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The year 2025 brought viewers some great new television shows. The networks and streamers haven’t failed to do the same for 2026. From sweeping HBO fantasies to genre-bending Apple TV productions, 2026 has brought a lot of great storytelling to the small screen. As a baseline metric for determining the ten best new series of the year (so far), we looked at aggregate critical and audience scores from Rotten Tomatoes as well as other channels for audience opinions like Reddit. We also considered the personal preferences of our writers and, wherever possible, chose to focus on shows with particularly fresh and/or distinct premises.
There have been a lot of great things on TV this year, including some pretty excellent sophomore seasons for shows like “The Pitt” and “Daredevil: Born Again.” However, while it’s fairly simple to stick with a series after its first season, choosing to get on board with a brand new show (especially when the premise is pretty out-there) isn’t as easy. But don’t worry — we’ve tested the waters for you. The following new shows feature lots of great talent (both new and established) and cover a wide variety of genres and tones. Check out our list to find your next TV obsession.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
- Cast: Peter Claffey, Dexter Sol Ansell, Daniel Ings
- Creators: Ira Parker, George R.R. Martin
- Genres: Fantasy, drama
- Where to watch:HBO Max
“Game of Thrones” was a cultural phenomenon for most of its run, but the creators fumbled the last few seasons so dramatically that it left a stain on the show’s entire legacy. The prequel series “House of the Dragon,” which is thematically different to “Game of Thrones,” got things back on track, and the latest Westeros-set show is just as thrilling, even if it approaches George R.R. Martin’s fictional world from a different angle. It’s called “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” and while the vibe is different to both “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon,” it’s a must-watch for fans of those shows.
Right from the get-go, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” distinguishes itself in tone by focusing on a commoner called Duncan (he goes by Dunk) as he eulogizes the knight who took him on as a squire when he was a child. He has some issues convincing people that his late master knighted him on his deathbed, but he becomes a hedge knight known as Ser Duncan the Tall, taking on a squire of his own called Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), who is actually a member of a famous Westeros family. The critically acclaimed show strikes the perfect balance between levity and gravity.
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins
- Cast: Tracy Morgan, Daniel Radcliffe, Erika Alexander
- Creators: Robert Carlock, Sam Means
- Genre: Comedy
- Where to watch:Peacock
A sitcom from two of the minds behind “30 Rock,” “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” follows the titular character (Tracy Morgan), a former football player who was banned from the game for sports betting. Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe) is an Oscar-winning but disgraced documentary filmmaker following Reggie’s attempts to salvage his reputation while also hoping to score some redemption of his own. The show’s ensemble cast is rounded out with Reggie’s ex-wife/current agent Monica (Erika Alexander), his best friend Rusty (Bobby Moynihan), Reggie and Monica’s teen son Carmelo (Jalyn Hall), and Reggie’s influencer fiancée Brina (Precious Way).
There are some jokes that only Tracy Morgan is capable of delivering to full effect (“Ooh, this is my favorite Skyrizi commercial!”) and it’s a joy to see him firing them off at the speed and density of “30 Rock” once again. His co-star Daniel Radcliffe has undergone quite the transformation since his time leading the Harry Potter films, which earned him the right to be choosy about his creative projects. It’s no surprise that Radcliffe excels opposite Morgan as a comedic performer given his impeccable work on “Miracle Workers.” “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” is hilarious and it has morals: Authenticity and community investment are seamlessly woven into the fabric of the show, which is filling a real hole in America’s sitcom landscape.
Widow’s Bay
- Cast: Matthew Rhys, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Charles Van Flaherty
- Creators: Katie Dippold
- Genres: Comedy, horror, thriller
- Where to watch:Apple TV
“Widow’s Bay” is a new show that combines classic, New England folk horror with the wry, erudite rationality of a true skeptic in the form of main character Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys). Tom is mayor of a small New England town called Widow’s Bay, where locals frequently cite supernatural phenomena as evidence of a curse. Tom is a regular Dana Scully — he doesn’t believe in any of the old stories surrounding the town’s many horrors, but a particularly Mulder-coded resident named Wyck (Stephen Root) is insistent that the fog rolling into town means trouble’s brewing.
It’s difficult to characterize “Widow’s Bay,” which merges workplace comedy elements with horror tropes and adds a sprinkle of feel-good, found-family drama. That’s to say, it’s a unique show that combines elements that don’t sound like they would necessarily work together on paper, but combine brilliantly here. There are genuine thrills to be had in “Widow’s Bay,” and thanks to the heavy horror lifting done by its New England setting, the characters themselves get to be a lot more funny than you’d expect from a show about ancient curses. The series is a bona fide Easter egg hunt for classic horror fans, and Rhys anchors the show with a self-aware lack of self-awareness.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
- Cast: Elle Fanning, Nick Offerman, Michelle Pfeiffer
- Creator: David E. Kelley
- Genres: Comedy, drama
- Where to watch:Apple TV
Based on a 2024 Rufi Thorpe novel of the same name, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” is a new dramatic comedy series from Apple TV. The David E. Kelley show follows Margo (Elle Fanning) as she attempts to provide for an unexpected baby without much money or work experience to speak of. Despite living in a world that would love to see her fail, Margo is determined to take control over her own life (and income streams) and does so with the help of her parents, Hooters waitress Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and former professional wrestler Jinx (Nick Offerman).
Margo is a smart young woman who feels reminiscent of Mikey Madison’s titular character in “Anora.” She’s bright, singular, and worthy of greatness, but held back by financial, familial, and geographical realities. It’s a series that feels fresh and original thanks to its young lead character and her exploration into the world of OnlyFans. Fanning, Offerman, Pfeiffer, and the rest of the cast are impeccable performers, and the whole series is buffeted by the unsentimental, unconditional love between Margo and the people in her life.
PONIES
- Cast: Emilia Clarke, Haley Lu Richardson, Adrian Lester
- Creators: Susanna Fogel, David Iserson
- Genres: Thriller, comedy, drama
- Where to watch:Peacock
It’s rare to find a spy thriller starring two women, and even rarer to find a spy thriller set in the past and starring two women, so “PONIES” is already blazing trails with its premise. Beatrice “Bea” Grant (Emilia Clarke) and Twila Hasbeck (Haley Lu Richardson) are both stationed in Moscow with their husbands, both of whom die in Episode 1 during a failed CIA mission. Bea and Twila soon after become CIA assets themselves, operating out of Moscow and without USSR tails thanks to their “Persons of No Interest” designation. As Bea cultivates a relationship with cold-blooded KGB killer Andrei Vasiliev (Artjom Gilz), Twila improvises fearlessly for the CIA around Moscow.
Emilia Clarke hasn’t had the best luck with franchises since the end of “Game of Thrones,” so it’s a treat to see her enjoying herself onscreen in an original project, especially one in which she’s credited as an executive producer. Bea would be an easy character to find annoying (she is positioned squarely as the lawful good counterpart to Twila’s chaotic good), but Clarke plays her energetically as a woman both fearful of and excited by her new endeavor. The series feels very insular until the last few episodes blast open the whole premise, leaving room for an exciting future.
- Cast: Riz Ahmed, Guz Khan, Aasiya Shah
- Creator: Riz Ahmed
- Genres: Comedy, drama, thriller
- Where to watch:Amazon Prime Video
Riz Ahmed is something of a Renaissance man, and he recently made waves with his genre-melding creation “Bait,” a limited British series about an actor named Shah Latif (Ahmed) who has found himself in the running to play the next James Bond. Shah’s audition to play 007 quickly becomes common knowledge and almost as quickly turns his life upside down. The series jumps between comedy satire, family drama, and espionage thriller as it explores what it’s like to navigate the entertainment industry as someone with an underrepresented, often-marginalized background.
Ahmed’s experience in music comes through in the series’ soundtrack, which combines classical-style scores, ’70’s psychedelic Pakistani music, and work from current-day British and South Asian artists. Ahmed captured the ethos of his show in an interview with Gold Derby: “It’s about this feeling we can all relate to, which is that sometimes life feels like one big audition. We’re all chasing validation and approval. We’re all trying to get the job and be deemed worthy enough — and we’re all performing this public version of ourselves that is totally different to our true chaotic, messy vulnerability.” The series is an absolute delight and well worth your time.
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
- Cast: Roisin Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan, Caoilfhionn Dunne
- Creators: Lisa McGee
- Genre: Comedy
- Where to watch:Netflix
The truth about “Derry Girls” is that creator Lisa McGee is particularly gifted in depicting everyday relationship dynamics among friends and families. In her new series, “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast,” McGee combines that gift with her usual disarming sense of humor and an intriguing murder mystery. Three childhood besties — Robyn (Sinéad Keenan), Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne), and Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher) — find themselves converging on Donegal to attend the funeral of an old friend. Once there, the trio find themselves confronted with long-buried secrets and weird happenings, and they are often just as confused as the viewer.
“How to Get to Heaven from Belfast” is equally as delightful and endearing as “Derry Girls,” and McGill’s continued dedication to proudly depicting the particular beauty and singularity of her homeland is much appreciated. Where another creator may have ridden the success of “Derry Girls” to a new series with well-known actors, McGill features more up-and-coming Irish talent in this critically acclaimed Netflix show. Gallagher, Dunne, and Keenan have a fantastic rapport onscreen, and while “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast” is far more ambitious than “Derry Girls,” both the cast and the creator rise to the challenge.
Wonder Man
- Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ben Kingsley, X Mayo
- Creators: Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Guest
- Genres: Comedy, drama
- Where to watch:Disney+
“Wonder Man” has been a breath of fresh air for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whereas shows like “Secret Invasion” and “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” were bogged down by info dumps and a prioritization of world-building over character development, “Wonder Man” remains impressively on task. The Disney+ series follows an actor named Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who works hard to keep his super powers a secret (in the world of the MCU, actors need to sign what’s called a “Doorman Clause,” confirming that they don’t have super powers). Simon forms a bond with infamous Mandarin-portrayer Travor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) and navigates his powers while pursuing a fictional super hero role.
“Wonder Man” will appeal to fans of MCU shows like “Loki,” “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” and “Moon Knight.” All four shows are vastly different but they all focus more on main character development over wider world-building. While superhero films and TV shows are arguably a genre unto themselves at this point, the MCU is getting better at branching out, with projects that lean into fantasy, sci-fi, and even horror. At its heart, “Wonder Man” is a buddy comedy, and a fantastic one at that. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is brilliant in the lead role, and Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery is arguably one of the most underrated MCU characters.
Star City
- Cast: Alice Englert, Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin
- Creators: Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, Ronald D. Moore
- Genres: Sci-fi, drama
- Where to watch: Apple TV
“For All Mankind” is a fascinating look at what might’ve happened if the Soviet Union landed on the moon first. The show primarily maintains an optimistic tone as we follow characters throughout the ensuing decades, examining how the world may have turned out in this other timeline. But “For All Mankind” has a decidedly optimistic tone, being one of the cheerier science-fiction series in recent memory. Its spinoff, “Star City,” goes back to the cold darkness we know from sci-fi all too well, and honestly, it may have surpassed its parent series in terms of quality.
“Star City” gives us the Soviet perspective after the country landed on the moon, but things aren’t victorious. There’s a persistent throughline of paranoia, in that the KGB will make anyone disappear in order to keep up the facade that the people enjoy living under such a repressive regime. In the middle of this is Anastasia Belikova (Alice Englert), the first female cosmonaut to land on the moon, who must say and do exactly what she’s told or face the consequences.
“Star City” is a Cold War thriller where you’re never quite sure if people are acting the way they want to or the way they feel they must to survive. It makes for a gripping viewer experience because you’re constantly wondering where people’s allegiances actually lie. But even with the different setting and tone, the new series maintains its sense of wonder and awe toward the capability of scientific advancement, if humans can just get out of their own way.
Furious
- Cast: Emmy Rossum, Lola Petticrew
- Creator: Elizabeth Meriwether
- Genres: Crime, drama
- Where to watch: Hulu
There have been so many police procedurals over the years, and it can be easy to tune a new one out. But “Furious” is absolutely worth your time for the way it subverts expectations of the genre and creates something wholly its own. The series sees FBI agent Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) take on a case involving a serial killer targeting wealthy men. But this isn’t a standard whodunnit, as we learn the identity of the killer early on — Catherine Grace (Lola Petticrew) — a victim of sex trafficking now getting revenge on those who hurt her.
“Furious” forces the audience to let go of any notions of traditional black-and-white justice. Most of us would probably agree with Catherine’s crusade to rid the world of such evil people, and that’s precisely where Alice finds herself. As a member of law enforcement, she witnesses first-hand how institutions fail to protect the most marginalized communities. And if institutions won’t protect us, what’s to stop someone else from getting better results on their own?
“Furious” isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s an exceptionally bleak show, although dark humor does shine through now and then. Alice and Catherine are two sides of the same coin, each pursuing justice in their own way. After decades of “Law & Order: SVU” and similar shows, it’s refreshing to see something tackle this subject matter differently while also becoming one of the best TV shows of 2026 in the process.
