We’re halfway through a monumental year for Hollywood, as major consolidation promises to make the industry look very different come 2026’s end. Not to mention, audiences are drifting to YouTube and social media for faster entertainment hits. Despite all of that, TV still has the power to unite viewers — if a story is compelling enough.
Apple continues its hot streak of promising programming, as “Widow’s Bay” sparked enough word of mouth to potentially upset established favorites at this year’s Emmys. It also expanded its “For All Mankind” series with a Russia-set spinoff, “Star City.”
On broadcast, shows like ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and CBS’ “Matlock” took creative risks that paid off, while “Elsbeth” proved a reliable source of comfort for CBS viewers. NBC brought laughs back with “The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins,” and set a potential return for “The Muppets” that held strong enough to make our list with only one episode.
TV lovers also got their fair share of prestige TV in the first half of the year — with Netflix’s “Beef” and HBO’s “Half Man” and “DTF St. Louis” as two compelling limited series tackling big contemplative topics of our time. With six months left in the year, there’s plenty more left to discover.
Check out TheWrap’s staff picks for the best TV shows of 2026 so far below: (This list will be updated)
5 Movies That Worked Better as TV Shows
“Abbott Elementary” Season 5 (ABC)
While some long-running shows sit on their laurels, “Abbott Elementary” could never, with the ABC comedy instead taking on some of its most ambitious production challenges yet by taking the cast to a Phillies game and an abandoned Los Angeles mall. In addition to the fantastic production design that refurbished a recently closed Los Angeles-area mall into one from the East Coast a decade ago — complete with a huge Benjamin Franklin head that popped down — the new settings were the perfect reset to take the characters out of their comfort zones and shake up dynamics. And with Gregory and Janine’s breakup, albeit short-lived, the “Abbott” team knows how to keep viewers on their toes. — Loree Seitz
“Beef” Season 2 (Netflix)
Lee Sung Jin captured lightning in the bottle with the first season of “Beef,” a chewy, darkly comic story about a road rage incident that spirals into a life-altering feud. It’s a tough act to follow, and an even tougher one to top. But “Beef” Season 2 proves up to the challenge, mixing the already-present themes of class consciousness with a distinct generational divide as two couples (Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton) find themselves at odds with each other. It’s a sharp and incisive season of television, bolstered by a quartet of excellent performances, a strong score by Finneas O’Connell and gorgeous, painterly cinematography from James Laxton. — Casey Loving
“Bridgerton” Season 4 (Netflix)
For “Bridgerton” fans missing the yearning that Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley brought to Season 2, Season 4 delivered on the fairytale romance as it tackled the Cinderella story of Julia Quinn’s “An Offer from a Gentleman” without feeling too much like an over the top retelling. Credit where credit’s due, a good deal of the season’s magic was made possible by newcomer Yerin Ha, who effortlessly balanced Sophie’s self-assuredness with her vulnerability and fit right into the Bridgerton household. If that weren’t enough, Season 4 gives viewers a front row seat to the growing spark between Francesca and Michaela, as well as an episode focused on John Stirling’s funeral, which sees Hannah Dodd portray a grieving widow beautifully. — LS
“The ‘Burbs” (Peacock)
Are you ready to see Keke Palmer in a kooky murder mystery filled with a rag-tag group of neighbors and her charming British husband? “The ‘Burbs” on Peacock is for you. Loosely based on the 1989 film starring Tom Hanks, the series tackles modern-day issues of postpartum motherhood, moving to predominantly white suburbia as a Black woman and finding friends as an adult. In her quest to fit in, Samira (Palmer) meets a nosy group of neighbors on the hunt to solve the mysteries in their cul de sac. A mix of suspicion and paranoia leads Samira on a quest for the truth about her husband’s neighborhood Hinkley Hills. The satirical murder mystery, created by “Dead to Me” writer Celeste Hughey, has already been renewed for Season 2. — Tess Patton
“The Comeback” Season 3 (HBO)
More than 20 years after its 2005 debut, Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King’s “The Comeback” returned in 2026 for a timely and impactful third season. Kudrow once again shines as Valerie Cherish, an aging sitcom star attempting to stay relevant in a fast-changing entertainment industry. A lot has indeed changed since “The Comeback’s” second season in 2014, with strikes, a pandemic and artificial intelligence throwing Hollywood into a state of constant unease. Kudrow, King and company explore these ideas well in their grand comeback, a season of television that perfectly mixes laugh-out-loud comedy, interesting interrogation and high craft to look at the further encroachment of tech in Hollywood. It was, to put it bluntly, worth the wait. — CL
“DTF St. Louis” (HBO)
“DTF St. Louis” is a rare thing on television these days: A genre experiment that is so oddly deranged, sweet and bitter all at once that it ends up feeling almost auteurist. The auteur in question here happens to be writer-director Steven Conrad, whose authorship of past, genre-bending dark comedies like “The Weather Man” and “Patriot” proved to be a bit of a key to understanding and preparing for “DTF St. Louis.” The latter, a seven-part, blackly comic and yet unexpectedly heartfelt crime thriller for HBO, is anchored by a trio of against-type, subversive lead performances from stars Jason Bateman, David Harbour and Linda Cardellini. The three actors star in the series as a trio of adults trapped in a midlife crisis whose sins and many past mistakes are all brought to light after one of them ends up mysteriously dead. Bateman and Harbour have both, perhaps, never been better than they are in “DTF St. Louis,” a series about the desperate, soul-crushing loneliness of middle age that accumulates so many deeply felt emotions over the course of its seven installments that its ultimate conclusion hits like a punch straight to the solar plexus. It is a singular piece of work — decidedly not for everyone and yet impossible to forget. — Alex Welch
“Dutton Ranch” (Paramount+)
2026 was the year when “Yellowstone,” which concluded at the end of 2024 after a bitter behind-the-scenes tug-of-war between star Kevin Costner and creator Taylor Sheridan, soldiered on. The show leapt into the land of the more straightforward procedural with CBS’ “Marshals.” But the true continuation was on Paramount+ with “Dutton Ranch,” which saw Rip (Cole Hauser) and Beth (Kelly Reilly) move to Texas in order to start a new life. (Their homestead on the far reaches of the Dutton Ranch burns down in a wildfire in the first episode.) Not only did “Dutton Ranch” maintain the original show’s harder edge, which was sanded down for “Marshals’ ” (which follows Luke Grimes’ Kayce Dutton) leap to network television, but it also kept many of the dynamics that made “Yellowstone” so special — the idea of ranchers attempting to make their way in an increasingly cumbersome modern world, the violence that can simmer underneath the most picturesque landscape and the family dynamics that can make everything harder. It speaks to the pliability of the original show’s format that so many spinoffs and prequels have been made from “Yellowstone’s” rich soil. And “Dutton Ranch,” with its complex characters (including standouts played by Annette Bening and Ed Harris) and thorny conspiracies, is one of the very best. — Drew Taylor
“Elsbeth” Season 3 (CBS)
Elsbeth Tascioni is one heck of a murder investigator, and watching her do her thing every week is one of TV’s best delights right now. In every episode, Elsbeth is introduced to a new world within the sprawling metropolis of New York City, as she investigates a new killing at the hands of a nefarious and often hilarious new culprit. Star Carrie Preston brings the beloved “Good Wife” character into each world with genius comedic instincts and a lot of heart — whether she’s facing a tech tycoon, a late night writer or a debutante trainer. Whether you’re having a bad or a good day, every Thursday night is fun if you end it with a dose of “Elsbeth.” — Jose Alejandro Bastidas
“The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” (NBC)
The Tina Fey-Robert Carlock contingent got a wonderful gift this year in “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.” The “30 Rock” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” producers once again deliver a show that is almost painfully funny thanks to a torrent of visual gags on punchlines on zingers, and would have easily been the funniest new comedy of most years. Even in 2026’s wealth-of-riches comedy landscape, “Reggie Dinkins” stands out as one of the best, and probably the purest outright comedy of the bunch. Tracy Morgan stars as the title character, a former football titan who hires a documentarian (Daniel Radcliffe) to help him get his star shining once again. Morgan is, of course, hilarious, but sitcoms thrive on their ensemble, and Radcliffe and co-stars Erika Alexander and Bobby Moynihan are every bit as essential to the rapid-clip, can’t-catch-your-breath hilarity. — Haleigh Foutch
“The Four Seasons” Season 2 (Netflix)
After introducing this band of middle-aged best friends through their packed vacation schedule — and one death — Season 2 is when “The Four Seasons” found its hilarious footing. Led by Tina Fey both in front and behind the camera, Season 2 found the group moving forward from the death of Steve Carell’s Nick and into new horizons, from the possibility of parenthood to new relationships and training for marathons. A highlight two-parter revolving around Thanksgiving celebrations proved how much this friend group has grown through the challenges they’ve faced. We cheered loudly when Kerri Kenney-Silver’s Anne chose to stay in Italy and start a new life at the end of Season 2 — even manifesting a handsome new love interest for herself. We can’t wait to see where this feel-good comedy takes these characters in Season 3. — JAB
“For All Mankind” Season 5/”Star City” (Apple TV)
“For All Mankind,” created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi, started off as a nifty alternate history riff on “The Right Stuff,” as the Space Race took a very different turn. But since that first season, with each subsequent season catapulting a full decade into the future, it has expanded both its narrative scope and its thematic concerns. By this — the fifth season! — “For All Mankind” has taken on the contours and intricacies of a great American novel. With many of the characters advancing in age, new characters were introduced and put center stage, with this season concerning the colonization of Mars and a movement, by a dedicated group, to free Mars. As the season went along, it introduced characters that were able to interrogate generational trauma and the way that the sins of parents are passed down — genetically, spiritually? — to their children. It was fascinating and emotionally textured, sneaking up on you and then walloping you like a pile of bricks. Which is to say nothing of how exciting this season was; it occasionally bordered on James Cameron territory. And if that wasn’t enough, the first “For All Mankind” spinoff series, “Star City,” debuted. Again created by Moore, Wolpert and Nedivi, the show jumped backward in the “For All Mankind” timeline, this time focused on the Russian space program and the secretive installation where the program originated. More “The Lives of Others” or “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” than “The Right Stuff,” it is bleak and absolutely riveting, the perfect counterpoint to the more rousing “For All Mankind,” but just as brilliant and profound. May the sun never set on the “For All Mankind” empire. — DT
“Hacks” Season 5 (HBO Max)
After seeing Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder’s Ava at odds for a good deal of “Hacks” Season 4, the final season of the HBO Max comedy felt like a love letter to the fans, giving them a season packed full of timeless classics to revisit on a rainy day. That could be the “Amazing Race” crossover that finds Deborah and DJ running down a hill with a cheese wheel or dancing as clowns, or Deborah and Ava cosplaying as a lesbian couple during a weekend getaway with Cherry Jones and Leslie Bibb. And it’s not just Jean and Hannah who got to shine this year; Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs had a chance to build their own buddy comedy on the side. To top it off, “Hacks” ended off with an impeccable series finale cementing its legacy as one of the greatest comedies with heart. — LS
“Half Man” (HBO)
Expectations were more than high for Richard Gadd’s follow-up to “Baby Reindeer,” and he more than met them with this twisted tale of brotherly love. This time, the writer and director took on a significant but supporting role in “Half Man,” co-starring alongside Jamie Bell in a decades-long tale of the toxic relationship between two men who were raised as brothers, and the chaos they brought into each other’s lives. Told over six harrowing episodes, the limited series explores the dangers of homophobia and toxic masculinity, the consequences of abuse and how unchecked dynamics can end in tragedy. It’s a difficult show to binge, but the latest feather in Gadd’s impressive TV portfolio. — JAB
“Industry” Season 4 (HBO)
A show is breathing rare air when fans can start saying each season manages to be better than the last. “Industry” is one of those shows. It takes a certain level of confidence, both in the creatives working on the show and the fans tuning in, for a show to decide to reinvent itself and zag when everyone thinks the story will zig on a season — or even episode-by-episode — basis. The HBO series that started as another stressful workplace show set in London’s cutthroat financial world has evolved time and time again to become one of the great gems of the 2020s. There is nothing on TV quite like “Industry.” — Jacob Bryant
“Love Story” (FX)
Connor Hines and Ryan Murphy’s intimate exploration of the fated relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette took pop culture by storm, anchored by wonderful performances from newcomer Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon and a dedication to showcasing ‘90s era New York fashion that sparked a 2026 style comeback. The series charts the luminaries’ romance from charming beginnings and tabloid-level arguments to their intimate wedding and marital woes, sparked by the cost of joining America’s most famous family. The finale captures the heartbreak of the couple’s premature death in a plane crash, and the consequences the tragedy had on the family and the nation. — JAB
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” (HBO)
2026 is a big year for Westeros. After “House of the Dragon” spent the 2020s carrying on the “Game of Thrones” legacy all by its lonesome — to various degrees of success — this year saw the second spinoff in the HBO fantasy franchise arrive, and do so with thunderous force. “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” which is based on a series of short stories by author George R.R. Martin, followed a beleaguered hedge knight named Dunk who was set on making a name for himself at a local tournament but instead gets himself tangled up with royalty after taking on a squire. The season and episodes were shorter, the budget was smaller, but the storytelling was as sharp as the peak of “Game of Thrones” managed in the 2010s. Where some people started falling off the “Thrones” wagon after “House of the Dragon” Season 2, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” had enthusiasm roaring back to those old heights and had plenty screaming that the franchise was back like it never left. — JB
“The Madison” (Paramount+)
“The Madison” is a Taylor Sheridan show like no other. His other series, particularly the suite of “Yellowstone” shows, have highly propulsive plots; occasionally characters feel like the coal being fed into the smoke-belching narrative engine. But “The Madison” is unique both because of its more deliberate plotting and for its singular, mournful tone, putting the spotlight on characters’ emotions and relationships with the land over more traditional mechanics. Michelle Pfeiffer plays a ritzy New York woman whose beloved husband (played by Kurt Russell) dies in a tragic accident. It forces her to travel to Montana to reclaim his body and connect with the land that he held so dear (he had a small cabin on a body of water; he’d routinely fly fish with his brother, who was also killed). Pfeiffer ends up bringing her two daughters, both spoiled city slickers, and two nieces, and together they rediscover the land and find themselves connecting with Russell’s fallen patriarch in new and profound ways. Part of what makes “The Madison” so special is Pfeiffer’s miraculous performance, as she oscillates between anger, understanding and heartache, but just as much attention should be paid to the delicate direction by Christina Alexandra Voros, who brought Sheridan’s scripts to life and gave them an energy and nuance all their own (she also served as cinematographer). If you think that Sheridan is all about cowboy tough guys and the violence of the open range, then “The Madison” is for you. It’s an old-fashioned weepie, lovingly crafted and beautifully performed. — DT
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles” (Apple TV)
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” based on Rufi Thorpe’s novel of the same name, follows a young, single mother who turns to OnlyFans to support her new life. Elle Fanning steers the series excellently in the central role, joined by strong supporting performances from the likes of Nick Offerman and Michelle Pfeiffer. The series, created by David E. Kelley who will co-showrun a second season with Eva Anderson, never shies away from the harsh realities the central characters find themselves in. At the same time, it never looks down on them or allows their struggles to get lost in the comedy. “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” gives an insightful look into addiction, the sex work industry, parenting and more — while also managing to be funny as hell. — CL
“Matlock” Season 2 (CBS)
Kathy Bates made a triumphant return to broadcast TV with the first season of this inventive CBS drama — and it only got better with Season 2. After building up the lore behind Matty’s (Bates) ruse to trick her new law firm into giving her evidence to implicate them in a prescription drug company coverup, this season unpacked the emotional consequences of her plan on her family, who were in on the scam from the start, and her new coworkers. But perhaps the most compelling of explorations in Season 2 comes from the evolving connection between Matty and business partner Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), chronicling intense ups and downs as the lawyers’ interests change almost as quickly as the twists are delivered. The season ends with a satisfying conclusion to the show’s overarching mystery, which leaves the door open to fascinating new horizons when it returns for Season 3 in 2027. We’ll be watching! — JAB
“The Muppets” (ABC)
Every generation deserves the Muppets, but the past few years have been relatively (and tragically) lacking in that department. After the 2014 sequel “Muppets Most Wanted” and 2015 failed ABC series “The Muppets,” Jim Henson’s iconic creations went away for a while, with only a few rocky Disney+ projects to tide fans over. But in early 2026, Disney went back to basics, uniting names like Seth Rogen, Maya Rudolph and guest star Sabrina Carpenter to put on a classic Muppet show, featuring sketches, musical performances and celebrity cameos. The result is an absolute delight — one that will hopefully ensure that fans don’t have to wait too long to see these friendly faces again. — CL
“Neighbors” (HBO)
The phrase “stranger than fiction” has rarely been more true than how it is weaponized to depict the six individuals at the center of the first season of “Neighbors.” Each episode focuses on a dispute someone has in their home — either with one of their neighbors or sometimes more broadly with society as a whole. It is one of the easiest and most captivating watches of the year and the final episode, which follows a nudist’s journey to find a place where he is accepted (among many other things) is truly one of the best single episodes of the year. Going into too much detail about “Neighbors” is to do it a disservice. Just trust that it needs to be seen to be believed and know there is truly nothing else like it out there right now. — JB
“Off Campus” (Prime Video)
Sometimes, what you really need is a good time — and “Off Campus” is a good time. A lesser show would have been doomed to a lifetime of “‘Heated Rivalry’ but straight” comparisons, but Amazon’s BookTok hockey romance adaptation stands on its own. Based on the megahit book series by Elle Kennedy, the Prime Video show follows Ella Bright as Hannah Wells, a music student who makes a deal with her school’s most popular hockey heartthrob, Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli): He’ll help her get the attention of the musician she’s swooning over if she helps him pass his class. All your favorite fake dating tropes ensue, but the cast has great chemistry, and the series has a delightful, refreshing, desperately needed pro-consent bent that makes the sex actually sexy. Throw in a non-stop soundtrack and the absolutely magnetic Mika Abdalla, who is poised to take the lead in the Allie and Dean-centric Season 2, and you’ve got one of the more downright fun and breezy binge-watches of the year. — HF
“The Pitt” Season 2 (HBO Max)
How do you follow one of the most celebrated debuts of the streaming era? That was the mission statement for “The Pitt” Season 2, and creator R. Scott Gemmill, star and EP Noah Wyle and company more than delivered. The medical drama stuck to its ambitious realtime storytelling approach and lasered in on a 4th of July shift that, while not as eventful as the first season, helped expand viewers’ understanding of the doctors, nurses and trainees who populate the titular Pittsburgh emergency room. From the introduction of a new attending physician (played by Sepideh Moafi) with a different approach to the job than Dr. Robby (Wyle), to the looming truth at the center of Robby’s sabbatical and some difficult cases, Season 2 proved to be must-see TV. That’s clear from the show continuing to score viewership highs throughout its weekly release schedule, and its quick Season 3 renewal. Long may the ER reign! — JAB
“Ponies” (Peacock)
Sometimes, casting alone is enough to make a series watchable, and that was absolutely true for “Ponies.” The Peacock spy thriller starred Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson as two wives of CIA agents who, upon the men’s deaths, became agents themselves to get answers. Both women are endlessly charming, on and off screen, which made them an exceedingly fun team to watch. But, to be clear, “Ponies” was more than just its casting. It was a solid thriller that accurately reflected what women did and do face in fields where they are not prevalent. Was it a little predictable at times? Yes, absolutely. But it was predictable in a way that was absolutely intentional, that let the audience know the writers weren’t just being lazy — they were leaning in, in order to subvert expectations. Alas, we do have to talk about this in past tense now, because “Ponies” was canceled after just one season. Still, it’s worth checking out, even knowing we don’t get to go further with it. — Andi Ortiz
“Primal” Season 3 (Adult Swim)
“Primal,” the Emmy-winning Adult Swim animated series from legendary animator Genndy Tartakovsky, seemed to paint itself into a corner at the end of Season 2. After all, Spear, the caveman, had found love and lost his life. The show was built around the relationship between Spear and his dinosaur bud Fang. Where could they go now? Tartakovsky toyed around with an anthology format and a new version of the show, this time centered on aliens creating life on a far-flung planet. But eventually he circled back to what made the show so special — chiefly, the relationship between Spear and Fang. Thanks to some black magic, Spear returned from the dead and had to come to terms with his new existence. Was he a man? Or a monster? And what would happen when he finally reconnected with his lost love — and his dinosaur companion? In a show defined by brutality, the third season of “Primal” went to some uncomfortably dark places, particularly in a stretch where Spear became a gladiatorial fighter, facing down all manner of foe. But the series’ inherent sweetness and warmth, which set the initial versions of the series apart, was on clear display here. It was both exhilarating and deeply heartbreaking, visceral and philosophical. Tartakovsky has had a legendary career, which includes everything from “Dexter’s Laboratory” to “Samurai Jack,” but “Primal” Season 3 might be the best thing he’s ever done. It’s certainly the most affecting. — DT
“The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” (Bravo)
Two decades after “The Real Housewives” franchise first kicked off with a spotlight on Orange County, Bravo created a new hit in an East Coast state. “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” showed promise ahead of its debut by recruiting “Bachelor” nation alum Ashley Iaconetti for the main cast — along with “New Jersey” fan-favorite housewife Dolores Catania as a friend of. But it’s the dynamic between this kooky friend group, and so many one-liners, that put these ladies on the fast track to Bravo superstardom. From Alicia Carmody professing her love for crackers (pronounced “crackahs”) and admitting to running a woman over with her car, to decades-long grievances aired out on camera and Rosie DiMare bringing new meaning to the term “Slam Pig!,” it’s this stellar cast of alluring ladies who get the credit for keeping this long-running franchise fresh. A Season 2 renewal came easier than most — can lightning strike twice? — JAB
“Rooster” (HBO)
Bill Lawrence has essentially become his own genre of television. The prodigious TV creator had several comedies on the air in 2026, including “Shrinking,” a revival of “Scrubs” and his newest creation: “Rooster.” Lawrence’s latest show looks at the world of higher education, starring Steve Carrell as an author who becomes a writer-in-residence at the same university where his daughter (Charly Clive) and her estranged husband (Phil Dunster) instruct. The series features Carrell’s best performance in years, and a delightful comic turn from Danielle Deadwyler. Like many shows with Lawrence’s fingerprints, “Rooster” features a compelling balance of comedy and down-beat emotions — and maybe even has the most compelling balance of the two. — CL
“Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen” (Netflix)
A true TV surprise for the year. Netflix’s “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen” is a show fully powered on vibes. For fans who want an atmospheric slow burn following a girl meeting her fiancé’s family for the first time, and they are less than savory to say the least. Camila Morrone steals the show as Rachel, who faces one of the greatest real fears in the known world — what if you got married to the wrong person? Surrounding that extremely real terror are the campy and unsettling members of her fiance’s family and a finale that is twice as blood-soaked as you’d expect. It’s somber, it’s funny, it’s contemplative and it’s deeply weird. “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen” is the homerun surprise of 2026. — JB
“Spider-Noir” (Prime Video)
Nicolas Cage had never led a television series. But he was coaxed to the format by a unique proposition — portraying a variation of his character from the Oscar-winning animated feature “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” this time in live action. “Spider-Noir,” created by Oren Uziel and developed by Uziel and Steve Lightfoot, sees Cage play Ben Reilly, a hardscrabble private eye in Depression era New York. Of course, he also masquerades as The Spider, a superhero who routinely saved the city before hanging up his webs. (Famously, in the animated film, Spider-Noir said, “Wherever I go, the wind follows. And the wind, it smells like rain.”) Of course, a new mystery involving some super-powered villains and a murderous crime boss (played, with scenery-chewing delight, by Brendan Gleeson) pops up, causing The Spider t0 come out of retirement and confront some uncomfortable truths about his past. “Spider-Noir” drips atmosphere, particularly if you watch the moodier black-and-white version of the show (you can also watch in color — but why would you?), and Cage is clearly having the time of his life surrounded by an ace supporting cast that includes Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Jack Huston and Karen Rodriguez. It’s enough to make you want a second season, perhaps set in post-World War II Los Angeles, where Reilly can stumble upon a fresh conspiracy. After all, the Spider-Verse contains multitudes. — DT
“Tell Me Lies” Season 3 (Hulu)
While sweet and smutty has been the directive for a handful of YA series this year — think “Bridgerton” or “Off Campus” — there’s something to be said for a TV show that embraces the mess and toxicity that — let’s be honest — is more often found in college and your early 20s. Since its first season, Hulu’s “Tell Me Lies” delivered the most jaw-dropping twists and betrayals, and Season 3 was no different — just think back to Stephen’s wedding toast that read all of his friends to filth, yet still ensured Lucy leaving with him. While we’ll miss the show, it’s an even stronger closer knowing that it’s the series finale, leaving off in the wake of the mess with Lucy finally understanding Stephen will never change. And if you aren’t content with the mess alone, showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer left off with two wholesome pairings in Pippa and Diana as well as Wrigley and Bree, as well as her take on how things shook out from there. — LS
“The Testaments” (Hulu)
It took nearly 34 years for Margaret Atwood to follow up her dystopian feminist masterpiece “The Handmaid’s Tale” with a sequel, “The Testaments.” Bruce Miller was a bit quicker on the take, bringing Atwood’s story to TV just one year after his “Handmaid’s Tale” series wrapped up. Both Atwood and Miller’s urgency in telling the story of “The Testaments” today is evident in the final product, following a group of young girls raised in a dystopian future to aspire to their own subservience. It’s a show that’s horrific without losing hope, bracing without being miserable. Martha Sparrow’s production design and Leslie Kavanagh’s costume design, alongside a strong leading duo of rising stars Chase Infiniti and Lucy Halliday help make “The Testaments” (a clean entry point for Gilead novices) a worthwhile follow-up to Miller’s previous Emmy-winning Atwood adaptation. — CL
“The Traitors” Season 4 (Peacock)
“The Traitors” has become a true joy to watch on Peacock these last few years and Season 4 brought about one of the best Traitors to play the game: Love Island USA’s own Rob Rausch. Using a mix of charm and looks, he managed to control the game nearly the entire season, with only a few internal hiccups coming via some Traitor-on-Traitor scheming. The season ended with an all-time reality TV reveal that managed to be both extremely satisfying and heartbreaking in equal measure. The deluge of reality TV seems to be never-ending at this point, but “The Traitors” has proven once again to be destination TV worth tuning in weekly for. — JB
“The Vampire Lestat” (AMC/AMC+)
Picking up where “Interview With the Vampire” left off and handing the perspective over to Sam Reid’s rowdy, tormented title vampire, “The Vampire Lestat” remains the gold standard of TV adaptation. Series creator Rolin Jones, songwriter/producer Daniel Hart and Reid — in a generational performance — usher Lestat into his Brat Prince era with all the creative aplomb, rich literacy and total fearlessness that made the “Interview” such a critical darling, but with a distinct texture and timbre that could only belong to The Vampire Lestat. Lestat narrates differently, he certainly acts differently, and he’s walking his own path, but the destination in “The Vampire Lestat” is ultimately the same soul-searching poetry that defined Rice’s books and the first two seasons. Fans of the books could probably re-watch a hundred times and never catch all the thoughtful ways her words and stories have been woven together into something new but equally beautiful (and deranged). Those who come to the show fresh could probably watch just as many times to revel in the centuries-spanning, operatic romances and rivalries of these immortal, soul-searching theater kids. At the time of this writing, I’ve seen through Episode 6, and it’s the best episode either incarnation of the series has delivered so far. It’s one of the best shows of 2026, it’s one of the best shows of the decade — it’s just downright one of the best shows, point-blank period. — HF
“Widow’s Bay” (Apple TV)
Few might have expected that this year’s breakout television hit among critics would turn out to be a horror comedy series on Apple TV that — on paper, at least — reads like “Jaws” funneled through the pages of a Stephen King novel. But then “Widow’s Bay” premiered, and it became clear that the new series from creator Katie Dippold and executive producer-director Hiro Murai was going to end up being unlike anything else we’ll see this year. A shape-shifting, ambitious piece of genre storytelling, “Widow’s Bay” constantly evolved over the course of its first 10 episodes, delivering a “Shining”-esque haunted inn thriller one week and a slasher thrill ride the next. Watching it week-to-week proved to be a bit like watching Gene Kelly dance or Buster Keaton walk beneath a falling house. “Widow’s Bay” did not just avoid missteps in its first season, it invited them, taking unexpected creative leaps every episode. Watching the series handle each one made the risks themselves feel less like a symptom of unchecked ambition and more like the byproduct of a crystal clear artistic vision. It is a series that showed itself to be interested in human drama, cartoonish comedy and sheer, blood-curdling horror, and in Matthew Rhys’ star-affirming and Kate O’Flynn’s star-making lead turns, “Widow’s Bay” found two performances capable of containing just as many notes as it. A collection of striking, episodic genre adventures bound together by one compelling, atmospheric overarching story, “Widow’s Bay” is not just great TV. It is what contemporary television can and should be. — AW
“Wonder Man” (Disney+)
Perhaps the most delightful surprise of the year so far, Marvel’s “Wonder Man” got it right by getting back to basics … and loving the hell out of LA. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Simon Williams, an actor striving for his breakthrough role while trying to hide his superpowers, alongside Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery, the MCU’s resident ham and former faux Mandarin, who is trying to find his way back to a Hollywood career after the world thought he was a terrorist. Aside from Trevor, “Wonder Man” has almost no connection to the rest of the MCU, and it’s all the better for it. While one release after another keeps tripping over timelines and drowning in cameos, “Wonder Man” is free to be a good old-fashioned two-hander, carried breezily by its leading duo. Genuinely funny and so charming, “Wonder Man” is also made with evident love for the cinematic dreamers of Tinseltown and the sprawling city of working artists they call home. — HF
