Though we’re already halfway through the year and many of the shows we’d been anticipating have already aired, there’s still plenty on the horizon. With still plenty of series to add to our mental queue, we’ve narrowed things down to the ones we’re most excited about. Here are the most anticipated upcoming TV shows of 2026.
What are the most anticipated upcoming TV shows of 2026?
There are over 50 shows scheduled to hit the air this year, and some are still in the realm of speculation. Some are spin-offs, some are entirely new, and some are seasons we’ve been waiting on with bated breath.
House of the Dragon Season 3 (HBO Max)
This is one series that really doesn’t need any extra fanfare. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set roughly 200 years before Game of Thrones and lays the groundwork for the Targaryen civil war that ultimately leads to the end of the dragons. With Season 3, The Dance of the Dragons is fully underway, and there’s no turning back. Alliances will shift, and the body count (of both man and dragon) is only going to rise. We get the feeling that this is the penultimate push for the throne. If you’re familiar with the books, or even just remember what was said in Game of Thrones, there’s a real question of how much ground the show will cover in its eight-episode run. As it stands, the series is expected to wrap up with Season 4.
House of the Dragon is set to return on June 21.
Ted Lasso Season 4 (Apple TV)
When Ted Lasso ended in 2023, our hearts broke a little. The world just felt a little less sunny without the goodness this show gave us. Fortunately, it’s coming back and at a time when it feels like maybe we need it more than ever. Season 4 takes us from Kansas back to England, where Ted faces a new challenge: coaching a Division II women’s team. Some of our favorite cast members are set to return, including Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca), Juno Temple (Keeley Jones), Brett Goldstein (Roy), and Jeremy Swift (Higgins). Sadly, it seems Phil Dunster (Jamie Tartt) had a conflict on another show at the time of filming. Maybe they were able to squeeze him in for a cameo (we can only hope!)
Ted Lass is set to return on August 4.
Lanterns (HBO Max)
Even if you’re not a self-professed lover of superhero series, we’d argue there are good ones that break the mold of the genre. Lanterns is the next series promising to subvert our expectations of the form. The next TV series in the DC Universe, Lanterns, is based on the comic series that plenty of people seem to forget about, which is somewhat criminal considering it’s one of the better comic arcs.
Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre star as Hal Jordan and John Stewart, Lanterns who serve as intergalactic peacekeepers and are drawn into an Earth-centric mystery. The show is produced by Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen), Chris Mundy, and Tom King for HBO. If anything, the creative team behind this has a track record of giving us some of the best television around.
So while the premise exists in a superheroic, sci-fi world, it seems like it’ll feel just as much like True Detective as a superhero series — at least that’s the impression we’re getting from the first teaser. The second teaser is far more galactic, so we’re taking that to mean the series will strike the right balance between both styles. We’ll have to wait until August to see.
Lanterns streams on HBO Max on August 16.
Elle (Prime Video)
Well, after Buffy saw the Hulu axe, there’s another show (in addition to Little House on the Prairie) pulling on our nostalgia heartstrings. Elle generally seems like a charming riff on what came before, but there’s still enough potential here to keep us curious. Before Elle was a Harvard law student, she was a high schooler.
Like the original movie, Elle Woods finds herself completely out of her element when her family moves from Bel-Air to Seattle. This prequel looks like it’ll have enough style and comedy to keep us interested, though we’re still wondering what exactly the writers have cooked up for us. Either way, it’s definitely one of the most anticipated upcoming TV shows of 2026.
Elle streams on Prime Video on July 1.
The Boys from Brazil (Netflix)
We are more than ready for this one, though unfortunately, the release date is still up in the air; late 2026 is a potential date. Based on the 1976 thriller The Boys from Brazil, the five-part series spans three decades following WWII, when a notorious Nazi doctor begins orchestrating a terrifying conspiracy designed to resurrect fascism. The novel was adapted to a film starring Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier in 1978 (and is a fairly solid watch), but we hope the series can deliver even more.
The story follows aging Nazi hunter Yakov Liebermann (Jeremy Strong), a Holocaust survivor who uncovers a pattern of murders connected to a hidden network of former SS officers. As Liebermann digs deeper, he discovers the killings are tied to a secret cloning experiment decades in the making, intended to bring back Hitler. The stellar cast also includes Gillian Anderson, Daniel Brühl, August Diehl, Lizzy Caplan, Shira Haas, and Paul Ben-Victor.
How we picked the most anticipated upcoming TV shows of 2026
Most of the original series we were most excited for have already aired this year, which leaves us eagerly anticipating the return of some of our favorites. If you’re looking for more original shows, other contenders we’re excited for include Little House on the Prairie (Netflix), Pride and Prejudice (Netflix), and Spider-Noir (Disney+)
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