysterious treasure, known as the One Piece, and finally reach the long-awaited “Grand Line.”
Euphoria Season 3 (HBO Max), April TBA
Somehow, against all odds, this is actually happening. There were months of speculation that Sam Levinson’s debauched series—about teenagers getting up to stuff no parent ever wants to know about—wouldn’t be able to get off the ground for a third run thanks to the new star power and busy schedules of its cast (Zendaya! Jacob Elordi! Sydney Sweeney!). But somehow, he made it happen. Season 3 will take place after graduation, picking up with our cast five years later in their young adult lives. Yes, things are still really messy; no, we don’t know what the glitter budget was this time around.
Your Friends & Neighbors Season 2 (Apple TV), April 3
Jon Hamm will return as hedge fund manager-turned neighborhood thief in Apple TV’s Your Friends & Neighbors. In this next batch of episodes, Hamm’s Andrew Cooper continues his con of robbing his wealthy community, but a new neighbor on the scene threatens to expose him, and introduces far more danger than he was expecting. Olivia Munn and Amanda Peet return, while James Marsden joins the cast.
The Boys Season 5 (Prime Video), April 8
For the final time, Earth’s most egomaniacal superheroes will grace our screens next year. The Boys, which imagines a world where superheroes are not only real but likely would wield such enormous and unchecked power that they’d be some of the worst people alive, will be back for its fifth season in 2026, potentially bringing down Homelander’s seemingly unbeatable reign. The Boys has never shied away from big moments that make you balk, so with one final push, be prepared to wince harder, scream louder, and cringe more than ever.
Beef Season 2 (Netflix), TBA
Now officially an anthology series, the new season of Beef will introduce a whole new set of characters in turmoil. Last season, what started as a bout of road rage between Steven Yeun and Ali Wong’s characters turned into a bloody, psycho-sexual affair. This time, the drama will revolve around Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, and Cailee Spaeny. Not many specifics have been revealed, but the official logline says: “A young couple witnesses an alarming fight between their boss and his wife, triggering chess moves of favors and coercion in the elitist world of a country club and its Korean billionaire owner.”
For All Mankind Season 5 (Apple TV), TBA
The expansive Apple TV series, which reimagined the global space race from the point of view of the Soviet Union landing on the moon before the U.S., will continue its venture into the great beyond in a fifth season. Not much is known about where this next installment will take us, though it’s likely to expand on Season 4’s new martian colony and the enduring political fallout of space’s alternative victors.
Queer Eye Season 10 (Netflix), TBA
After a big old shake-up in the cast last season that saw interior designer Bobby Berk replaced by Jeremiah Brent as one fifth of the Fab Five, the show will slam on the brakes once and for all following its tenth season. After almost a decade, the revamped show from the early aughts that sought to give people exterior and interior makeovers with the help of Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski, and Tan France, is saying goodbye, but not before one last batch of heroes in Washington, DC, get a spritz of their magic.
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