Likely Coming in 2027
Because even the “2026” calendar has a spillover problem, these are the ones that feel more like 2027 (or later) based on current production status and the absence of firm premiere windows.
Netflix’s likely-2027 lane is a mix of mega-IP, mega-scale sci-fi, and prestige true-crime logistics: “Assassin’s Creed” is officially ordered with Roberto Patino and David Wiener set to create/showrun, and early casting already includes Toby Wallace and Laura Marcus, but it still reads like a longer-runway swing; “3 Body Problem” Season 2 remains a scale-heavy proposition with the core ensemble (Jess Hong, Jovan Adepo, Eiza González, Benedict Wong, John Bradley, Liam Cunningham, and more) likely intact, yet timing remains the real boss fight; “The Boys From Brazil” has Peter Morgan delivering a premium five-part limited series with Jeremy Strong, Gillian Anderson, August Diehl, Daniel Brühl, Shira Haas, Lizzy Caplan, and more—high-prestige, but also high-logistics; and “Rabbit Rabbit,” a star-driven project led by Adam Driver with the “Adolescence” director attached—one of those prestige builds that reads less like a 2026 lock and more like a “prolly 2027” arrival. There’s also the Silicon Valley drama “Thumblite” with Rosamund Pike, but given showrunner Scott Z Burns stepped down, and a creative rewrite is in the works, 2027 seems like a safe bet.
Prime Video’s most considerable potential 2027 spillover feels like a tentpole in waiting: “Tomb Raider” has Phoebe Waller-Bridge writing/EPing, with Sophie Turner set as Lara Croft and Sigourney Weaver joining, which is precisely the kind of “big swing” that doesn’t always land inside the first window you’d like. Likewise, “Lois & Varga,” featuring showrunner Miriam Battye (“Succession”), “Babygirl” director Halina Reijn, and “Superman” star Rachel Brosnahan, has not yet begun shooting.
At HBO, a big “Harry Potter” reboot series is coming, but it’s not slated for 2027. The same applies to “The Last Of Us” season 3, which is in the works and may shoot this year, but is likely to wait until the following year.
Peacock/Sky’s most obvious “don’t be shocked if this slides” title is built for scale, not speed: “The Day of the Jackal” already has Series 2 expectations floating around, but with a cast led by Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch (plus Úrsula Corberó, Chukwudi Iwuji, Khalid Abdalla, Charles Dance, and more), it’s a heavier lift than a quick turnaround.
Hulu/FX has two that feel like they’re living on the 2026/2027 border by design rather than delay: “Shōgun” Season 2 is officially in motion with Hiroyuki Sanada and Cosmo Jarvis returning, but between the time jump and production pacing, “2027-ish” remains the safer bet than wishcasting a tight 2026 turnaround; and “Furious,” from Liz Meriwether, is already stacking serious talent—Emmy Rossum leads (and EPs), with Jake Lacy, Lola Petticrew, Scoot McNairy, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, and more aboard—yet it hasn’t shot yet and still feels more like a late-2026/2027 boundary rider than a lock.
Apple TV+ also has a couple of projects that, while very much on the radar, feel like safer bets for 2027 than clean locks for 2026. “The Studio” Season 2 is renewed (and it’s hard not to assume Apple will keep it moving), but even here, you can see a scenario where the Seth Rogen-led circus (with Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, Kathryn Hahn) slips into the following year depending on production/availability; “Brothers” (aka “Brother from Another Mother”) is still a marquee comedy built around Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, but the mid-production pause and behind-the-scenes turbulence make a slip into the following year entirely plausible; and “Wild Things,” the Siegfried & Roy limited series starring Jude Law and Andrew Garfield and written/showrun by John Hoffman, is the talent-heavy and hasn’t even gone into production yet so presumably the streamer will save til the following year.
Likely coming in 2027, Disney+ is also dusting off deep-vault Disney iconography with “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit,” a live-action/animated comedy created (and written) by Jon Favreau and starring Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryder Allen, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Amy Sedaris, Kathryn Hahn, Al Madrigal, and Steve Martin.
Returning Series
The “comfort food” lane of 2026 (and beyond): returning hits, bigger casts, and showrunner machines that already have the audience trained to show up.
Netflix’s returning heavyweights are a mix of romantic comfort, political knife-fights, and slick genre engines: “Bridgerton” Season 4 pivots to Luke Thompson’s Benedict and introduces Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek, with new additions like Katie Leung, Michelle Mao, and Isabella Wei joining returning favorites including Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton. “The Diplomat” Season 4 keeps Keri Russell at the center, with Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford promoted to series regulars, alongside returning players Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, nd Rory Kinnear. “Black Doves” Season 2 continues with Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, and Sarah Lancashire, while adding Neve Campbell and Ambika Mod, and “The Gentlemen” Season 2 remains built around Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, and Daniel Ings.
Prime Video’s franchise lane stays reliably bruising and glossy: “Reacher” Season 4 tees up a new case with Alan Ritchson and Maria Sten returning, plus additions including Sydelle Noel, Agnez Mo, Anggun, Kevin Corrigan, Kathleen Robertson, Jay Baruchel, and Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette. “Citadel” Season 2 stays anchored by Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Stanley Tucci, and Lesley Manville, continuing the streamer’s big, international spy-brand mandate.
HBO/Max’s returning prestige is the kind that wins awards and starts fights online: “Hacks” Season 5 keeps the core ensemble intact—Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs, Megan Stalter, and Carl Clemons-Hopkins—and that’s the whole pitch: keep the knives sharp and the laughs mean. “The Gilded Age” Season 4 continues its opera-box power games with Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector, and Louisa Jacobson steering the old-money/new-money war and there’s also “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” is “Big Bang Theory” spin-off starring Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom, who accidentally triggers a multiverse crisis and fumbles his way through fixing reality, created by Zak Penn.
Hulu’s returning slate is anchored by two shows that basically market themselves: “Paradise” Season 2 (from Dan Fogelman) stays centered on Sterling K. Brown, with James Marsden and Julianne Nicholson among the key returning faces; “A Thousand Blows” Season 2 lands January 9, 2026, with Malachi Kirby, Stephen Graham, and Erin Doherty back in the ring; while “Only Murders in the Building” Season 6 remains the reliable trio machine—Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez—with the guest-casting wild card always doing half the heavy lifting.
Apple TV+ remains the deepest bench in the room: “Slow Horses” Season 6 keeps Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, and Kristin Scott Thomas in the field, “Silo” Season 3 continues with Rebecca Ferguson (with Jessica Henwick and Ashley Zukerman joining as series regulars), “For All Mankind” Season 5 keeps the alt-history space saga rolling, and “Hijack” Season 2 brings back Idris Elba while adding Toby Jones, Lisa Vicari, and Christiane Paul. “Bad Monkey” Season 2 keeps Vince Vaughn in the driver’s seat (with L. Scott Caldwell and Rob Delaney among the supporting cast), and “Murderbot” Season 2 stays built around Alexander Skarsgård, with Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz continuing to steer the adaptation. It was laughed out the door by critics, and everyone assumed it would be canceled, but the sci-fi noir “Sugar,” starring Colin Farrell, is back for season 2 at some point, with the new additions of Jin Ha, Laura Donnelly, Tony Dalton, Shea Whigham, Raymond Lee, and Sasha Calle.
Prime Video keeps the thriller machine running with “Cross” Season 2 (February 11, 2026), again led by Aldis Hodge and Isaiah Mustafa, while adding names like Matthew Lillard and Jeanine Mason to the bench.
AMC has its own intriguing left-field swing in “The Audacity,” a Silicon Valley drama from a “Succession”/“Better Call Saul” writer starring Billy Magnussen and Zach Galifianakis. The company also keeps its prestige lane split between noir and gothic: “Dark Winds” Season 4 (February 15, 2026) brings back Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, and Jessica Matten, while adding Franka Potente, Isabel DeRoy-Olson, Chaske Spencer, Luke Barnett, and Titus Welliver; and “The Vampire Lestat” (the retitled third season of “Interview with the Vampire”) remains showrun by Rolin Jones, with Sam Reid’s Lestat still front and center alongside Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman, and Delainey Hayles as AMC continues its Anne Rice expansion.
And on the UK side, “Mint” signals director-driven crime prestige from Charlotte Regan (“Scrapper”) with Emma Laird, Lindsay Duncan, and Sam Riley, while “Major Players” is an A24-backed series from Molly Manning Walker (“How To Have Sex”) centered on a women’s football team.
On the premium side, Starz goes endgame with “Outlander” Season 8 (premiering March 6, 2026) as Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe steer the final run. Network nostalgia gets its own slot with ABC’s “Scrubs” revival/Season 10 (premiering February 25, 2026), anchored by returning stars Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Sarah Chalke, with Bill Lawrence executive producing and Aseem Batra in the showrunner chair. And Peacock adds another blunt-force comfort-watch with “Ted” Season 2 (back March 5, 2026), again led by Seth MacFarlane (voice), Max Burkholder, Alanna Ubach, Scott Grimes, and Giorgia Whigham.
Finally, Apple TV+ remains the quietly terrifying “how is this all on one service?” contender: “Shrinking” Season 3 arrives January 28, 2026, keeping Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams, Christa Miller, Michael Urie, Luke Tennie, Lukita Maxwell, and Ted McGinley in the mix, with new adds including Jeff Daniels and Michael J. Fox.
Honorable Mention, more new shows coming in 2026:
If the main list is the headline slotting, this is the overflow lane—the shows that are very much in play for 2026, even if a few of them still need the calendar to cooperate.
FX goes glossy body-horror with “The Beauty” (premiering January 21, 2026), created by Ryan Murphy and Matt Hodgson and starring Evan Peters, Anthony Ramos, Jeremy Pope, Ashton Kutcher, and Rebecca Hall; Murphy’s anthology lane continues with “American Love Story,” whose first season centers on the ill-fated romance between John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Kelly) and Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon); FX is also developing an untitled “Snowfall” spinoff, a crime drama set in 1990s Los Angeles as the city shifts from the crack era into the rise of rap culture, plus “The Shards,” a teen thriller set in 1981 Los Angeles as a serial killer stalks a privileged high-school world (currently filming), and “Cry Wolf,” a psychological thriller miniseries that has a series order; meanwhile, “Welcome to Wrexham” is expected to return for Season 5, continuing the docuseries tracking Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s ownership of Wrexham AFC, and the video-game-to-TV pipeline keeps expanding with “Far Cry,” an action-adventure anthology series that has a series order.
Netflix stays packed with prestige swings and high-gloss genre bait: “How to Get to Heaven From Belfast” puts Lisa McGee back in the driver’s seat, led by Roísín Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan, and Caoilfhionn Dunne; “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen” is a Haley Z. Boston-created horror drama backed by The Duffer Brothers, headlined by Camila Morrone and Adam DiMarco with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Ted Levine adding serious weight; “Extraction” expands the franchise into a series with Omar Sy and Boyd Holbrook fronting the action lane; “Free Bert,” built around Bert Kreischer and featuring cast that includes Arden Myrin, Lilou Lang, Christine Horn, Chris Witaske, Mandell Maughan, and Sophia Reid-Gantzert; and “I Will Find You” keeps the Harlan Coben pipeline humming with Sam Worthington and Britt Lower leading.
Beyond the main cut of Netflix material (and some of this could easily be 2027), there’s “Legends,” a true-crime drama from “The Gold” creator Neil Forsyth starring Steve Coogan and Tom Burke; “Little House on the Prairie,” the reboot; “My Brilliant Career,” an Aussie coming-of-age period remake; “Nemesis,” a crime drama from “Power” creator Courtney A. Kemp; “Trinity,” a thriller from “Bodyguard” creator Jed Mercurio starring Richard Madden and Gugu Mbatha-Raw; “Unaccustomed Earth,” an Indian family drama from John Wells (“The Pitt”); an untitled Charlie Brooker detective series starring Paddy Considine and Georgina Campbell; “Monster: Lizzie Borden,” the latest Ryan Murphy “Monster” chapter starring Ella Beatty, with Rebecca Hall and Vicky Krieps; and “Newfoundland,” a monster series from an “Umbrella Academy” showrunner starring Josh Hartnett;
Paramount+ / Showtime / CBS has a crowded early-2026 pipeline: “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” (January 15, 2026) is led by Holly Hunter and overseen by showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau; “Girl Taken” (January 8, 2026) is a six-episode psychological thriller starring Alfie Allen; “Coldwater” (January 9, 2026) is a thriller headlined by Andrew Lincoln; and “CIA” (February 23, 2026) is a CBS procedural from Dick Wolf pairing Tom Ellis with Nick Gehlfuss (streaming via Paramount+).
Peacock / NBC looks busy in the “big-cast, easy hook” lane: NBC is making a loud play with “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” (February 23, 2026), reuniting the “30 Rock” braintrust via Tina Fey (EP) alongside creators Robert Carlock and Sam Means, with Tracy Morgan starring opposite Daniel Radcliffe (and a supporting ensemble that includes Erika Alexander and Bobby Moynihan). On the Peacock side, “Five-Star Weekend” is a marquee adaptation anchored by Jennifer Garner, with Chloë Sevigny, Regina Hall, and Gemma Chan also starring; “Ponies” leans into 1970s spy textures with Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson; “The Miniature Wife” sets up a high-concept comedy pairing Matthew Macfadyen and Elizabeth Banks (with Greg Mottola directing).
On the border of 2026 and 2027, Hulu/FX also has on deck: The untitled Dan Fogelman NFL drama stays a major ensemble play with William H. Macy, Mandy Moore, Christopher Meloni, Omar Epps, and Chace Crawford attached. The “Prison Break” reboot is also moving forward with Elgin James showrunning and a new cast led by Emily Browning, Lukas Gage, Drake Rodger, Clayton Cardenas, JR Bourne, Georgie Flores, and Myles Bullock. And “Not Suitable For Work,” the new Hulu comedy from Mindy Kaling, is anchored by Ella Hunt, Avantika, Will Angus, Jack Martin, and Nicholas Duvernay, with recurring heavy-hitters including Constance Wu, Victor Garber, Ego Nwodim, and Jay Ellis.
Potentially arriving late in the year, on the comedy side, Disney+’s U.K. original “Alice & Steve” is created/written by Sophie Goodhart, stars Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement (with Yali Topol Margalith, Joel Fry, and Marcia Warren among the supporting cast).
Prime Video keeps the star-driven lane humming: “Kill Jackie” is a revenge-thriller vehicle for Catherine Zeta-Jones, with Daniel Ings, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Óscar Jaenada, and Darci Shaw among the key supporting players; “Ride or Die” pairs Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham, with Bill Nighy also in the mix; and “Elle,” the “Legally Blonde” prequel, stars Lexi Minetree, with June Diane Raphael, Tom Everett Scott, and James Van Der Beek rounding out the main cast. Prime Video also has “Anansi Boys” somewhere out there, but given the sexual assault allegations against creator Neil Gaiman, this series starring Malachi Kirby alongside Delroy Lindo, CCH Pounder, and Fiona Shaw, seems like it might be in limbo for years.
Apple TV+ still has plenty in the chamber: “Star City” expands the universe as a spinoff starring Rhys Ifans, and “The Wanted Man” (created by George Kay) stars Hugh Laurie and Thandiwe Newton alongside Fionn Whitehead, Gina McKee, Hazel Doupe, Elliott Heffernan, and Stephen Dillane.
MGM+’s slate includes “The Westies,” a crime saga starring J.K. Simmons; “American Hostage” features Jon Hamm and Giovanni Ribisi. And “American Classic” is a comedy built around Kevin Kline Laura Linney and Jon Tenney, following a narcissistic Broadway star who returns home and tries to save his family-run theater; and “A Tale of Two Cities” is a four-part Dickens adaptation created and written by Daniel West (“Top Boy”), starring Kit Harington opposite François Civil, with Mirren Mack as Lucie Manette and directors Hong Khaou and Richard Clark splitting the helm.
Welp, that’s it. If 2026 has a defining theme, it’s velocity: fewer capes and sabers clogging the lane (at least relative to recent years), but no shortage of recognizable IP to keep the broader audience tethered while the real prestige fights happen in the margins. Between the headliners and the returning-series groove, the year feels like a stress test for the entire medium—whether writers’ rooms can sustain ambition past the pilot, whether stars can still pull viewers into something new, and whether streamers can finally prove their biggest spends translate into more than a loud opening weekend and a quiet disappearance. The upside is obvious: more variety, more chances to take risks, and more shows built with actual craft rather than algorithmic vibes.
And then there’s the overflow reality—because the calendar doesn’t stop at December 31. The 2027 watchlist is already forming, with projects that look inevitable but not exactly punctual, and a few that may arrive as the “next big thing” simply because the space opens up. Consider this list both a guide and a snapshot: what’s truly coming, what’s likely to be delayed, and what’s worth circling now before the release-date whiplash begins. Either way, the message is the same: clear your schedule, hoard your energy, and accept that “keeping up” is no longer a hobby—it’s a part-time job.
Lastly, my annual shout-out to former Playlist writer turned professional screenwriter Oliver Lyttelton, for helping me compile the list. Cheers, mate! Thank you for reading, sharing, and subscribing to our newsletter and podcasts. We greatly appreciate it.
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Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2007. 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.
