The Best New TV Shows of 2026 So Far

Arguably the 10th season of a series that first debuted on NBC in 2001—though we'll side with IMDb and Disney in including it here as the first season of a new series— Scrubs is a revival of the long-running hospital comedy hit created by Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso). Stars Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, and John C. McGinley return from the original series, joined by new cast members including Vanessa Bayer and Joel Kim Booster. Critics labeled it a strong return for a heartfelt comedy and a formula that still succeeds today, and a second (11th?) season airs this fall.

Stream it at Hulu (9 episodes)

"Scrubs is still a mélange of wild line deliveries, acerbic tear-downs, slapstick, and unwieldy flights of fancy. It's an amiable visit to an old hangout surrounded by folks who've aged right along with us." —Justin Clark, Slant

Finally making its American debut a few weeks ago after first debuting in the UK in 2024, this five-part adaptation of Jordan Tannahill's novel stars Rebecca Hall as an English teacher who suddenly begins hearing a low, persistent humming noise—a sound that (almost) no one else can hear, and one that triggers migraines and nosebleeds. The miniseries is directed in its entirety by Janicza Bravo (Zola) and earned praise for its thought-provoking story and moody atmosphere.

Stream it at Starz or Starz on Prime Video (5 episodes)

"The Listeners can be challenging. But that doesn't mean it won't reward patient viewing. Bravo and Tannahill have created a parabolic nightmare that deploys genre conventions in service of an elliptical tale of human nature." —Nick Hilton, The Independent

HBO's second Game of Thrones spinoff is a prequel adapted from George R.R. Martin's novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg. Peter Claffey plays the novice hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall (aka "Dunk"), while Dexter Sol Ansell plays his squire, "Egg"—who is actually a Targaryen prince—as the series follows their relatively low-stakes adventures through Westeros nearly a century before the events of Game of Thrones. Critics praised the show's modest scope and lighthearted adventures as a welcome injection of new life into the GoT formula. A second season should debut in 2027.

Stream it at HBO Max or HBO Max on Prime Video (6 episodes)

"The result is something I'd begun to doubt was even possible: a smaller, smarter, funnier and more charming glimpse into George R.R. Martin's bigger-is-better realm." —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter

The latest animated Star Wars series centers on your second-favorite Darth, The Phantom Menace's Darth Maul, who attempts to rebuild his criminal syndicate with the help of a new apprentice on a planet outside of the Empire. Sam Witwer, who voiced Maul in the previous animated shows The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, heads a voice cast that also includes Dennis Haysbert, Gideon Adlon, Richard Ayoade, Chris Diamantopoulos, and recent Oscar nominee Wagner Moura. Critics deemed it one of the better recent Star Wars efforts (even if it's more for Clone Wars obsessives than casual Star Wars fans) and a second season is on track to arrive in 2027.

Stream it at Disney+ (10 episodes)

"While it doesn't quite reach the towering heights of Andor, it comes closer than anything else in the modern Star Wars slate, embracing a more grounded tone that feels refreshingly bold." —Maggie Lovitt, Collider

Created by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi) and Andrew Guest (Hawkeye, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), the latest TV series to fall within the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a Hollywood satire that finds struggling actor Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) attempting to land his dream role: playing the superhero Wonder Man in an upcoming big-screen remake. Ben Kingsley (reprising his role of Trevor Slattery that he first played in Iron Man 3), Zlatko Buric, and Arian Moayed also star in the series, which was praised for innovating away from the Marvel formula—it's also a good entry point for viewers who usually shun the MCU or superhero material—and has been renewed for a second season.

Stream it at Disney+ (8 episodes)

"This is one of the most entertaining MCU shows — if deliberately weird and non-superheroic in a way that I expect to baffle many Marvel fans — in quite some time." —Alan Sepinwall, What's Alan Watching?

Based on a gripping true story (as originally told in Guy Stanton's 2022 memoir The Betrayer), this six-part British crime drama follows a group of ordinary UK customs officials selected for a dangerous undercover mission to infiltrate several major drug smuggling gangs in the early 1990s. The series comes from Neil Forsyth (The Gold) and stars Tom Burke and Steve Coogan. There's no word yet on whether Legends will return for a second season, but this first season was praised as a taut, well-produced, and well-acted thriller

Stream it at Netflix (6 episodes)

"This is glossy, big-budget drama filled with adrenaline — and a mighty fine early 1990s soundtrack — but it's not without moments of comic relief, giving it a British feel that will undoubtedly please fans of Forsyth's previous work on the BBC." —Tim Glanfield, The Times

A disgraced former football player (Tracy Morgan) attempts to rehabilitate his image through the filming of a documentary by a director played by Daniel Radcliffe in the latest NBC comedy series from producer Tina Fey. Created by 30 Rock vets and frequent Fey collaborators Robert Carlock and Sam Means, and featuring the creators' usual quick-cut style, Reggie Dinkins also stars Bobby Moynihan, Erika Alexander, Precious Way, and Jalyn Hall. It's not (yet) the second coming of 30 Rock, but reviewers certainly found it funny, especially as the season progressed. A second season will air in November.

Stream it at Peacock or Peacock on Prime Video (10 episodes)

"Smart but silly, 'Reggie Dinkins' shows great promise as an odd couple comedy for our times." —Chris Vognar, Boston Globe

In this Cold War spy thriller from David Iserson (Mr. Robot) and Susanna Fogel (The Flight Attendant), Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson play secretaries in the American Embassy in 1977 Moscow. They're considered Persons of No Interest, or "PONIES"—who are enlisted by the CIA to investigate a conspiracy after their husbands die under mysterious circumstances. Despite reviews praising the series as an especially entertaining example of the spy genre marked by terrific chemistry between its two leads, Ponies was recently canceled.

Stream it at Peacock or Peacock on Prime Video (8 episodes)

"Peacock delivers a sharp, genuinely fun spy series that feels intimate even at its most dangerous and one that lingers well after the credits roll." —Tania Hussain, Collider

Making its American debut in March on Hulu after first airing on Stan in late 2025, this comedic Australian crime drama centers on two siblings (Will Forte and D'Arcy Carden—and, no, neither of them are Australian) who attempt to start a spray tan business but instead find themselves involved with the criminal underworld. Critics found it a fun hang filled with surprising turns.

Stream it at Hulu or Disney+ (8 episodes)

"The characters are always fun to spend time with and the tone is deliciously skew-wiff: a comedy bent like a thriller, and a thriller tinged with comedy." —Luke Buckmaster, The Guardian

Sherlock's Mark Gatiss (who also created and wrote the series) runs an antiquarian bookshop and solves crimes in his spare time in this six-episode mystery anthology series set in post-WWII London. Airing in the States on PBS early this year after first debuting in the UK last year, Bookish has been renewed for a second season following reviews that praised the series as a highly watchable Agatha Christie-esque cozy mystery series elevated by strong performances and a surprisingly modern approach to the material.

Stream it at PBS Masterpiece on Prime (6 episodes)

"Overall Bookish is a fine piece of entertainment – meticulously worked, beautifully paced and decidedly moreish. [...] It has enough spikiness to stop it being formulaic but enough love for the genre to keep it comforting. A joy." —Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

In this buzzy Apple horror comedy (just renewed for a second season) from Parks and Recreation writer Kate Dippold, Matthew Rhys plays the unimpressive mayor of a tiny New England island town whose drive to turn the low-key island into a tourist destination runs headlong into long-held local superstitions that turn out to be truer than anyone expected. Stephen Root, Kate O'Flynn, and Dale Dickey also star, while Hiro Murai (Atlanta, The Bear) directs half of this season's 10 episodes and produces. Yes, the show has drawn plenty of Stephen King comparisons, but many critics loved this genre-blending original story (especially once said story kicks into high gear after the opening episodes).

Stream it at Apple TV or Apple TV on Prime Video (10 episodes)

"It is truly unlike anything else on TV, a wild swing of tonal shifts that works because it commits so fully to both halves of the equation." —Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

David E. Kelley adapts Rufi Thorpe's 2024 novel of the same name into an A24-produced dramedy series that finds Elle Fanning starring as the titular Margo, a junior college dropout with a new baby (thanks to a brief affair with a professor) and few prospects for paying her bills ... except, perhaps, starting an OnlyFans account. Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman play her parents—a former Hooters waitress and pro wrestler, respectively—while Nicole Kidman, Thaddea Graham, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden, Michael Angarano, and Rico Nasty fill out the ensemble. Already renewed for a second season, Margo earned praise for its humor and surprising complexity.

Stream it at Apple TV or Apple TV on Prime Video (8 episodes)

"The pitch may sound like a dare, but the series keeps finding its way back to something real. That bruised warmth, more than any of its quirks, is what gives this oddball dramedy its pulse." —Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist

For her follow-up to Derry Girls —one of the all-time best Netflix comedy series —Lisa McGee returns to Belfast. This time, her show is a comedic mystery thriller that follows three lifelong friends (Roisin Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan, and Caoilfhionn Dunne) as they investigate their estranged fourth friend's suspicious death. Reviewers praised a quickly paced and twisty whodunit that doubled as an enjoyable buddy comedy.

Stream it at Netflix (8 episodes)

"How To Get To Heaven From Belfast is a sharply funny examination of how friendships change over time as well as a pretty darn good mystery." —Joel Keller, Decider

The BBC's series adaptation of Janice Hadlow's 2020 novel that brings new depth to the life of Pride and Prejudice middle sister Mary Bennet as she leaves her family home and heads to both London and the Lake District—finding love along the way—stars Ella Bruccoleri, Ruth Jones, Richard E. Grant, and Indira Varma. Critics were charmed by this fresh and breezy Austen update, and the characters will return for a three-episode Christmas special later this year.

Stream it at BritBox on Prime Video (10 episodes)

"The Other Bennet Sister is a worthy spiritual and narrative successor to Austen's most famous work, a wonderfully cozy, comforting, romantic, and uplifting new period dramedy." —El Kuiper, Screen Rant

A spinoff from For All Mankind, Apple's latest sci-fi series examines the same basic story as its predecessor but from the perspective of the Soviet Union, with this first season serving as a prequel that depicts the USSR's frantic efforts to land a man on the moon ahead of the Americans in an alternative-history 1960s. Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin, Alice Englert, and Agnes O'Casey head the cast. Far from a rehashing of familiar material, Star City offers a distinctive, well-acted, and all-around darker mystery in this first season, according to reviewers.

Stream it at Apple TV or Apple TV on Prime Video (8 episodes)

"Star City is cold and claustrophobic where For All Mankind is caring and cheerful, which makes for a gripping inversion of Apple's sci-fi drama — inspiring awe of a very different kind." —David Opie, Empire

This (for now) one-off revival of The Muppet Show returns to the classic format of the now-50-year-old family variety series originally created by Jim Henson, enlisting guest stars Sabrina Carpenter, Seth Rogen, and Maya Rudolph to join Kermit & co. That's exactly what fans of the original series have wanted for decades and what other Muppet television revivals had previously failed to deliver. Despite the rave reviews and strong ratings for what appears to be a backdoor pilot for a full series revival, Disney has yet to give The Muppet Show a series order.

Stream it at Disney+ (1 episode)

"The revival is so satisfying that I only have one complaint: There's too little of it." —Judy Berman, Time

The latest well-reviewed series from Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax) centers on a group of middle-aged women who attempt to win a talent contest by forming a punk band. Critics saluted the show's blend of dark humor, propulsive energy, and richly detailed characterizations. A second season is on the way.

Stream it at BritBox on Prime Video (6 episodes)

"The characters are so finely observed, and their emotional lives so wonderfully textured, that I'd happily have watched them just go about their days." —Inkoo Kang

This four-episode British production adapts William Golding's classic 1954 novel about a group of English schoolboys who turn to savagery after being stranded on a desert island (and, really, who could blame them—they weren't even allowed to bring their 10 favorite albums with them). The series, which comes from Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne, was praised as an ambitious and largely successful (if perhaps a tad overlong) adaptation enlivened by the strong performances of its young cast of newcomers.

Stream it at Netflix (4 episodes)

"This is a first-class example of an adaptation done right, and television breathing new life into a familiar story." —Anita Singh, The Telegraph

Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, who previously teamed for a profile of comedian George Carlin, respectively, reunite here to direct a four-hour look at comedy legend Mel Brooks. (The film is already outdated: Brooks just turned 100.) Tracing both its subject's personal life and his decades-long career in both TV and film, The 99 Year Old Man! offers an enjoyable blend of classic clips and new insights, according to critics.

Stream it at HBO Max or HBO Max on Prime Video (2 episodes)

"The master's-level dissection of his comedy belongs in a time capsule, and Brooks' lingering adoration of his wife, Anne Bancroft, is tender and touching." —Brian Lowry, Status

Metacritic's Best New TV Show of the First Half of 2026. Riz Ahmed (who serves triple duty as writer/creator and producer) stars as a struggling actor whose life begins to spiral out of control over a four-day period after learning he has a chance to audition for the role of a lifetime—James Bond—in this British dramedy miniseries also produced by Ben Karlin (The Daily Show). It's a quick watch that critics deemed one of the funniest and most compelling shows of early 2026.

Stream it at Prime Video (6 episodes)

"It begins with a simple premise, but flies quickly off the rails in service of some of the most volatile, self-reflexive comedy-drama you're likely to stream this year." —Siddhant Adlakha, IGN