The best shows to watch in 2026 are already 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
The Lady
Coming Sunday 22nd February to ITV, STV, ITVX and STV Player
Brought to you by the makers of The Crown, this new royal crime drama explores the real-life events of Sarah Ferguson’s formal royal dresser Jane Andrews (Mia McKenna-Bruce, Tracey Beaker Returns), whose rags to riches fairy-tale fell apart when she was convicted of murdering her partner in 2001. It’s a story of romance gone wrong, with disastrous consequences.
Also expect to see Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones, Hunger Games), Ed Speelers (Downton Abbey), Mark Stanley (Game of Thrones) and Laura Aikman (Gavin & Stacey, Joan).
A Woman of Substance
Channel 4
Based on the multi-million bestselling novel, A Woman of Substance whisks us back to 1911 where Emma Harte – an ambitious, impoverished Yorkshire maid – sets out on a journey to become the world’s richest woman. This rags to rich story sees her defy expectations, challenge the role’s she’s given and never (we repeat NEVER) deviate from her masterplan: get to the top, no matter what it takes!
Starring Brenda Blethyn (Vera) and Jessica Reynolds as the two versions of Emma.
Boarders (Season 3)
BBC
Strap in for the finalllll season of Boarders! The show follows five talented black inner-city teens who attend the prestigious boarding school St Gilberts after gaining scholarships. They’ve made it to the final term, exams are looming and the pressure is onnn. However, a shocking rivalry brings violence, love triangle and shattered friendships! Will the scholarship students conquer the chaos and come out on top?
Secret Service
ITV
Calling all espionage fans! This five-part thriller follows Kate Henderson (Gemma Arterton, Made in Dagenham) a senior MI6 officer whose life to the onlooker seems very ordinary – happily married with two children and a job in the secret service. However, her real job is heading up the Russia Desk of Secret Intelligence Service! When her undercover ops reveal intel that a senior UK politician is a high-level Russian asset, she finds herself racing against time, balancing national security with looming election pressure. Expect a tense, politically charged cat-and-mouse game that explores loyalty, trust, and the personal cost of espionage.
The Other Bennet Sister
BBC
The Other Bennet Sister brings a fresh, uplifting twist to one of Jane Austen’s most overlooked characters, following Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri) as she finally steps out of her sisters’ shadows. On a journey filled with self‑discovery, unexpected romance, and a newfound sense of identity, Mary gets her moment in the spotlight at last.
Coming later this year
Big Mood (Season 2)
Channel 4
They’re backkkkk! Our fave best friends Maggie (Nicola Coughlan, Bridgerton) and Eddie (Lydia West, It's a Sin) return for the second season of Big Mood in 2026. It’s been a year since Maggie and Eddie last saw each other or had any contact. When Eddie suddenly returns for a wedding, she’s not alone, bringing Maggie competition in the form of a spiritual healer named Whitney! Can Maggie find space in Eddie’s new life, or will she lose her forever?
Half Man
BBC
Baby Reindeer's Richard Gadd is coming back to your screens in this new six-part BBC drama. Gadd is joined by Jamie Bell (All of Us Strangers). Together, they play brothers Ruben and Niall, whose surprise reunion after years of estrangement sparks an explosion of violence – taking us on a journey through their lives over the course of the series. Spanning four decades – from the 1980s to the present day – Half Man explores the highs and lows of their relationship, from troubled teens to their eventual falling out as adults, capturing all the good, bad, and challenging moments along the way. Mitchell Robertson (Curfew) and Stuart Campbell (The Winter King) portray Ruben and Niall in their younger years.
Falling
Channel 4
Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu? In the same emotionally charged drama? We’ve got goosebumps already! Written by Jack Thorne (Adolescence, Toxic Town), Falling explores how love can both save you and completely undo you – with performances that are basically guaranteed to leave you staring at the credits in silence.
Anna (Hawes) is a devoted nun, who’s spent her entire adult life in a convent, while David (Essiedu), is a Catholic priest is deeply committed to the church and the Bristol community around him. Neither expected to fall in love… but when they do they find themselves forced to wrestle with what it means for them, their vows and their relationship with God.
Mint
BBC
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From the award‑winning creator of Scrapper comes Mint, a darkly comic and wonderfully offbeat drama that dives into the inner world of a powerful crime family. At the centre is Shannon (Emma Laird) – a hopeless romantic raised inside a brutal criminal dynasty – whose carefully protected life is shaken up when Arran (played by Loyle Carner in his acting debut) arrives and everything she thought she knew about love and power is thrown into chaos. What follows is a whirlwind mix of romance, heartbreak, danger and family madness as Shannon tries to figure out who she is in the strange, violent world she’s grown up in.
Tip Toe
Channel 4
From Russell T Davies comes a darkly comic, delightfully twisted new drama starring Alan Cumming and David Morrissey – and honestly, we’re already obsessed.
For nearly 15 years, Leo and Clive have been neighbours in Manchester, living side‑by‑side in relative harmony. But just when life should feel settled, tensions in the world around them begin to simmer. Suddenly, conversations turn combative, and bit by bit, two ordinary men find themselves spiralling into hostility – transforming into fierce adversaries in a suburban thriller that shakes our sense of security to its core. Tip Toe is a compelling story that exposes the prejudices quietly re‑emerging in modern life – a narrative that resonates not only with the queer community, but with everyone navigating today’s shifting world.
Bergerac (Season 2)
U
Picking up months after the events of Season 1, the Jim Bergerac (Damien Molony, Being Human) is back on Jersey, tentatively rebuilding his personal life while a high-profile murder at a wedding forces him back into action. As he pieces together the victim’s cryptic final words and uncovers buried secrets, he’s confronted by a web of old convicts, simmering family tensions, and unexpected romance. Across six episodes, this character-driven mystery weaves together grief, fresh beginnings, and a deeply tangled case!
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…
The Cage
BBC One + BBC iPlayer
Sheridan Smith (Cilla, I Fought the Law) and Michael Socha (Toxic Town, Showtrial) star in this new drama set in a Liverpool casino, where two small-time criminals realise they’re both robbing the same safe. What follows is a tense, funny, and dangerously messy game of survival, with gangsters on one side and the law closing in on the other. From the creator of The Responder.
Twenty Twenty Six
BBC Two + BBC iPlayer
Coming to our screens from the BAFTA and British Comedy Award-winning team behind W1A and Twenty Twelve, this new series sees Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) reprise his role as Ian Fletcher. Now Director of Integrity, Ian joins the team planning the biggest football tournament ever – with 47 countries taking part and 16 venues spread across North America. Thousands of miles, endless logistics… what could possibly go wrong?
The Undeclared War (Season 2)
Channel 4
Following the jaw-dropping first season, The Undeclared War returns with a fresh wave of tension and paranoia as the elite Malware Department at GCHQ grapples with the aftermath of a devastating Russian cyber-attack. Just when it seems the UK has finally gained the upper hand, Danny (Simon Pegg) and the team uncover a far more dangerous threat – one that could push the country to the edge.
Edge-of-your-seat tension? Absolutelyyyyy.
The Hardacres (Season 2)
Coming to 5
We know it’s coming! The first season saw the Hardacre family navigating life from rags to riches, along with the unexpected twists that money brought. This second season charts the family as they settle properly into Hardacre Hall and focus on reshaping the world around them! There’s no official cast list yet, but we expect Claire Cooper, Liam McMahon, and Julie Graham to return.
It Gets Worse
Channel 4
Written, created, and starring comedian Leo Reich, this comedy follows Ethan, Abi, and Sam, best friends from uni, soulmates for life, and dysfunctional roommates. A year after moving to London, they’ve achieved nothing, their landlord is selling up, and they’re being kicked out – cue chaos, bad decisions, and desperate attempts to keep their friendships alive. This is a show about young adulthood, humiliating jobs, non-existent love lives, and the dawning realisation that… it doesn’t get better.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Season 2)
BBC
It’s backkkkkk! 2024’s fan favourite is returning to our screens and we couldn’t be more excited! After solving her first murder case, Pip Fitz-Amobi (Emma Myers) returns, this time looking into the disappearance of Jamie Reynolds (Eden Hambelton-Davies). Expect a darker and more personal mystery!
Pierre
Channel 4
Pierre follows a charming, funny West London duty solicitor as he juggles the pressure of his job, a fragile personal life, and juuuust about keeping his finances in check. But when a young Black client – Michael – is murdered, everything changes. As the police rush to paint Michael as a criminal, Pierre refuses to let the truth be buried. What starts as one man’s fight for justice soon unravels a chilling, devastating web of corruption that runs far deeper than he ever imagined – right to the very foundations of the institutions meant to protect us.
If you like your justice served with a side of chaos, Pierre is about to be your new obsession.
The Family Secret (w/t)
5
Poldark and Harry Potter fans alike, you’re gonna loveeeee this! Coming to 5 in 2026 is The Family Secret, a psychological drama starring Matthew Lewis and Eleanor Tomlinson. The story follows Amanda Blakefield (Tomlinson), whose happy life is turned upside down when she inherits a huge sum from a man she’s never heard of, sending her spiralling into the dark world of the Worrall family. Think unravelling secrets, and oh-so-much drama!
Filming is underway, so fingers crossed for a late 2026 release.
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).
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!
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