Here, the TV obsessives at Radio Times have rounded up the very best of what’s worth watching right now, including long-awaited and much-lauded HBO show The Pitt, must-see word-of-mouth hits, like Louis Theroux’s jaw dropping Netflix doc and Prime Video’s runaway success Last One Laughing, plus some surprisingly successful sitcom reboots (hello Scrubs and Malcolm in the Middle).
Read on for our full list of the best TV shows of 2026 so far, including where you can watch them in both the UK and the US.
As Dan’s class of prisoners challenge his attempts to school them on Locke, Descartes and the rest - either because they don’t have any knowledge of academic philosophy, or because they do - the conversations shape Dan as much as they do the inmates. Kelly’s deft, wise script is equalled by a lead performance from Finan - so good in The Responder and Say Nothing, and grabbing a bigger chance here - that delicately brings all of Dan’s vulnerability and strength to life. Waiting for the Out will tickle your brain in a way that few dramas can. - Jack Seale
Where to watch in the UK: BBC iPlayerWhere to watch in the US: N/AA Thousand Blows season 2
View Green Video on the source websiteWhere to watch in the UK: Disney+Where to watch in the US: Hulu
We're always on the lookout for a good twist on standard crime drama fare, and this US series has one: Jon Bernthal is a troubled cop investigating the murder of a woman in sultry Georgia, and Tessa Thompson is a fading TV news presenter who is revitalised by her own interest in the case, the catch being that... they're estranged spouses. As the two of them sift through a list of suspects and end up suspecting each other, the parallel dynamics of media and law enforcement mean the show has several sources of intrigue. - Jack Seale
Where to watch in the UK: NetflixWhere to watch in the US: NetflixHeated Rivalry
Yes, there are a lot of sex scenes, but this is something much more than trash titillation: commentators have applauded the way the show deals with the affair itself – one participant is more at home with their sexuality than the other – and the different strains of homophobia in both Russia and the West. - Jack Seale
Where to watch in the UK: Sky and NOWWhere to watch in the US: HBO MaxIt turns out there’s a market for that. Industry has grown and grown. The tone is as spiky as ever, but with our ensemble of City traders now scattered. Harper is running a short fund but (as in every previous job) hamstrung by people who aren’t as smart as her. Her former boss, Eric, is playing golf on a course where “47” (ie President Trump) is blocking his path. And heiress Yasmin is now installed as Lady Yasmin Muck. (The series likes Dickensian names.) The opening episode introduces new characters tussling over a payment app called Tender, whose CEO at one point orders a cocktail “bone dry and cold as space”. It could be the motto of the series. - David Butcher
Where to watch in the UK: BBC iPlayerWhere to watch in the US: HBO MaxAgatha Christie’s Seven Dials
Light on clue-finding but strong on a sense of youthful adventure, it takes its wilful aristocratic heroine Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent (a well-cast Mia McKenna Bruce) on a caper from a country estate to a shady London nightclub as she pursues a murderer with possible links to the worlds of espionage and secret societies.
If all this sounds too far-fetched to be credible, then the same thought must have struck screenwriter Chris Chibnall (Broadchurch, Doctor Who) who, following a slightly sedate opening hour, leans increasingly into the romping, light-heartedness of the plot. In this endeavour, he has able assistance from Helena Bonham Carter (as Bundle’s sardonic mother Lady Caterham) and Martin Freeman (playing dry, wry Superintendent Battle) – both actors pitching their performances just the right side of parody. - David Brown
Where to watch in the UK: NetflixWhere to watch in the US: NetflixHijack season 2
View Green Video on the source websiteThe setting the last time around was a flight from Dubai to London, whereas here Sam is trapped on the Berlin underground rail network with increasingly nervy commuters and tourists. With trips on planes having already proven dangerous and trains now appearing equally perilous, Sam would surely be wise to also stay away from automobiles in any future third season. - David Brown
Where to watch in the UK: Apple TVWhere to watch in the US: Apple TVWesteros is still a bleak, violent medieval world, but Dunk and Egg are more optimistic heroes than we’ve come to expect from Thrones, brought to life winningly by two newcomers, former rugby player Peter Claffey and 11-year-old Dexter Sol Ansell. - Huw Fullerton
Where to watch in the UK: Sky and NOWWhere to watch in the US: HBO MaxUnder Salt Marsh
The advancing sea serves also to highlight the fragility of this close-knit but secretive community, something that’s intensified by ex-police detective-turned-teacher Jackie Ellis (Kelly Reilly) discovering the seemingly drowned body of one of her young pupils. It’s a blow that brings to the surface silty memories of a distressing cold case, one that has especial resonance for Jackie. And the reappearance of her former partner from the force, Eric Bull (Rafe Spall), adds to the feeling of the past breaching the present in strange, unsettling ways. - David Brown
Where to watch in the UK: Sky and NOWWhere to watch in the US: N/AThe first half of season four sees Bridgerton follow, as always, an on/off romance, this time with an upstairs/downstairs dynamic that gives the show a different feel; but while the staff of the various houses do play a more central role in the complex interpersonal shenanigans, we still get plenty of high-society sass. And the normally fussy Lady Violet herself might be about to loosen her corset… - Jack Seale
Where to watch in the UK: NetflixWhere to watch in the US: NetflixShrinking season 3
Where to watch in the UK: Apple TVWhere to watch in the US: Apple TV
A smoothly entertaining legal drama with a strong pedigree - it's the creation of David E Kelley (LA Law, Big Little Lies), based on books by Michael Connelly (Bosch) - has its fans on tenterhooks after an explosive third season. The fourth run begins with Mickey (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), the criminal defence attorney who works out of his car, on trial himself on account of the corpse that had turned up in the boot of said vehicle the last time we saw him. Constance Zimmer and Cobie Smulders join the cast for these new episodes. - Jack Seale
Where to watch in the UK: NetflixWhere to watch in the US: NetflixLord of the Flies
It starts post-plane crash with Piggy (David McKenna), the asthmatic intellectual of the group, and elected leader Ralph (Winston Sawyers) sensibly suggesting plans for survival. However, without any grown-ups around most of the other youngsters are more interested in play fighting, teasing each other, showing off and having fun than building a shelter. Power-hungry Jack (Lox Pratt), despite his initially angelic appearance, preys on this, quickly learning that the more savage he becomes, the more he can control them.
There have been two, very different, cinematic versions of this 1954 classic (Peter Brook’s 1963 black and white film and Harry Hook’s contemporary version in 1990) but Adolescence writer Jack Thorne’s nuanced adaptation remains faithful to the original. Director Marc Munden gives the production a confident, cinematic quality and its young cast, most of whom are making their professional acting debuts, are astonishingly good. - Jane Rackham
Where to watch in the UK: BBC iPlayerWhere to watch in the US: N/ASmall Prophets
Michael and DIY store colleague Kacey (Lauren Patel) bond over their dislike of boss Gordon, a joyless jobsworth played by show writer Mackenzie Crook. And, despite the fact that his father Brian (Michael Palin) is in a care home, theirs is a close relationship (going sweetly against the grain of spiky father-son pairings on TV). Brian even thinks he can help Michael get answers about Clea. By mysterious, alchemical means...
Where to watch in the UK: BBC iPlayerWhere to watch in the US: N/A
At first glance, Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee’s new series - which sees a group of school friends from Northern Ireland reuniting decades after their glory days – feels like familiar ground. In fact, you could almost map each of the three leads onto a grown-up Derry Girl. Screenwriter Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher) has more than a hint of the try-hard Erin, bolshy Robyn (Sinéad Keenan) recalls the ruthless Michelle, and even quiet Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne) has some of the eccentricity of strange cousin Orla. There’s even a slightly useless English fella in the mix.
Similar (excellent) jokes and familiar faces (Keenan, Ardal O’Hanlon and Peter Campion) add to the sense of déjà vu. Still, there is one big difference – this is more mystery thriller than sitcom. Saoirse, Robyn and Dara are brought back together by a death, specifically the passing of their long-estranged fourth friend Greta (Natasha O’Keefe). They suspect foul play from her weird in-laws, but regular flashbacks of burning houses, strange symbols and acts of violence suggest this group might have some other old enemies looking for payback. It adds a touch of Bad Sisters-esque intrigue to McGee’s signature razor-sharp dialogue and gags. - Huw Fullerton
Where to watch in the UK: NetflixWhere to watch in the US: NetflixThe Night Agent season 3
View Green Video on the source websiteWhere to watch in the UK: NetflixWhere to watch in the US: Netflix
We all remember the story. When a dentist from Minnesota shot a celebrated African lion in 2015, it sparked a global outcry about trophy hunting. Amid the online fury, some suggested they’d rather see the dentist’s head on a wall. Cecil’s image, meanwhile, was projected on the Empire State Building.
Dr. Walter Palmer reportedly paid $50,000 for the chance to kill Cecil, who was lured outside the bounds of Zimbabwe’s Hwange nature reserve by an elephant carcass. Palmer used a bow and arrow to shoot from a hide in a nearby tree. “Cecil was delivered to him like a pizza,” says a local conservationist.
Where to watch in the UK: Channel 4Where to watch in the US: N/A
The Tony Blair Story
Right now, Sir Tony Blair’s reputation is at a low ebb. For many, he is still the slippery centrist who got us into the Iraq War, shifted Labour to the right, laid the ground for our current malaise, and has recently signed up to Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”. His defenders are thin on the ground.
He includes great nuggets here, like the fact Blair’s grandparents were travelling performers, and he has never once bought Cherie flowers. But the core of the programme is its vivid sketch of the young Blair, the seeds of greatness germinating behind that giant grin. - David Butcher
Where to watch in the UK: Channel 4Where to watch in the US: N/ADirty Business
Thewlis and Jason Watkins play the unlikely Oxfordshire duo - a former police detective and a biology professor - who notice that fish are dying in their local river and courageously launch their own campaign. What ensues is a belief-beggaring of failure, negligence and human tragedy - including an eight-year-old girl who died after contracting E coli from what her parents believe was illegally dumped human waste on a Devon beach.
Where to watch in the UK: Channel 4Where to watch in the US: N/A
On 13th March 1996 at Dunblane Primary School, as Ann Pearston later stated to the Labour Party conference with chilling clarity, one pistol fired 105 bullets, killing 17 and injuring 14 in just three minutes. Will Stone’s deeply moving documentary spends just enough time on the massacre itself to establish beyond doubt the trauma it imprinted on the community. The focal point, though, is the Snowdrop Campaign launched by Pearston and others, including the grieving parents, to secure legislation banning all handguns before the return of snowdrops the following year.
Where to watch in the UK: Channel 4Where to watch in the US: N/A
Scrubs
It's a good 20 years since the heyday of Scrubs, an American medical sitcom that won a committed army of fans - who still enthusiastically share clips and discuss favourite episodes online to this day - with its mix of regular comedy smarts, imaginative interludes and good old-fashioned schmaltz. So for the revival, the main characters can't just pick up where they left off: the new version is about people who are definitely older, if not much wiser. Now JD (Zach Braff) is an experienced enough doctor to mentor a new crop of juniors, just as he was once trained by the impossibly eccentric Dr Cox (John C McGinley) - but Dr Cox is still there, messing with JD's mind as before. Also rejoining is Donald Faison as JD's best pal Turk, with the two of them now trying to rekindle their best-pal shenanigans despite some of their antics being the province of much younger men. Plus there are returns for Sarah Chalke as Elliot and Judy Reyes as Carla. Jack Seale
Where to watch in the UK: Disney+Where to watch in the US: HuluAn Emmy nomination hints that the post-apocalyptic intrigue on offer here is a cut above average, and that's largely thanks to a strong lead performance from Sterling K Brown as Presidential security detail Xavier Collins. At the start of season one, the twist was that a city that seemed normal was in fact a vast underground bunker, constructed by the government as a shelter to be used after a catastrophic event. Since then we've learned what that event was, and who was responsible for the assassination that pitched Collins into a maelstrom of violence and suspicion. But in season two, the show has a new frontier to explore: Collins is going back to the surface to see if his wife - or indeed, anyone - is alive. - Jack Seale
Where to watch in the UK: Disney+Where to watch in the US: HuluYoung Sherlock
This series has all the hallmarks of a Guy Ritchie production – action, fistfights, deadpan gags – and plenty of deductions and red herrings to satisfy the mystery fans. There’s also a neat family connection, with Sherlock’s dad Silas played by Fiennes Tiffin’s real uncle Joseph Fiennes (his other uncle is Ralph Fiennes – quite a dynasty). It’s just a shame that relative newcomer Fiennes Tiffin seems more stilted than savvy as Sherlock, especially in contrast to the sharp, funny performance by Donal Finn as future nemesis Moriarty. - Huw Fullerton
Where to watch in the UK: Prime VideoWhere to watch in the US: Prime VideoCampus comedies have their own brand of waspish mischief, as exemplified by a sharp miniseries made by Sharon Horgan's production company and based on the hit novel by Julia May Jonas. Rachel Weisz is an unnamed literature professor at a liberal arts college who has always been the coolest teacher in her workplace, thanks to a cult novel she once wrote - but as middle age approaches she feels her academic and womanly powers waning. Step forward hot young colleague Vladimir (Leo Woodall), on whom all the professor's fantasies are about to be unleashed. As sexy chaos reigns, Weisz's constant breaking of the fourth wall means we're as guilty as she is. - Jack Seale
Where to watch in the UK: NetflixWhere to watch in the US: NetflixThe Capture season 3
View Green Video on the source websiteFortunately, former detective now acting head of counter terrorism Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) with the support of the charismatic Home Secretary and rising star Isaac Turner (Paapa Essiedu) is launching a smarter surveillance system capable of catching live deep fakes in action. A heart-stopping situation at Heathrow airport demonstrates that it’s working. Except then it all goes horribly, shockingly wrong.
Where to watch in the UK: BBC iPlayerWhere to watch in the US: N/A, seasons 1-2 on Peacock
Poverty, passion and power: Barbara Taylor Bradford’s rags to riches saga has it all so was a major success when it was published in 1979. The 1985 TV version (starring Jenny Seagrove and Deborah Kerr) was watched by over 13 million people.
The opening episode concentrates mainly on the relentless hardship, cruelty and misery young Emma endures. No wonder she’s taken in by the sweet words of young Edwin (Ewan Horrocks) who persuades her “we are the same” while we at home are indignantly screaming “no you’re not!” at the screen.
Where to watch in the UK: Channel 4Where to watch in the US: N/A
Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere
Marginal cultures may have once been his bread and butter, but as Louis Theroux highlights here, the fringe is no longer fringe. And such is the speed of change online that those whose noxious views you’d hope would be of niche interest are now galvanising millions. Such is the situation in the so-called manosphere where misogyny is being rebranded as salvation for the purpose - so Theroux suspects - of making money for a handful of savvy male influencers.
To test this theory, he makes the acquaintance of such now-globally recognised names as HStikkytokky (real name: Harrison Sullivan), Myron Gaines and Justin Waller to probe both their business models and psychologies. What he finds are guys with often troubled backstories, whose trauma has now morphed into anti-feminist messaging. But the image of wealth and power they project is, as we discover, illusory and out of reach for most followers. - David Brown
Where to watch in the UK: NetflixWhere to watch in the US: NetflixThe Other Bennet Sister
In comparison to the spirited Elizabeth (Poppy Gilbert) and shining Jane (Maddie Close), Mary is socially awkward and is described here by her overbearing mother (Ruth Jones) as both clumsy and ungainly. Her expected role at balls is not to dance reels, but to fetch drinks, the priority for Mrs B to marry off her daughters who dazzle rather than pay any attention to the one who appears austere.
Where to watch in the UK: BBC iPlayerWhere to watch in the US: Britbox from 6 May
Prepare to be floored by this elegiac film about a father-son bond that is abruptly torn apart. Norwegian documentary maker Gunnar Hall Jensen films his son Jonathan obsessively over 20 years, watching him grow from a baby to a boy – and then to a handsome young man with a “wild flow of energy” and a short temper.
Where to watch in the UK: BBC iPlayerWhere to watch in the US: N/A
LOL: Last One Laughing UK season 2
The “straight face” Olympics returns, with a whole new cast of comics (plus series one champion Bob Mortimer) locked in a room together and banned from laughing or even cracking a smile. It’s clearly torture for Alan Carr, who could barely get through an episode of Celebrity Traitors without dissolving into giggles and here looks like he’s on the cusp of collapse every time he’s onscreen.
Where to watch in the UK: Prime VideoWhere to watch in the US: Prime Video
This highly lauded medical procedural aired in the US over a year ago and now — having already won best drama at the Emmys and Golden Globes — finally arrives in the UK. With actor Noah Wyle front and centre and back in scrubs, it might appear like ER 2.0. But where that show thrived on the relationships between its doctors, The Pitt is more concerned with staff members’ relationships with the system they work inside.
He’s someone who, on the surface, appears battle-hardened, but it soon becomes clear that Robby is still feeling the aftershocks of the pandemic, his PTSD making its presence felt moments of fatigue and frustration. - David Brown
Where to watch in the UK: HBO MaxWhere to watch in the US: HBO MaxJo Nesbo's Detective Hole
View Green Video on the source websiteWhere to watch in the UK: NetflixWhere to watch in the US: Netflix
The risk with a project such as this is that it exploits a traumatic situation for entertainment or humanises Huw Edwards to the point where it feels like mitigation. Thankfully, the focus here is less on any remorse Edwards may have felt after his fall from grace and more on the controlling grip the former BBC newsreader — played with quiet menace by Martin Clunes — exerted over 17-year-old boy.
Where to watch in the UK: 5Where to watch in the US: N/A
Babies
In this six-part drama, writer Stefan Golaszewski painfully captures every moment of what can be a fraught and emotional journey to parenthood. Stephen (Paapa Essiedu) and Lisa (Siobhán Cullen) are happily married but keen to start a family. Stephen’s friend Dave (Jack Bannon) has a child by an earlier relationship, but has recently fallen for the composed and unemotional Amanda (Charlotte Riley).
Where to watch in the UK: BBC iPlayerWhere to watch in the US: N/A
Jon Hamm returns as the most Jon Hamm-y character ever conceived: Coop, a whisky-sippin’, womanising smoothie who is secretly so disillusioned with life in a super- privileged community of financiers and their wives, he’s taken to earning a living by breaking into his friends’ mansions and stealing from them. Now James Marsden arrives as Owen Ashe, a man whose confidence and wealth is a bit much, even for Coop and co: he’s certain to threaten Coop’s secret in some way, but initially we’re more concerned with Coop’s ex-wife Mel (Amanda Peet), the soul of the show, whose attempts to return to dating soon falter. As for Coop’s illicit new career, it’s not easy being a cat burglar when you’re 50 and you’ve got a bad back… - Jack Seale
Where to watch in the UK: Apple TVWhere to watch in the US: Apple TVMalcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair
As a result, seeing him flailing around on screen again (and showing off quite a lot of himself in a hair-raising, body-shaving scene) feels a little odd, albeit serving as a reminder that his comic powers are perhaps even greater than his dramatic abilities. Anyway, to the story. Twenty years on from the finale, we join a house divided. While Malcolm hasn’t quite achieved the fate foretold for him in the original series finale – becoming President of the United States – he’s managed to find a romantic partner and bring up a daughter, mostly because he’s finally cut off his “toxic” family for good. Or so he thinks, because it’s not long until his two worlds collide and poor old Malcolm has to deal with the usual calamities. - Huw Fullerton
Where to watch in the UK: Disney+Where to watch in the US: HuluAt the start Miriam says “I don’t want to be just a foul-mouthed, farty old lady because I know I’m more than that” but she’s as honest, outrageous, raucous and wickedly funny as we know her to be, whether she’s talking about her weight, her finances, death or her dodgy bladder.
However, she is also a terrific actress and a wonderfully warm person who is shocked by the love and adoration she gets from an audience. “In my early 80s, I’ve not only become disabled, but I’ve become more popular. I don’t know what to do about that!” I suggest you keep on doing what you’re doing, Miriam. - Jane Rackham
Where to watch in the UK: BBC iPlayerWhere to watch in the US: N/ABeef season 2
View Green Video on the source websiteBut their middle-class targets are also employees at the end of their tethers – and when the warring quartet collectively cross swords with people who have a lot more money, everyone plunges into a crisis that steadily, giddily escalates. - Jack Seale
Where to watch in the UK: NetflixWhere to watch in the US: NetflixCheck out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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