2026 TV Premiere Date Schedule: High Potential, Star Trek And New Shows From Evan Peters And Andrew Lincoln Take Over January

A new year has begun, and I'm hoping everyone is also on board with the resolution to keep up to date with the plethora of new Netflix series, all the upcoming horror TV shows, and various DCU series on the way, and that’s not even taken into account network procedurals, reality TV and everything else I’m already pumped to watch in 2026. The best way to keep such a resolution intact is with a handy release schedule rounding up all the biggest dates to mark on your own calendars.

January 2026 is already shaping up to be one of the biggest TV months of the year so far, and not just because it’s the first one cropping up. From NCAA football playoffs to myriad midseason premieres to a new MCU hero, the small screen has all the exciting options that maybe aren’t so prevalent in January for 2026’s movie releases. So without further ado, let’s run through all the biggest upcoming premiere dates we know so far.

NOTE: New series premieres are listed in ALL CAPS, and all times listed below are in ET/EST.

January 2026 TV Premieres

The first month of the year has pretty much everything TV audiences need, from the first awards ceremonies of the year to winter premieres for NCIS and One Chicago franchises to High Potential's return after a dreary two-month absence. Oh yeah, and there’s also Evan Peters’ and Ashton Kutcher’s wild horror comic adaptation The Beauty (coming from Ryan Murphy), Andrew Lincoln’s new psychological thriller Coldwater, and the newest Star Trek series.

MUST-WATCH SPOTLIGHT: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

• PREMIERE DATE: January 15, 2026
• WHERE TO WATCH: Paramount+
• CREATOR: Gaia Violo (Absentia)
• CAST: Holly Hunter, Robert Picardo, Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Tig Notaro, Bella Shepard, Zoë Steiner, Paul Giamatti, Tatiana Maslany, Stephen Colbert, Mary Wiseman
• WHY IS IT A MUST-WATCH? It's the 12th official Star Trek series, which is more than enough of a reason for franchise completists. But Paramount+'s Starfleet Academy, similar to Prodigy before it, is angling to attract a slightly younger demographic, thus the central setting. Also, Holly Hunter leading ANY sci-fi series? I'm already enrolled.

MUST-WATCH SPOTLIGHT: A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms

• PREMIERE DATE: January 18, 2026
• WHERE TO WATCH: HBO
• CREATORS: Ira Parker (House of the Dragon, Better Things) and George R.R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire series)
• CAST: Peter Claffey, Dexter Sol Ansell, Finn Bennett, Bertie Carvel, Tanzyn Crawford, Daniel Ings, Sam Spruell
• WHY IS IT A MUST-WATCH? Any HBO series set in Martin's epic fantasy universe deserves at least an initial look, but seeing a youthful Aegon V Targaryen serving as Ser Duncan the Tall's squire in a live-action Knight of the Seven Kingdoms series will hopefully be a thrill even for those unfamiliar with the author's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas

MUST-WATCH SPOTLIGHT: WONDER MAN

• PREMIERE DATE: January 27, 2026
• WHERE TO WATCH: Disney+
• CREATORS: Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and Andrew Guest (Community, Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
• CAST: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ben Kingsley, Arian Moayed, Josh Gad, Demetrius Grosse, Ed Harris, Joe Pantoliano, X Mayo, Zlatko Burić, Olivia Thirlby, Byron Bowers, Jere Burns
• WHY IS IT A MUST-WATCH? Wonder Man's trailer was already Marvel at its most self-aware, with Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery serving as struggling actors trying to secure spots in the superhero movie reboot...Wonder Man. The upcoming MCU series presents a perfect set-up for a former Community writer, assuming this isn't the Darkest Timeline.

February 2026 TV Premieres

Arguably the two biggest February premieres come from shows that fans have been waiting to see return for a while now, with one wait being far longer than the other. I speak of course of Bridgerton's back half of Season 4, which debuted in January, and of the return of Scrubs., which will be back on ABC after first wrapping back in 2010. And let's not forget this month's quaint annual athletic contest, Super Bowl LX, with global superstar Bad Bunny delivering the ratings-busting halftime show performance, as well as Seth Rogen's highly anticipated Muppet Show revival special.

March 2026 TV Premieres

Is there anything to watch on TV in March besides NCAA basketball? Sure, probably a weather report or two somewhere. It looks like stormy skies for the characters in Netflix's One Piece, which will return for Season 2 this month, with clearer ones prevailing for everyone being honored on Hollywood's biggest celebration, the Academy Awards. Expect more than a few dust clouds when one of Yellowstone's Dutton family arrives at CBS for Y: Marshals.

April 2026 TV Premieres

One of the wildest superhero TV shows of all time kicks off its final chapter this month, with The Boys set to finally deliver the big Butcher Vs. Homelander brawl that fans have been waiting for. A different situational dynamic will be at play in the long-awaited return of Frankie Muniz's Malcolm for Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair.

May 2026 TV Premieres

July 2026 TV Premieres

The most distant show already scheduled for a 2026 premiere date is Netflix's conspiratorial military thriller Trinity, starring Richard Madden, Gugu Mbatha Raw, JD Pardo and Marcia Gay Harden. It's a good thing the show already sounds good.

Remember to check back for more dates as they're revealed by networks and streaming services in the coming months.