The 15 Best TV Shows of 2026 That Need to Be on Your Radar
There's a lot to watch this year, from buzzy book adaptations to the return of hits like 'Beef.'
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 2026 is fully underway, it's time to take note of which upcoming shows will command the cultural conversation this year—and which are already out and worth bingeing.
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 of Winter 2026
'The Pitt' season 2
Release Date: January 8, airing weekly on HBO Max
Article continues belowStarring: 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.
'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.
'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette'
Release Date: February 12, airing weekly on FX/Hulu
Starring: Sarah Pidgeon, Paul Kelly, Naomi Watts, Grace Gummer, Sydney Lemmon, and Alessandro Nivola
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Ryan Murphy debuted his latest anthology based on a true story, after American Crime Story and American Sports Story. The first iteration of Love Story follows the whirlwind romance between Carolyn Bessette (Pidgeon), then a Calvin Klein employee, and scion John F. Kennedy, Jr. (Kelly). Their relationship was the subject of constant tabloid fodder before ending in tragedy, and the series imagines what went on in their private relationship. Come for the incredible performances, stay for the '90s fashion inspiration.
'Boyfriend on Demand'
Release Date: March 6 on Netflix
Starring: Jisoo, Seo In-guk, Ha Young, Gong Min-jeung, Jo Han-chul, Lee Hak-joo, Kim Sung-cheol, Lee Soo-hyuk, Seo Kang-jun, and Yoo In-na
If you like your love stories more comedic than dramatic, this K-drama rom-com follows office worker Seo Mi-rae (Jisoo) as she tests a dating VR game with love interests based on all the best romance tropes. This series excels in balancing its escapist premise with a thoughtful, realistic look at love in the modern age.
The Best TV Shows Coming in Spring 2026
'The Comeback'
Release Date: March 22, airing weekly on HBO
Starring: Lisa Kudrow, Dan Bucatinsky, Laura Silverman, Damian Young, Tim Bagley, Jack O'Brien, Andrew Scott, Matt Cook, Ella Stiller, John Early, Barry Shabaka Henley, Abbi Jacobson, Tony Macht, Brittany O'Grady, Zane Phillips, and Julian Stern
Lisa Kudrow's cult-classic Hollywood satire returns for a third and final season, 21 years after its 2005 debut and almost 12 years since its 2014 sophomore season. We can't wait to see how sitcom star (and now executive producer!) Valerie Cherish (Kudrow) handles what Hollywood has become, from TikTok and Hot Ones to AI and streaming.
'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 (Elisabeth Moss) now-16-year-old daughter, Hannah, known as Agnes (Infiniti), as she struggles to come of age in the dystopia.
'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'
Release Date: April 15, airing weekly on Apple TV
Starring: Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Angarano, and Nick Offerman
All you need to hear to be excited for this show: David E. Kelley adapts Rufi Thorpe's buzzy 2024 novel, Michelle Pfeiffer and (newly minted Oscar nominee) Elle 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
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.
'Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed'
Release Date: May 20, airing weekly on Apple TV
Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Jake Johnson, Brandon Flynn, Murray Bartlett, Jessy Hodges, Jon Michael Hill, Charlie Hall, Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg, Nola Wallace, and Dolly De Leon
Once again, Apple TV comes through with a star-studded cast and a can't-miss premise: "Convinced she witnessed a crime—while simultaneously struggling through a custody battle and an identity crisis—Paula (Maslany) begins her own investigation, one that could unravel a greater conspiracy while also holding the keys to rebuilding her family and sense of self."
The Best TV Shows Coming Summer 2026
'Lucky'
Release Date: July 15, airing weekly on Apple TV
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Drew Starkey, Clifton Collins Jr., and William Fichtner
In her first television role since The Queen's Gambit and Peaky Blinders, Anya Taylor-Joy returns to the small screen in this adaptation of Marissa Stapley's novel. The thriller miniseries follows the titular con artist (Taylor-Joy) as she flees from both sides of the law after a multi-million-dollar heist gone wrong.
'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
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 (Einbinder) and Deborah (Smart) 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'
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: Not only did A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere in January, but House of the Dragon returns 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.
