The 14 Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2026

Premiere Date: January 8

Where to watch: Peacock

To kick off the year, Alan Cumming returns as the dastardly host of the U.S. version of The Traitors. This season of the Emmy-winning series—which awards trickery and manipulation alongside physical prowess—features another chaotic cast of competition series veterans, reality stars, and other eclectic public figures. This year, possible Traitors and Faithfuls include: Lisa Rinna, Stephen Colletti, Monét X Change, Porsha Williams, Dorinda Medley, Tara Lipinski, and Donna Kelce.

Premiere Date: January 8

Where to watch: HBO

The Pitt was a surprise hit when it debuted on HBO in January of 2025, becoming the first medical drama in recent memory to reach Grey’s Anatomy-levels of fan fervor. Former ER star Noah Wyle put back on his scrubs to play Dr. Robby, which finally earned him his first Emmy win. Production for the 15-episode season two was swift: it’ll premiere less than a year after the series’ debut.

Premiere Date: January 8

Where to watch: Netflix

Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal star in this limited drama series based on an adaptation of author Alice Feeney’s 2020 novel of the same name. The sultry, Southern-set thriller follows a journalist (Thompson) and a detective (Bernthal) who are pulled back into a complicated dynamic when they both begin investigating a murder in the small town where they once lived.

Premiere Date: January 11

Streamer: HBO

Pull out your quarter-zip for another season of high finance employees—former, current, and fired—making cutthroat trades, ethically dubious deals, and poor personal decisions. The series’ anchor, Myha’la, is in fine form this season, having struck out on her own with former Pierpont boss Eric (Ken Leung), and Marisa Abela and Kit Harington’s Yasmin and Sir Henry Muck have doubled down on their toxic relationship by committing to a tortured life together in holy matrimony. Harry Lawtey’s tragic Robert, who has formally left the show, will be missed, but there’s plenty of drama to keep the series chugging along.

Premiere Date: January 29 and February 26

Where to watch: Netflix

Season four of Shonda Rhimes’s Regency era romance will, like its predecessors, premiere in two parts, giving audiences plenty of time to get to know its new leading lady: Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha). This season’s Cinderella-esque plot follows Baek’s journey from downtrodden servant to potential Bridgerton, as she quickly catches the masked eye of the second-oldest brother, Benedict (Luke Thompson).

Premiere Date: March 2026

Where to watch: HBO

The Comeback is making a comeback. Lisa Kudrow’s Emmy-nominated, cult-favorite television show about struggling sitcom actress Valerie Cherish is set to premiere its third and final season, 20 years after its debut (and a short-lived 2014 revival). Co-creator Michael Patrick King returns along with Kudrow and much of the original cast (plus some new additions, like comedian John Early). While Valerie’s Hollywood humiliations seemed over-the-top when the show first aired, as Kudrow told W earlier this year: “It’s a completely different landscape to be famous now. Everyone is publishing themselves or broadcasting themselves and curating what their life looks like for public consumption. So everyone’s Valerie, basically.”

Premiere Date: March 11

Where to watch: Prime Video

Is there ever a time when Nicole Kidman isn’t on our screens? Thankfully, not really—and this year will be no exception, with the premiere of Prime Video’s adaptation of author Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta series. Kidman plays Dr. Kay Scarpetta in the crime thriller, who is determined to discover the identity of a serial killer. Jamie Lee Curtis plays her sister, and Bobby Cannavale, Simon Baker, and Ariana DeBose round out the cast.

Premiere Date: April 2026

Where to watch: HBO

It’s been four years since the second season of Sam Levinson’s edgy teen drama lit up Euphoria Sundays on Twitter (RIP) and served up unforgettable memes (“I have never, ever been happier!”) A lot has changed since then: the show’s leads have all become major stars in their own right, and to make sense of the show’s lagging timeline, the characters they play are now all fully out of high school. Fortunately, busy schedules haven’t kept Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer, Maude Apatow, Colman Domingo, and more from one last messed-up, glitter-covered hurrah.

Premiere Date: May 2026

Where to watch: HBO

Hacks is the gift that keeps giving: to its audience, with its deeply satisfying, deadpan humor; to its cast, with yearly armfuls of Emmys; and to its critics, with consistently dizzying comedic performances to enjoy. For the series’ fifth and final season, Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder will reprise their roles as Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels one last time.

Premiere Date: Summer 2026

Where to watch: HBO

Season five also feels like a potentially natural endpoint for The Bear (though nothing is confirmed yet), with Jeremy Allen White’s chef Carmy taking a step back from the restaurant at the center of the show’s plot. As Sydney and Richie step into more prominent leadership roles, the actors who portray them (Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach) will be doing the same. Pull up a chair for one more season of culinary chaos.

Premiere Date: TBD 2026

Where to watch: HBO

HBO’s latest superhero drama is highly anticipated, even among Hollywood’s endless slate of highly anticipated superhero dramas. The DC series focuses on intergalactic cops John Stewart and Hal Jordan as they head down to earth to investigate a murder in the American heartland. The buddy-movie vibes potential here is off the charts, especially as the duo will be played by Friday Night Lights legend Kyle Chandler and rising action star Aaron Pierre.

Premiere Date: TBD 2026

Where to watch: Prime Video

2025 was a great year for the Zillennial hangout comedy, and Benito Skinner’s college-set Overcompensating led the way. Season one of the series saw Skinner’s character struggling to stay in the closet while navigating typical freshman challenges: awkward hook-ups, drinking too much, and secret society hazings by sociopathic frat boys. He and writer-turned-actor Wally Baram’s on-screen chemistry is a delight to watch, and we can’t wait to see what happens come sophomore year.

Premiere Date: TBD 2026

Where to watch: FX/Hulu

Ensemble comedy Adults will also get a second chance to stick with audiences, and the show deserves it. The charming core cast of Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen, Amita Rao, and Owen Thiele make up the messy friend group. Another season of twentysomething hijinks will ensue—with hopefully another Julia Fox cameo.

Premiere Date: TBD 2026

Where to watch: HBO

It’s been less than two years since Curb Your Enthusiasm ended its twenty-four-year run, but lest anyone think they’ll be living in a Larry David-free world, the 78-year-old will be back on screens soon enough. David’s untitled half-hour sketch comedy series coincides with the 250th anniversary of the United States, and has some real political heft to it, having been produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground production outfit. An official logline hints at their involvement: “President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion....But then Larry David called.”