Netflix, Stan, Prime Video, ABC, Apple TV and HBO Max: All the best new TV shows headed to streaming in 2026

Along with the much-anticipated return of huge series like Euphoria, The Comeback and The Night Manager, this year sees a plethora of new TV hitting screens.

From a Legally Blonde adaptation to a reworking of an Agatha Christie classic, killer gnomes and Nicole Kidman playing a forensic scientist, there’s much to get excited about.

Dear Life (Jan 1, Stan)

From Grist Mill producers Robyn Hope and Wayne Butler (the duo behind Upper Middle Bogan, Little Lunch, and The Librarians), comes this affecting drama, which stars Brooke Satchwell as a recently bereaved woman who tracks down the recipients of her fiance’s donated organs.

Funny and heartbreaking all at the same time — you’ll feel all the feels.

Euphoria S3 (April, HBO Max)

It’s been a long wait for fans of this edgy drama — four years, to be precise — but finally the third season is headed our way.

All the main cast including Sydney Sweeney, Zendaya and Australia’s Jacob Elordi, are returning, though with a five-year time jump, their characters now find themselves in very different phases of their lives. This is due mid-year.

Run (Jan 1, Binge)

Filmed in and around Fremantle, this is a fictionalised retelling of the story of notorious Aussie bank robber Brenden Abbott, nicknamed The Postcard Bandit by press during the 1980s. Binge is also releasing a companion documentary on January 7.

With all episodes dropping at once, this is a great new year binge for true crime fans.

Elle (TBC, Prime Video)

Audiences first fell in love with her via Legally Blonde and its sequel. Now a whole new generation are set to discover the pink-tinged genius that is Elle Woods.

This sees newcomer Lexi Minetree step into the role, taking the reins from Reece Witherspoon, who is co-creator and executive producer of the series. This charts Elle’s years at high school before she is accepted into Harvard Law School.

Gnomes (TBC, Stan)

This locally produced comedy-horror series sees Asa Butterfield (Sex Education) and Megan Smart (Black Snow) battling tiny terrors.

“With a ragtag team of misfit cops, rebellious teens, and an overly ambitious mayor, they’ll take on a growing army of killer gnomes, and try to stop the Gnome Queen’s rampage,” an official synopsis reads — sign us up!

The Night Manager, S2 (Jan 11, Prime)

It’s been eight years since we last saw Tom Hiddleston as hotel night manager-turned spy Jonathan Pine.

He’s thrust into the action once more in this high-stakes chase that takes him all the way to Colombia.

Good news for fans: Oscar winner Olivia Coleman is reprising her role, and the show has also been renewed for a third season. This is getting lots of early buzz — mark your diaries.

Goolagong (Jan 8, ABC)

Ballardong/Noongar woman Lila McGuire stars as Aussie tennis great Evonne Goolagong in this four-part series, which takes a look at how she went from a small country town all the way to Wimbledon’s centre court, where she famously won the trophy in 1980, becoming the first mother to win Wimbledon in the modern era.

A story worth celebrating.

Scarpetta (TBC, Prime Video)

If you’re a fan of Patricia Cornwall’s celebrated crime novels, you won’t want to miss their small screen reimagining, with Nicole Kidman playing forensic pathologist Dr Kay Scarpetta.

“This unrelenting medical examiner is determined to serve as the voice of the victims, unmask a serial killer, and prove that her career-making case from 28 years prior isn’t also her undoing,” an official synopsis reads.

Jamie Lee Curtis, Simon Baker and Bobby Cannavale also star.

Dog Park (Feb 1, ABC)

Leon Ford (also the show’s co-creator) stars as Roland, a recently separated dad who meets a group of people at his local dog park via the “unbearably optimistic” Samantha (Celia Pacquola).

This boasts an impressive ensemble cast including Brooke Satchwell, Grace Chow, Nick Boshier and Elizabeth Alexander as the “dog-parkers” who become the community he never knew he needed.

Agatha Christie: Seven Dials (Jan 15, Netflix)

Based on Christie’s 1929 novel The Seven Dials Mystery, this sees Mia McKenna-Bruce step in to play the young, unconventional amateur sleuth at the centre of the story, which revolves around a high-society murder at a grand country home.

Helena Bonham Carter (pictured) and Martin Freeman also star, so you know this is likely to be great.

Deadloch S2 (March 20, Prime)

Season two of this under-the-radar comedy hit lands in March, with the action shifting to the NT. “Detectives Dulcie Collins (Kate Box) and Eddie Redcliffe (Madeleine Sami) are in Australia’s sweltering Top End, aka the Northern Territory, investigating the death of Eddie’s former policing partner, Bushy,” an official synopsis reads. Forget Tassie Noir — we’re set for Tropical Gothic as this hilarious season flips the script and heads north.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms (Jan 19, HBO Max)

This is another Game of Thrones spin-off — but not as you know it.

Set roughly 100 years before the events of GOT, this is a lot lighter in tone, and follows the adventures of a penniless hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his pint-sized squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).

Based on the book, it’s sure to strike a chord with fans.

Tales From Outer Suburbia (Jan 1, ABC)

Oscar-winning director and award-winning author Shaun Tan is behind this 10-part animated series, which is a small-screen reimagining of his celebrated anthology of the same name.

All episodes will arrive on ABC iview on New Year’s Day. Beautifully realised, this heartfelt series is sure to win over the whole family — a great start to the TV year.

Bridgerton (Jan 29, Netflix)

Would Benedict Bridgerton please step forward? It’s your turn to find love! The fourth season of this viewer favourite sees Luke Thompson’s popular character front and centre and wooing the “captivating Lady in Silver” (aka unassuming maid Sophie, played by Aussie actress Yerin Ha).

He meets her at his mother’s masquerade ball, and sparks fly. We can’t wait to see how this one plays out.

The Walsh Sisters (Jan 22, Stan)

This Irish series is an adaptation of the beloved novels by bestselling author Marian Keyes. The first season reportedly draws from Rachel’s Holiday and Anybody Out There, and sees Caroline Menton star as Rachel Walsh, Derry Girls’ Louisa Harland as Anna Walsh, and Danielle Galligan (House Of Guinness) as Claire Walsh. Fans of Keyes’ books won’t want to miss this one.

The Killings: Parrish Station (TBC, Stan)

This “cosmic mystery”, which begins in 1987, sees Det. Georgia Cooke (Mia Wasikowska) called to investigate a gruesome massacre of scientists at a remote research station.

Thirty-seven years later, Georgia (now played by Heather Mitchell) is pulled back into the nightmare after a new spree of murders links back to the original crime. Xavier Samuel, Robert Taylor and Alan Dale also star.

Steal (Jan 21, Prime)

Game Of Thrones star Sophie Turner heads up this six-episode heist thriller, playing office worker Zara, whose life is upended when a gang of violent thieves bursts into the pension fund she works at, forcing her and best mate Luke (Archie Madekwe) to carry out their demands.

Jacob Fortune-Lloyd stars as DCI Rhys, a detective assigned to the case who is battling his own personal demons.

Lord Of The Flies (TBC, Stan)

“Kill. The. Pig.” If this mean anything to you, then you’ll no doubt be thrilled to learn Adolescence’s Jack Thorne is behind this TV adaptation of William Golding’s seminal 1954 novel.

A co-production between the BBC and Stan, this sees a cast of mostly unknown child actors take on the roles of a group of kids stranded alone and without parental supervision on a tropical island.

Early photos from the set are certainly atmospheric — there’s plenty of buzz about this one.

The Testaments (April, Disney Plus)

Fans of The Handmaid’s Tale are eagerly awaiting this spin-off series, based on Margaret Atwood’s Booker Prize-winning novel.

“Years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, (it’s) a coming of age story that finds a new generation of young women in Gilead grappling with the bleak future that awaits them,” a synopsis reads.

Ann Dowd returns as Aunt Lydia, with Chase Infiniti as Agnes and Lucy Halliday as Daisy.

The Comeback (TBC, HBO Max)

HBO is officially bringing this cult comedy back for a third and final season, and fans are beside themselves. And why wouldn’t they be?

They’ve had to wait 11 long years to see creator and star Lisa Kudrow return as B-lister Valerie Cherish. Known for her relentless optimism and staggering lack of self-awareness, Valerie is one of TV’s great comic creations — we can’t wait to find out how Kudrow winds up her story.

The Artful Dodger S2 (TBC, Disney Plus)

Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewlis and Maia Mitchell return for the second season of this locally produced series, which is a sequel of sorts to Charles Dickens’ classic novel Oliver Twist. We pick up with Jack destined for the noose.

“He’s being hunted by Inspector Boxer, Port Victory’s new lawman, and if he sees the woman he loves, Lady Belle, he’ll be hanged,” we’re told. Another action-packed season.

Young Sherlock (TBC, Prime Video)

Guy Ritchie is returning to the world of Sherlock Holmes, this time to explore the origin story of Arthur Conan Doyle’s much-loved detective.

Hero Fiennes Tiffin stars as the 19-year-old Sherlock in the series, which is inspired by Andrew Lane’s Young Sherlock books. Joining Tiffin are Donal Finn, Zine Tseng, Joseph Fiennes, Max Irons and Colin Firth. With a cast like that, and Ritchie, behind it, we can’t wait to see how it all plays out.

Ground Up (TBC, ABC)

This series stars Sam Pang as AFL administrator Hugh Shen, sent from Melbourne to establish Tasmania’s first AFL team.

“But there’s a catch: the locals must build a brand new stadium and not everyone’s happy about the $1.13 billion taxpayer-funded scheme,” we’re told. Sound familiar? Art imitating life. There for it.

Rooster (March, HBO Max)

Starring Steve Carell and hailing from TV super-producer Bill Lawrence (the man behind Scrubs, Ted Lasso and Shrinking), this 10-episode comedy is set on a college campus and focuses on author Greg Russo’s (Carell) difficult relationship with his daughter, Katie (Charly Clive), who is a professor at the university.

This has some seriously impressive people behind it, and early chat is positive.

The Beauty (Jan 22, Disney)

This Ryan Murphy-produced project is described as a global thriller that “blends high fashion, sci-fi and horror” — we’re intrigued! Based on the comic book series of the same name, it stars Evan Peters, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Pope and Ashton Kutcher, and begins with an investigation into why international supermodels keep dying in mysterious ways.

Lots of big names pop up in guest roles, including Bella Hadid, Isabella Rossellini (pictured), Meghan Trainor and Billy Eichner.

Urzila (TBC, ABC)

Comedian Urzila Carlson has finally got her own show! “The series fuses bespoke stand-up with finely honed sketches, delivering a format that’s fresh, fearless, and unapologetically funny,” an official synopsis reads.

The sketches are inspired by her stand-up stories and feature a cast of comedy favourites, including Bron Lewis, Andy Saunders, Julia Morris and Anisa Nandaula.

Spider-Noir (TBC, Prime Video)

Starring Nicolas Cage, this is a live-action series based on the Marvel comic Spider-Man Noir. It tells the story of an ageing down-on-his-luck private investigator (Cage) in 1930s New York “who’s forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero”. Cage famously voiced a version of the character in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, which gives you an idea of what to expect. Brendan Gleeson plays a powerful mob boss who’s in his cross-hairs.

Dustfall (TBC, ABC)

Anna Torv stars in this six-part crime drama, based on the novel The Unbelieved by Vikki Petraitis and directed by her The Newsreader director, Emma Freeman.

Filmed on the Gold Coast, it’s described as “a propulsive, atmospheric tropic noir”. Torv stars as detective Tig Pollard, who returns to her home town of North Gap to investigate a string of drink-spiking assaults. The case is turned on its head when the lead suspect is found murdered.

Off Campus (TBC, Prime Video)

This college soap is clearly aimed at younger audiences, but it’s not hard to imagine viewers of all ages will be eager to check out the TV adaptation of the bestselling book series.

It follows an elite ice hockey team and the women in their lives “as they grapple with love, heartbreak and self discovery”. Season one follows the romance between Hannah (Ella Bright) and Garrett (Belmont Cameli).

Treasure & Dirt (TBC, ABC)

Michael Dorman and Liv Hewson lead this ABC/BBC co-production miniseries, filmed in South Australia’s Coober Pedy. Based on the novel by Chris Hammer, it sees detective Ivan Lucic (Doorman) sent to investigate the grizzly death of a miner who has been found beheaded.

Assigned to work alongside him is local constable Nell Buchanan (Hewson). “Together, they’re drawn into a labyrinth of secrets, greed, and old sins that won’t stay buried,” according to the synopsis. Sounds promising.

Blade Runner 2099 (TBC, Prime Video)

This series, a follow-up to the 2107 movie Blade Runner 2049, was green-lit in September 2022, with Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh announced to star.

Because of the Hollywood strikes, it was delayed, but it’s finally getting a berth on screens in 2026. Not much is known about this yet, but it has an impressive production team behind it, including Ridley Scott as executive producer.

56 Days (Feb 18, Prime Video)

Adapted from Catherine Ryan Howard’s bestselling novel, this follows Oliver (Avan Jogia) and Ciara (Dove Cameron), a couple who randomly meet in a supermarket and fall for one another hard and fast.

Fifty-six days later, homicide detectives arrive at Oliver’s apartment to find a badly decomposed, unidentified body — did Oliver kill Ciara, or the other way around? This is described as “a riveting, sexy, psychological thriller” — yes, please!

Margo’s Got Money Troubles (April, Apple TV Plus)

Nicole Kidman sure is busy right now — she’s popping up in ANOTHER series, this time alongside Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman.

This hails from David E. Kelley, based on the bestselling novel by Rufi Thorpe. It focuses on recent college dropout and aspiring writer Margo (Fanning) who is trying to make it with a new baby and a mountain of debt. Marcia Gay Harden and Greg Kinnear also star.