From Bridgerton to The Traitors: TV highlights in 2026
It’s never too early to start thinking about what television shows should be on your radar for 2026. From House Of Guinness, The Penguin, The Celebrity Traitors, and The Paper, to The Morning Show, It: Welcome to Derry, Riot Women, Stranger Things, and so much more – we were not let down in 2025. Let’s look ahead to what the new year looks like for television.
Bridgerton Season 4, Netflix
Following the budding romance between Penelope Featherington, played by Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan, and Colin Bridgerton, played by The Cut star Luke Newton, Bridgerton will be returning for a two-part fourth series, slated to air in January and February.
The focus will be turned to the Bohemian second son, Benedict Bridgerton, played by Luke Thompson, who is still struggling to settle down until he meets Miss Sophie Baek, played by Yerin Ha, at his mother’s masquerade ball.
Thompson says: “The scripts that Jess (Brownell) and her team have come up with are dynamite. They’re really, really, really exciting. The storyline is a bit of a twist on Cinderella.
“You remember being told those stories as a child – the magic and the romance of them.
“It’s really exciting to have that weaved into the world that we know of Bridgerton…
“It’s such a great story, but it’s also, I hope, really relatable.”
Bridgerton, which is based on Julia Quinn’s bestselling book series, captivated viewers around the world when Netflix and Shondaland debuted the iconic series in 2020.
The Night Manager Season 2, BBC One And Prime Video
It’s been nine years since the first season of The Night Manager aired, but now the highly anticipated second series is finally returning to our screens.
In season one, hotel night manager, Jonathan Pine, played by Tom Hiddleston, who reprises his role, was recruited by intelligence operative Angela Burr, played by Olivia Colman, to infiltrate the inner circle of arms dealer Richard Roper, played by Hugh Laurie.
The upcoming series expands the story found in the John le Carré novel of the same name, and follows Jonathan, who thought he’d buried his past, now living as low-level MI6 officer, Alex Goodwin.
But when he spots an old Roper mercenary, he is pushed back into action, which leads to a violent encounter with a new player: Colombian businessman Teddy Dos Santos, played by Diego Calva.
Colman also reprises her role, alongside Alistair Petrie as Sandy Langbourne, and A Quiet Place star Noah Jupe as Daniel Roper, the son of notorious businessman Richard Roper.
A Thousand Blows Season 2, Disney+
From Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight comes the return of A Thousand Blows.
The historical drama series is based on the true story of Jamaican bare-knuckle boxer Hezekiah Moscow, played by Small Axe star Malachi Kirby, and boxer Sugar Goodson, played by Adolescence star Stephen Graham, and other people in the East End of London in the 1880s, including Mary Carr, played by Adolescence star Erin Doherty.
After one year, Hezekiah is still a shadow of the man he once was, while Sugar is estranged from his family and drinking himself to death.
But when Mary makes a return with her loyal second, Alice Diamond, played by Judy star Darci Shaw, to reassemble her gang and reclaim her crown, with it comes plenty more revenge, scheming, as well as redemption.
Industry Season Four, BBC One
For Industry fans addicted to the show’s high-stakes environment, ignited under the pressure of money, power, and the desire to be on top – the wait is almost over.
This time, Pierpoint graduates Harper, played by Black Mirror star Myha’la, and Yasmin, played by Cobra star Marisa Abela, who are at the top of their game, are trying to survive a globetrotting cat-and-mouse game after a new fintech competitor bursts onto the London scene.
As Yasmin navigates her relationship with tech founder Sir Henry Muck, played by Game of Thrones star Kit Harington, and Harper is pulled into the orbit of enigmatic executive Whitney Halberstram, played by The Handmaid’s Tale star Max Minghella, their twisted friendship begins to take a turn for the worse.
Paradise Season 2, Disney+
Dan Fogelman’s Paradise, starring This is Us star Sterling K Brown, Touched By An Angel guest star James Marsden and Mare of Easttown star Julianne Nicholson, will be back for a second season following the first season’s popular release on both Disney+ and Hulu.
After a shocking murder which triggers a high-stakes investigation, the novelty of a serene community inhabited by some of the world’s most prominent individuals disappears.
Now, Brown’s character, a secret service agent called Xavier Collins, is on the hunt for his wife, Teri Rogers-Collins, who is played by Enuka Okuma, in the outside world.
The Traitors Season 4, BBC One
Following an explosive finale of The Celebrity Traitors, where comedian Alan Carr was announced as the first-ever winner, eyes are already focused on the return of the civilian series.
The third series saw project manager Jake Brown and former soldier Leanne Quigley triumph as Faithfuls and they received a prize pot of £94,600.
The second series aired in 2024 and was won by British army engineer and traitor Harry Clark, who won the whole prize of £95,150, after deceiving his friend Mollie Pearce in a dramatic finale.
While we don’t yet know who will take up residence in Ardross Castle, Scotland, viewers can expect the same drama next year and it will again be presented by Claudia Winkleman.
Euphoria Season Three, Sky Atlantic
It’s been a long, bumpy road to Euphoria season three, thanks to rewrites, delays and other undisclosed hurdles.
But fans can now stop worrying about whether the hit series is doomed and look forward to the next instalment of Sam Levinson’s psychological teen drama, where the main characters have now left high school.
Even though some stars will not be returning in front of the camera since Euphoria last aired three years ago, for the third season, Dune star Zendaya will return as Rue Bennett, with The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes star Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn.