The 11 Best TV Shows of 2026 (So Far)

A blonde woman (Elle Fanning) lies on a pink couch with black-and-white striped pillows, resting her head on a pillow in her mother's (Michelle Pfeiffer) lap. The pair sit in a living room with a kitchen behind them, through a circular doorframe, in Apple TV+'s 'Margo's Got Money Troubles.'

(Image credit: Apple TV+)

Jump to category:

Winter 2026
Spring 2026
Summer 2026
Coming Soon

If you're a diehard TV fan, chances are you're a bit behind in your watchlist. So many must-watch shows came out last year, from the returns of juggernauts like The White Lotus and Stranger Things to surprise word-of-mouth hits like The Pitt and Heated Rivalry. Now that networks and streamers have revealed what they have in store for 2026, it's time to take note of which upcoming shows will command the cultural conversation over the next 12 months.

That's where I come in, a full-time culture writer whose literal job is to keep up with the overwhelming amount of media coming our way. Throughout the year, I'll be keeping track of the best and buzziest TV shows coming to Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Apple TV+, and more. Read on for my picks for the best TV shows of 2026 so far.

The Best TV Shows Coming in Winter 2026

'The Pitt' season 2

Overriding Al-Hashimi played by sepideh moafi and Dr. Robby played by noah wyle encourage Samira played by Supriya Ganesh and Garcia played by alexandra metz through a procedure in the pitt season 2

Release Date: January 8, airing weekly on HBO Max

Starring: Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, Patrick Ball, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, Sepideh Moafi, Lucas Iverson, Irene Choi, and Meta Golding

Paging Dr. Robby! The Emmy-winning medical series is back for its second year, picking up 10 months later on a Fourth of July day shift. Some of the season-long arcs include Langdon's (Ball) first day back at work after rehab, the introduction of new med students Ogilvy (Iverson) and Joy (Choi), and Robby's (Wyle) power struggle with Dr. Al-Hashimi (Moafi), his replacement for an upcoming sabbatical.

WATCH IT

'Industry' season 4

Release Date: January 11, airing weekly on HBO

Starring: Myha'la, Marisa Abela, Ken Leung, Sagar Radia, Miriam Petche, Kit Harrington, Kiernan Shipka, Toheeb Jimoh, Max Minghella, Kal Penn, and Charlie Heaton

After bringing its Pierpoint era to an end in the season 3 finale, HBO's most undersung series reinvents itself in its fourth season. Harper (Myha'la) now leads her own team funded by a powerful backer, while Yasmin (Abela) navigates her new role as Henry's (Harrington) dutiful wife. Add a buzzy fintech start-up that enters everybody's orbit, and we're promised a propulsive new season.

WATCH IT

'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette'

John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

Release Date: February 12, airing weekly on FX/Hulu

Starring: Sarah Pidgeon, Paul Kelly, Naomi Watts, Grace Gummer, Sydney Lemmon, and Alessandro Nivola

For Valentine's month, Ryan Murphy will debut his latest anthology based on a true story, after American Crime Story and American Sports Story. The series will follow the titular couple's whirlwind romance, which was constant tabloid-media fodder before ending in tragedy.

The Best TV Shows Coming in Spring 2026

'Euphoria' season 3

Release Date: April 12, airing weekly on HBO

Starring: Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow, Eric Dane, and Colman Domingo

It's been a long wait for Euphoria fans—so long that its characters have aged out of high school and college—but season 3 of the pop-culture phenomenon is just months away. The new episodes will pick up five years after graduation, with dozens of new stars (including Rosalía!) filling out the East Highland crew's new lives in L.A., N.Y.C., Mexico, and...the suburbs?

'Margo's Got Money Troubles'

A blonde mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) stands over her pregnant daughter (Elle Fanning), who wears a striped sweater as she lies spread out on the wooden floor or a baby-clothing retailer, in Apple TV+'s 'Margo's Got Money Troubles.'

Release Date: April 15, airing weekly on Apple TV+

Starring: Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Michael Angarano, Nick Offerman, and Michelle Pfeiffer

All you need to hear to be excited for this show: David E. Kelley adapts Rufi Thorpe's buzzy 2024 novel, Nicole Kidman and (newly minted Oscar nominee) Fanning leading the cast. It follows Margo (Fanning), a 20-year-old single mom, as she searches for a way out of poverty after getting pregnant by her English professor.

'Beef' season 2

charles melton and cailee spaeny as a couple looking at each other sitting across from another couple played by carey mulligan and oscar isaac having a tense conversation in beef season 2

Release Date: April 16 on Netflix

Starring: Charles Melton, Cailee Spaney, Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Song Kang-ho, and Youn Yuh-jung

Netflix and A24's acerbic drama finally returns, three years after its Emmy-winning debut. The anthology's second season is a tale of two couples employed at an exclusive L.A. country club. When the younger pair (played by Melton and Spaeny) witness a fight between the elder (Isaac and Mulligan), they "use the recording to get ahead in their own careers," per Vanity Fair.

'The Testaments'

A young woman (Chase Infiniti) wears a white top while standing in a room filled with people, their faces obstructed by black robes. A first-look image from Hulu's 'The Testaments.'

Release Date: April 8, airing weekly on Hulu

Starring: Ann Dowd, Chase Infiniti, Lucy Halliday, Rowan Blanchard, and Mattea Conforti

Brace yourselves for a return to Gilead. Hulu's follow-up to The Handmaid's Tale will adapt Margaret Atwood's 2019 sequel novel, with Ann Dowd returning as Aunt Lydia. The series will follow a new group of young women—including June's (Moss) now-16-year-old daughter Hannah, now known as Agnes (Infiniti)—facing the struggles of coming of age in the dystopia.

The Best TV Shows Coming Summer 2026

'The Vampire Lestat'

A blond shirtless man (Sam Reid as Lestat) leans back while singing into a microphone, as he stands onstage in front of a rock band. Hands of screaming fans can be seen in the bottom of the frame, in a still from AMC's 'The Vampire Lestat.'

Release Date: TBA on AMC

Starring: Sam Reid, Jacob Anderson, Eric Bogosian, Assad Zaman, Delainey Hayles, Jennifer Ehle, and Sheila Atim

The third season of AMC's Interview with the Vampire will adapt the second novel in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles series, with Lestat (Reid) taking center stage as he ascends to rock royalty. Come for the original songs and Lestat-Louis (Anderson) toxicity, stay for the TV debut of legendary characters like Akasha (Atim).

The Best TV Shows Coming Soon

'Hacks' season 5

jean smart as deborah and hannah einbinder as ava standing in the desert in hacks season 4

Release Date: TBA on HBO Max

Starring: Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs, Meg Stalter, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, and Christopher Briney

Though it's currently unclear whether season 5 will be Hacks's last, we're guaranteed at least one more season of Ava and Deborah hijinks. After that false death announcement in the season 4 finale, Deborah will return to the U.S. (more specifically, N.Y.C.!) for what's sure to be a hilarious comeback.

'Half Man'

Two men (Jamie Bell and Richard Gadd) sit at a diner booth. A white-haired man stands at the counter behind them, looking at a back wall lined with shelves, in a first-look image for HBO's 'Half Man.'

Release Date: TBA on HBO Max

Starring: Richard Gadd, Jamie Bell, Mitchell Robertson, and Stuart Campbell

In his highly anticipated Baby Reindeer follow-up, the renowned series creator Richard Gadd once again examines masculinity, this time via a decades-spanning family drama. According to the logline, "When Niall's (Bell) estranged 'brother' Ruben (Gadd) shows up at his wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives."

'House of the Dragon' season 3

Release Date: TBA on HBO

Starring: Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Harry Collett, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, and Phia Saban

2026 is a big year for Game of Thrones fans, with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiering in January and House of the Dragon returning for its third season. Though HotD has gone through some drama behind the scenes, here's hoping the battles foreshadowed in season 2 will be as epic as its predecessor's.

TOPICS

Quinci LeGardye is a Culture Writer at Marie Claire. She currently lives in her hometown of Los Angeles after periods living in NYC and Albuquerque, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. In 2021, she joined Marie Claire as a contributor, becoming a full-time writer for the brand in 2024. She contributes day-to-day-content covering television, movies, books, and pop culture in general. She has also written features, profiles, recaps, personal essays, and cultural criticism for outlets including Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, HuffPost, Teen Vogue, Vulture, The A.V. Club, Catapult, and others. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her watching the latest K-drama, or giving a concert performance in her car.