The best shows to watch in 2026 are looking dangerously unmissable. From globe-trotting espionage to royalty-adjacent scandals, from laugh out loud comedies to psychological rabbit holes you did not see coming, the schedules are jam-packed and we are soooo here for it!
If you’re on the hunt for the new shows coming in 2026 that are actually worth your time, consider this your ultimate cheat sheet. We’re talking long-awaited returns, dazzling debuts, and a mix of bold, brilliant storytelling that’ll keep your watchlist overflowing!
Coming soon | Coming later this year
Coming soon
Tall Tales & Murders
BBC One and BBC iPlayer, Tuesday 3rd November at 10:40pm
Bonnie and Clyde fans, get ready and get steady because Tall Tales & Murders is going to be righttttt up your street!
Bridget and Paul have little in common, but they're about to find themselves on the adventure of a lifetime. When they're swept into a dangerous world of gangsters, stolen gold and hidden treasure, the pair are forced to flee across Ireland alongside an outlaw who's about as trustworthy as he is charming. With criminals on their tail and far bigger forces at play than they realise, what begins as a fight to stay alive soon becomes a race to uncover the truth.
Expect to see Ella Lily Hyland (Towards Zero), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), Philippa Dunne (Derry Girls) and Packy Lee (Peaky Blinders)
Honey
BBC One, from Saturday 14th November
It’s 1982 in East Berlin, and tensions are nowhere near easing. Martha (Ann Skelly, House of Guiness) is an MI6 deep‑cover agent living in a city full of threats, constantly fighting to keep her identity hidden – especially from Friedrich (Jannis Niewöhner), the newly appointed Stasi Head of Counter‑Espionage. Finding herself wedged between Friedrich and Aaron Neeland – a handsome American spy operating under the alias Kurt Fischer (Nate Mann), Martha is blindsided by desire in this Cold War three‑sided game of survival.
The threat of being garrotted or dragged into a cell is nothing compared to the petrifying ordeal of falling in love. To let someone in, to reveal the parts of herself she’s spent years burying? She’d sooner have her fingernails torn out.
Hunting Alice Bell
Channel 4, Wednesday 11th November at 9pm
Alice Bell disappeared from a quiet Yorkshire town 20 years ago, and nobody has ever discovered what happened to her. Now, when a true crime podcast reopens the cold case, long-buried secrets begin to surface and suspicion falls once again on those closest to her. As old wounds are reopened, the hunt for answers threatens to expose truths that some people would do anything to keep hidden.
Leading the search for the truth is Fran, played by Alex Roach (Nightsleeper), alongside a stellar cast including Amanda Abbington (Sherlock) as Julie, Emily Barber (MobLand) as Vanessa, Toni O'Rourke (God's Creatures) as Ros, Christina Bennington (Halo) as Charlotte, Rudi Dharmalingam (The Lazarus Project) as Nick, Ralf Little (Death in Paradise) as Graham Hunter and Simon Pegg (The Undeclared War) as Dr Jason Nash.
The Witch Farm
BBC One and BBC iPlayer
In 1989, Bill and Liz Rich leave London behind and move to an isolated farmhouse in rural Wales, hoping for a fresh start. Instead, they find themselves at the centre of a terrifying haunting. When Liz begins seeing a ghostly figure on the property, the couple set out to investigate, only to uncover a disturbing history that refuses to stay buried.
Based on the real-life case that inspired Danny Robins' hit podcast, this chilling drama stars Gabrielle Creevy and Michael Socha and dramatizes one of Britain's most notorious paranormal investigations.
I am Helen
Channel 4
The next part of the BAFTA-winning I Am anthology series is nearly here and it's going to be as emotional and heart-breaking as we were expecting! This time Nicola Coughlan and Joe Cole star with the story examining the pressure and expectations placed on woman while confronting the realities of toxic masculinity and the damages this causes on modern relationships. Definitely not a light-heart watch but definitely unmissable!
Changing Ends (Season 4)
ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player
Now we don’t know toooo much about the plot yet, but if the last three seasons are anything to go off, we can expect plenty of giggling fits ahead of us!
Bills Included
BBC One and BBC iPlayer
Recently divorced and struggling to make ends meet, Bill Beam (Rob Brydon) comes up with a simple plan: rent out his spare rooms to students. What Bill doesn't realise is that being a landlord is a lot harder than it looks, especially when he's far more interested in becoming part of the gang than collecting the rent.
As Bill attempts to navigate life with his mismatched lodgers, everyday problems quickly spiral into chaos, creating an unlikely household full of friendship, frustration and plenty of laughs.
Coming later this year
Number 10
Channel 4
A funny, fast-paced drama set inside 10 Downing Street, where political chaos collides with the everyday lives of the people who keep the place running. From ambitious advisers and eccentric staff to the resident cat, everyone’s caught up in the dramas, secrets and crises unfolding behind the famous black door. The politicians may be fictional, but the challenges are unmistakably real, making Number 10 a witty reflection of modern Britain.
Starring Rafe Spall (Secret Service, Trying), Katherine Kelly (Mr Bates vs the Post Office, In Flight) and Jenna Coleman (Victoria, The Sandman).
Doctor Foster (Season 3)
BBC One
She’s back after 10 years (can you believeeee it) and we already know the drama is going to be amazing. Suranne Jones returns as Gemma Foster in a brand new season packed with more secrets, emotional chaos and obviously explosive confrontations. If previous seasons taught us anything, it’s that nobody escapes untouched.
Complicit
Channel 4
After spending the night with a man who isn't her husband, Jen Molloy returns home expecting to keep her secret buried. But when a death follows, one split-second decision threatens to unravel the life she's worked so hard to build. As the consequences of a single lie spiral out of control, Jen is forced to ask herself one impossible question: if protecting your family means letting a killer walk free, what would you do?
Whodunnit fans, this one's got your name written alllll over it.
Claire Goose (The Bay, Gone) leads the cast as Jen, alongside Moe Dunford (House of Guinness, The Dry) as her lover Damian Barr and Jason O'Mara (The Man in the High Castle) as her husband Chris.
Up to No Good
Channel 4
Meet Maud Oldcastle. She might seem like your average older woman, but she's hiding one very important secret: she's a killer. Glenn Close stars in this darkly funny crime drama as the sharp-tongued Maud, whose plans for a fresh start are thrown into chaos when a young detective begins to suspect there's more to her than meets the eye. Murder, mischief and a gloriously wicked lead performance? We're sold.
Peaky Blinders
BBC One
By order of the Peaky Blinders… they’re backkkkkk!
Steven Knight is unleashing a brand‑new generation of Shelby's, this time set in 1950s Birmingham. With two series already confirmed, here’s what we know: in this new era, the battle to control Birmingham’s vast post‑war reconstruction becomes a high‑stakes contest. And right on cue, the Peaky Blinders arrive – stepping straight into the blood‑soaked heart of the city!
Looking at the cast for the new Peaky Blinders, we know Charlie Heaton will be playing Charles Shelby and Jamie Bell will play Duke Shelby.
Careless
Channel 4
Get ready for a gripping drama that throws you headfirst into the life of Robbie, a young Scottish backpacker who lands what seems like the job of a lifetime in Sydney: caring for notorious rock ’n’ roll legend Mike, recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. As Robbie becomes part of Mike and Angela’s inner circle, friendships deepen, secrets surface and the lines between carer and confidant begin to blur. But with a troubled past threatening to catch up with him, Robbie could be about to turn their world upside down.
Starring Solly McLeod (House of Dragon), Robyn Malcolm (After the Party), Katie Leung (Bridgerton) and Richard Roxburgh (Rake).
Maya
Channel 4
Psychological thriller fans, you won’t want to miss Maya! This new six-part drama follows mother Anna (Daisy Haggard, Boat Story) and daughter Maya (Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us) as they are forced to leave their London lives behind and enter witness protection to escape a dangerous threat. As they try to adjust to their new identities and new reality, the trauma of their past begins to creep up on them…
Stepping Up
Channel 4
Stepping Up is a new six-part comedy drama following the life of step-dad Josh (Josh Pugh) as he negotiates the tricky puzzle of bringing up another man’s children: locking in many love-triangles, the partner and the ex, the kid and the biological dad, there’s problems left right and centre!
Starring Denise Welch (Waterloo Road), Sophia Di Martino (Loki, Flowers), Tom Hanson (Outlaws) and Jeff Mirza (Bridget Jones: Made About a Boy).
Sisters in Arms
BBC
Call the Midwife fans, you're going to be excited for this one!
Set in September 1939, Sisters in Arms takes us back to a younger Nonnatus House, where Sister Monica Joan (Helen Schlesinger), Sister Julienne (Helena Wilson) and Sister Evangelina (Amy Booth-Steel) are just beginning their journeys. Alongside Sister Alice (Julie Hesmondhalgh), local GP Dr Kit and three young midwives, they'll care for mothers and families as the outbreak of war turns life in Poplar upside down.
With the blackout, the Blitz and bombs falling across London, expect an emotional period drama filled with courage, compassion and resilience.
The Last Detectives
BBC
Dark secrets and historic streets collide in Old Town Murders, BBC’s brand new crime drama. Set in an ancient town hiding decades of buried grudges, the series follows investigators trying to untangle a murder that threatens to rip the community apart.
First Day on Earth
BBC
Since her debut in Chewing Gum, Michaela Coel has gone onto make her name as a trusted and celebrated voice in female storytelling. Now, it’s been four years since her latest series I May Destroy You and we are very excited for her next personal story. First Day on Earth will see her play a British novelist, Henri, who feels stuck in her career, life and relationships. When she’s asked to relocate to Ghana for work, she seizes the opportunity to reconnect with her heritage. However, she soon encounters unforeseen dangers and finds herself forging a new sense of identity!
If you enjoyed these recommendations make sure to save this page so you can keep up to date with the releases andddd if you want to hear more news straight of the Freely press then subscribe to our emails!
