Television in 2026 promises fresh stories, beloved returns, and long-awaited conclusions that will keep viewers glued to screens throughout the year.
From space academies to psychological thrillers, the lineup spans every genre imaginable.
Streaming platforms and traditional networks are betting big on both proven franchises and bold new experiments.
Here’s what critics and industry insiders are most excited about as calendars flip to a new year of must-watch television.
Star Trek Returns to School
“Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” launches January 15 on Paramount+, taking viewers to San Francisco’s rebuilt training facility in the 32nd century. Fresh cadets will navigate dangers both academic and cosmic aboard the USS Athena training starship.
Veteran characters return, including Tig Notaro’s engineer Jett Reno and Robert Picardo’s holographic doctor. Holly Hunter captains the show as academy chancellor, while Paul Giamatti dons prosthetics to play the antagonist.
Stephen Colbert lends his voice as the Digital Dean of Students, adding comedic relief to the progressive space opera’s latest mission.
Patrick Dempsey Trades Medicine for Murder
“Memory of a Killer” premieres January 25 on Fox, transforming McDreamy into something considerably darker. Dempsey portrays Angelo Ledda, a New York City assassin grappling with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
The diagnosis threatens both his deadly career and his cover as an ordinary family man. Michael Imperioli and Gina Torres join the cast in this adaptation of the Belgian film “De Zaak Alzheimer.”
Fox is launching with a two-night premiere following the NFC Championship game before settling into Monday nights at 9 p.m.
Sacred Heart Hospital Reopens Its Doors
Nearly 16 years after cancellation, “Scrubs” returns February 25 on ABC. Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, and Donald Faison reprise their beloved roles, with John C. McGinley and Judy Reyes making guest appearances.
New faces join the medical comedy, including Vanessa Bayer and Joel Kim Booster. Fans are hoping J.D.’s signature daydreams and bromance with Turk remain intact despite the time jump.
Monsters and Family Drama Collide
“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” Season 2 arrives February 27 on Apple TV+, picking up two years after Season 1’s cliffhanger. The Randa family reunites under complicated circumstances after Cate escaped a mysterious pocket world with her long-lost grandmother.
Anna Sawai returns as Cate alongside Takehiro Hira, Ren Watabe, and Kiersey Clemons. While human relationships drive the narrative, Kong’s presence has been teased for monster enthusiasts.
Ryan Murphy Tackles Kennedy Tragedy
“American Love Story” debuts on FX in February, examining John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s relationship and 1999 deaths in a plane crash. Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Kelly portray the doomed couple, with Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy.
Despite criticism from Kennedy family members, Murphy’s latest anthology promises his characteristic dramatization of notable people and events that captivated America’s attention.
Yellowstone Universe Expands
Taylor Sheridan continues his modern western empire with multiple spinoffs. “Y: Marshals” premieres March 1 on CBS, following Luke Grimes’ Kayce Dutton joining an elite U.S. Marshals unit alongside Gil Birmingham and Mo Brings Plenty.
“Dutton Ranch” arrives on Paramount+ in 2026, starring Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser reprising their explosive roles as Beth and Rip. Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell will headline “The Madison,” another Montana-set drama currently in development.
Mystery and Betrayal Among Friends
“Imperfect Women” launches March 18 on Apple TV+, bringing together Kerry Washington, Elisabeth Moss, and Kate Mara as lifelong friends whose lives unravel following a murder. Based on Araminta Hall’s novel, the series promises secret affairs, deep betrayal, and muddied perspectives.
Moss describes the show as super different from “The Handmaid’s Tale,” calling it fun and sexy rather than dystopian darkness.
Victorian Drama Gets Female-Forward Treatment
“The Forsytes” arrives March 22 on PBS as a prequel adaptation of John Galsworthy’s novels. Writer Debbie Horsfield reimagines the Victorian-era stockbroker family with a female-forward lens.
The ensemble includes Francesca Annis, Stephen Moyer, Tuppence Middleton, and Susan Hampshire, who won an Emmy for the 1967 adaptation.
Financial Struggle Meets OnlyFans
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles” premieres April 15 on Apple TV+, adapting Rufi Thorpe’s novel about financial precarity and sex work. Elle Fanning stars as a college dropout and new mother who turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet.
David E. Kelley produces the series, which explores adult content creation without moralization. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Margo’s ex-Hooters waitress mother, Nick Offerman her ex-wrestler father, and Nicole Kidman rounds out the stacked cast.
Gilead’s Daughters Take Center Stage
“The Testaments” arrives in April on Hulu, adapting Margaret Atwood’s Booker Prize-winning sequel. June’s daughters Hannah (Chase Infiniti) and Daisy (Lucy Halliday) face Gilead’s brutal theocracy years after “The Handmaid’s Tale” events.
Ann Dowd returns as Aunt Lydia in what creator Bruce Miller characterizes as a coming-of-age story, though forces both inside and outside Gilead plot the regime’s downfall.
Class Warfare at Country Club
“Beef” Season 2 drops on Netflix in 2026, three years after Steven Yeun and Ali Wong’s road rage thriller captivated audiences. Lee Sung Jin’s anthology shifts to an exclusive Southern California country club where two couples from different economic backgrounds collide.
Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton play club employees who witness a heated fight between their boss (Oscar Isaac) and his wife (Carey Mulligan), sparking chaos involving the new Korean billionaire owner (Youn Yuh-jung). Eight 30-minute episodes promise signature needle drops and dark comedy.
Prairie Life Gets Modern Retelling
“Little House on the Prairie” comes to Netflix in 2026, reimagining Laura Ingalls Wilder’s semi-autobiographical series for contemporary audiences. Showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine aims to capture historical breadth beyond the 1974 NBC adaptation, including devastating events like the 1874 locust plague.
Duffer Brothers Deliver Horror Wedding
“Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen” arrives on Netflix before the Duffer Brothers move to Paramount exclusively. Camila Morrone and Adam DiMarco star as an engaged couple whose wedding plans take a terrifying turn.
Showrunner Haley Z. Boston, who wrote for “Cabinet of Curiosities” and “Brand New Cherry Flavor,” promises scares worthy of closing your eyes.
Final Answers in the Wilderness
“Yellowjackets” Season 4 concludes the survival thriller in 2026 on Showtime. The championship soccer team’s 19-month ordeal in Canadian wilderness—complete with cannibalism and ritual sacrifice—finally reaches resolution.
Mysteries spanning both past and present timelines promise answers: How were they rescued? How many survived? Why did the wilderness return to haunt them decades later?