The 10 Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2026
Binge-watchers rejoice! 2026 is looking to be a seriously great year for television, largely in the streaming space, as the streamers continue to pump out big-budget shows spanning from dramas to comedies, and even horror. The big trend for 2026, though, is prequels, sequels, and spin-offs, as you’ll see below.
From Netflix to HBO Max, Peacock, and more, there’s going to be some excellent shows premiering in 2026. From a Legally Blonde (2001) prequel to a Victorious (2010) spin-off, and tons of star-studded shows led by A-List talent, check out these most anticipated series of 2026 below.
One of the most anticipated shows of 2026 is also one of the most mysterious. Being helmed by A24 and set for a Peacock release, Crystal Lake is a prequel to Friday the 13th (1980). So far, the plot is being kept tightly under wraps. So much so that on its website, NBC (which owns Peacock) even writes, “Little is known about the show's plot, though it’s possible it’ll take place before the events of the 1980 film that kicked off the horror franchise and ended with Pamela’s decapitation.”
What is known, though, is that Linda Cardellini will play Pamela Voorhees herself. Fans are super excited for the series since it will be the first Jason project since the 2009 reboot. If you’re a fan of Friday the 13th or classic slashers like Halloween (1978), you’re probably going to love this show.
Another highly anticipated prequel is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which is a prequel to Game of Thrones (2011). However, the vibe of the series will be completely different. The show is a far more traditional medieval drama, and a large chunk of the fantasy elements from GOT won’t be included—so no dragons or white walkers, unfortunately.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on George R. R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novella series, and viewers can expect lots of knights in shining armor, joust duels, castles, and a great buddy story. If you love medieval shows like Reign (2013) or The Last Kingdom (2015), this is gonna be the series for you.
Another show everyone is excited for is Netflix’s Hollywood Arts. The series serves as a sequel to Nickelodeon’s Victorious, and Daniella Monet will reprise her role as Trina Vega. In the upcoming series, Vega is a struggling actress who can’t seem to land her big break. To make money, she returns to Hollywood Arts, this time as a substitute teacher who finds herself on a new journey while attempting to connect with Gen Alpha.
“Victorious was in a lot of ways life-changing for all of us,” Monet told Tudum. “Our cast is forever bonded by that experience, and to think that I have an opportunity to steward anything close to that is a feeling I can’t begin to describe.” If you loved early 2010s tween shows like iCarly (2007) and Good Luck Charlie (2010), then you’ll probably get lots of nostalgia revisiting the world of Victorious once again.
Marvel’s official website is calling VisionQuest the conclusion to a trilogy, which began with WandaVision (2021) and most recently included Agatha All Along (2024). The show picks up after the events of the two previous shows and focuses on Vision.
At the 2025 New York Comic-Con, star Paul Bettany described where the show starts. “What’s different about Vision right now is that Red Vision gave Vision all of his memories, including the memories from within the Hex,” he said. “But White Vision is having real difficulty connecting to them. So he has the memories, but he doesn’t have the emotions and the feelings, and I think that’s what the journey is.” If you love Marvel or the way that the two previous entries in the trilogy blended genres, you’ll likely enjoy VisionQuest.
Picking up in the 32nd Century (the far distant end of the Star Trek timeline), Starfleet Academy follows a new class of trainees at Starfleet Academy. But of course, there’s an overarching intergalactic conflict that tries and tests these new cadets. The show has a great cast, including Holly Hunter, Paul Giamatti, and Tig Notaro, who is reprising her role from Star Trek: Discovery (2017).
Starfleet Academy is a great choice for anyone who loves Paramount+’s new era of Star Trek shows like Strange New Worlds (2022), and it’s especially good for newcomers to the franchise since its story will be wholly its own and almost a soft reboot.
What, like it’s hard? The upcoming Prime series Elle will serve as a prequel to Legally Blonde. Newcomer Lexi Minetree will portray Elle Woods during her high school years in the series, which is being produced by Reese Witherspoon herself.
Witherspoon broke the news on her Instagram, sharing a reel with the caption “Before she became the most famous Gemini vegetarian to graduate from Harvard Law, she was just a regular ‘90s high school girl. And all of you are going to get to know her, next year.” Obviously, fans of Legally Blonde are going to love this series, but it also looks perfect for fans of high school comedies as well, like PEN15 (2019) or The Politician (2019).
Nope, this Marvel series won’t be premiering on Disney+ and instead is headed for MGM+ and Prime. Spider-Noir follows an aging and down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York (played by Academy Award-winner and meme god, Nicolas Cage), who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero.
According to Amazon, the show will be available in both black-and-white and color, so fans of hardcore noirs can watch it the way it was intended… and the rest of us noobs can watch in color. If you love gritty takes on childhood favorites, like Detective Pikachu (2019), or just love the highly stylized vibes of black-and-white movies like Sin City (2005), this will probably be the series for you.
Based on the novel of the same name, The Five-Star Weekend will star Jennifer Garner as a famous food blogger who is secretly dealing with crippling grief after the loss of her husband. To distract herself from her thoughts, she invites a group of her friends to her Nantucket home for a grand weekend, à la Barefoot Contessa.
The show is absolutely stacked with a great cast, including Regina Hall, Chloe Sevigny, Timothy Olyphant, Gemma Chan, and Judy Greer. If you love juicy dramas with a New England backdrop, like The Perfect Couple (2024), or shows with great ensemble casts like Modern Family (2009), then this is the series for you.
If you loved Kaley Cuoco in her thriller The Flight Attendant (2020), then you absolutely need to watch Vanished. In the series, Cuoco plays a woman vacationing in Paris with her boyfriend (Sam Claflin). But after he suddenly disappears, she’s thrust down a rabbit hole of deceit and lies.
Look, this is obviously giving some serious Flight Attendant vibes, which I’m totally fine with. There’s a reason why Cuoco earned two Emmy nominations for that series. She was brilliant in it. If you loved watching her in the gripping HBO Max hit, then this is a show you need to check out.
The Power universe on Starz has become a massive cult sensation. In 2026, a new series will add to the franchise’s lore with Power: Origins. The show will look at the younger versions of two of the franchise’s most iconic characters: Ghost, who will be played by Spence Moore II, and Tommy, who will be played by Charlie Mann.
According to Variety, on top of being a prequel to the franchise as a whole, it will have a deeper connection with Power Book III: Raising Kanan (2021), and MeKai Curtis will even be reprising his role as Kanan Stark in the new show. If you’re a fan of the franchise or other crime dramas like Godfather of Harlem (2019), you’ll likely love the upcoming series.
