“Lanterns”
Chris Mundy serves as showrunner on HBO Max’s “Lanterns,” created by Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. James Hawes directs the first two episodes, with Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Alik Sakharov also directing. Aaron Pierre stars as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler plays Hal Jordan, with Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, and Ulrich Thomsen in the cast. The eight-episode series follows two Green Lanterns as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
Premiere Date: August 16, 2026, via HBO Max.
“Dark Matter”
Blake Crouch created and showruns “Dark Matter,” Apple TV’s adaptation of his sci-fi novel. Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly return for Season 2, with Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Dayo Okeniyi, and Amanda Brugel among the ensemble. Season 1 followed physicist Jason Dessen through alternate versions of his life, turning multiverse mechanics into a story about marriage, regret, and identity. Season 2 now expands beyond the book’s original endpoint with Crouch still guiding the series.
Premiere Date: August 28, 2026, via Apple TV.
TBA 2026
“The Hawk”
Will Ferrell created, executive produces, and stars in Netflix’s golf comedy “The Hawk,” playing Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins, a former No. 1 golfer trying to reclaim his glory late in his career. Molly Shannon plays his estranged wife Stacy, with Jimmy Tatro, Fortune Feimster, Luke Wilson, Chris Parnell, Katelyn Tarver, David Hornsby, Gabriel Hogan, and Aida Osman also in the cast. The series is executive produced by Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum, Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman, Chris Henchy, Harper Steele, and David Gordon Green.
Premiere Date: Summer 2026, via Netflix.
“Adults”
Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw created FX’s “Adults,” and return for Season 2 of the ensemble comedy about codependent twenty-somethings in Queens trying to behave like functional people: Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen, Amita Rao, and Owen Thiele star. The first season had directors including Anu Valia, and the show’s executive producers include Kronengold, Shaw, Nick Kroll, Stefani Robinson, Sarah Naftalis, and Jonathan Krisel.
Premiere Date: TBA 2026, via FX/Hulu.
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”
J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay continue as showrunners on Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” The ensemble includes Morfydd Clark, Charlie Vickers, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Sophia Nomvete, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lloyd Owen, Trystan Gravelle, Charles Edwards, and Daniel Weyman. Season 3 is expected to move the series deeper into the Second Age, with Sauron’s rise, the forging fallout, and Middle-earth’s political divisions becoming more central.
Premiere Date: TBA 2026, via Prime Video.
Honorable Mentions:
“The Legend of Vox Machina” Season 4 (June 3, Prime Video — Critical Role’s animated fantasy returns); “The Rainmaker” (2026, USA Network — John Slattery, Lana Parrilla, and Milo Callaghan star in the John Grisham adaptation); “Leanne” (2026, Netflix — Leanne Morgan stars with Kristen Johnston); “P-Valley” (2026, Starz — Katori Hall’s Mississippi strip-club drama returns); “The Institute” (MGM+ — an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel starring Ben Barnes and Mary-Louise Parker); and “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” (2026, Starz — the “Outlander” prequel follows the parents of Jamie and Claire).
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
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