Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers viewing tips for the coming months.
There will be no shortage of scripted streaming and cable series in 2026 as platforms and networks debut everything from a new “Star Trek” show to the long-awaited adaptation of author Patricia Cornwell’s Dr. Kay Scarpetta book series.
Here’s what to expect:
“Made in Korea” (Dec. 24, Hulu): K-drama thriller about a KCIA agent who’s living a double life.
“The Copenhagen Test” (Dec. 27, Peacock): Espionage thriller about an intelligence analyst (Simu Liu) whose brain has been hacked.
“Run Away” (Jan. 1, Netflix): Another Harlan Coben series, this time about a father whose daughter runs away from home and his efforts to get her back.
“Land of Sin” (Jan. 2, Netflix): A detective searches for a missing teen.
“His & Hers” (Jan. 8, Netflix): A weary TV news anchor (Tessa Thompson) and a detective (Jon Bernthal) collide while investigating a murder.
“The Game” (Jan. 8, BritBox): A retired detective (Jason Watkins) suspects his new neighbor (Robson Green) may be a killer.
“The Night Manager” (Jan. 11, Prime Video): Better late than never, a second season of this British import arrives a decade after the first, which was on AMC in the U.S. Tom Hiddleston returns as a low-level MI6 officer who infiltrates a Colombian arms operation.
“Riot Women” (Jan. 14, BritBox): Sally Wainwright (“Last Tango in Halifax”) wrote and created this story of menopausal and post-menopausal women who form a punk-rock band.
“Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials” (Jan. 15, Netflix): A three-part limited series adaptation where a prank at a country house leads to murder.
“Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” (Jan. 15, Paramount ): Holly Hunter stars as the leader of a Starfleet vessel that houses a training school for officers.
“Stayer” (Jan. 15, Viaplay): Aging rock musician must parent his child after the child’s mother dies.
“Can This Love Be Translated?” (Jan. 16, Netflix): Romantic comedy about an unexpected relationship between a multilingual translator and a global celebrity.
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” (10 p.m. Jan. 18, HBO, HBO Max): Six-episode, half-hour drama set a century before “Game of Thrones” following a naïve knight and his diminutive squire.
“The Beauty” (9 p.m. Jan. 21, FX, Hulu): Producer Ryan Murphy’s latest follows FBI agents (Evan Peters, Rebecca Hall) as they investigate the murders of international supermodels, leading to the discovery of a virus with surprising effects.
“Steal” (Jan. 21, Prime Video): Six-episode heist series starring Sophie Turner (“Game of Thrones”).
“Free Bert” (Jan. 22, Netflix): Bert Kreischer’s antics turn his family into outcasts at his daughters’ elite Beverly Hills private school.
“It’s Not Like That” (Jan. 25, Wonder Project on Prime Video): Faith-based family drama starring Scott Foley as a widowed pastor who leans on a newly divorced mom (Erinn Hayes) for support.
“Wonder Man” (Jan. 27, Disney ): Marvel series about a Hollywood actor struggling to get his career off the ground who meets a veteran thespian, and both pursue roles in the superhero film “Wonder Man.”
“Scenes After a Marriage” (Jan. 29, Viaplay): Short-form drama series about relationships filmed in a single location with two complex characters.
“The Burbs” (Feb. 8, Peacock): Inspired by the 1989 Tom Hanks movie, this mystery-comedy series is set in present-day suburbia where a new neighbor moves in across the street from a young couple (Keke Palmer, Jack Whitehall).
“56 Days” (Feb. 18, Prime Video): Based on Catherine Ryan Howard’s novel, this thriller follows Oliver (Avan Jogia) and Ciara (Dove Cameron), who meet in a supermarket, fall in love and 56 days later, homicide detectives arrive at their apartment and find a body.
“Strip Law” (Feb. 20, Netflix): Adult animated comedy about an uptight lawyer who teams up with a Las Vegas magician on legal cases.
“Scarpetta” (March 11, Prime Video): Patricia Cornwell’s forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta (Nicole Kidman) explores the psychological complexities of perpetrators and investigators.
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles” (April 15, Apple TV): Comedic family drama about a recent college dropout and aspiring writer (Elle Fanning), the daughter of an ex-Hooter’s waitress (Michelle Pfeiffer) and ex-pro-wrestler (Nick Offerman), who has a new baby and lots of bills to pay.
Returning
Dec. 25: “Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale” (AMC ).
Jan. 1: “Shetland” (BritBox).
Jan. 4: “When Calls the Heart” (8 p.m., Hallmark Channel).
Jan. 5: “My Life is Murder” (Acorn TV).
Jan. 8: “The Pitt” (9 p.m., HBO Max).
Jan. 9: “Alpha Males” (Netflix), “Tehran” (Apple TV), “A Thousand Blows” (Hulu).
Jan. 11: “Industry” (9 p.m., HBO).
Jan. 13: “Tell Me Lies” (Hulu).
Jan. 14: “Hijack” (Apple TV).
Jan. 15: “The Upshaws” (Netflix).
Jan. 21: “Drops of God” (Apple TV).
Jan. 28: “School Spirits” (Paramount ), “Shrinking” (Apple TV).
Jan. 29: “Bridgerton” season four, part one. (Netflix).
Feb. 5: “The Lincoln Lawyer” (Netflix).
Feb. 10: “The Artful Dodger” (Hulu).
Feb. 11: “Cross” (Prime Video).
Feb. 15: “Like Water for Chocolate” (8 p.m. HBO, HBO Max), “Dark Winds” (9 p.m., AMC).
Feb. 19: “The Night Agent” (Netflix).
Feb. 20: “The Last Thing He Told Me” (Apple TV).
Feb. 23: “Paradise” (Hulu).
Feb. 26: “Bridgerton” season four, part two (Netflix).
Feb. 27: “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” (Apple TV).
March 5: “Ted” (Peacock).
March 6: “Outlander” (8 p.m., Starz).
March 11: “One Piece” (Netflix).
March 19: “Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black” (Netflix).
March 20: “Deadloch” (Prime Video).
April 3: “Friends and Neighbors” (Apple TV).
April 8: “The Boys” (Prime Video).
May 15: “Money Heist Berlin” (Netflix).