A multitude of great TV series have dropped this year, and now that we’re halfway through 2026, we can start to look at them retrospectively. From comedy horror to superhero animation, we have stayed fed when it comes to content. At Nerdist, we have plenty of strong opinions to go around, so we think these are the best TV shows that have come out this year so far, in no particular order.
Table of contents
Widow’s Bay
This year’s biggest Apple TV success was definitely this small-town comedy horror set on an island off the East Coast. The series follows the mayor of (you guessed it) Widow’s Bay, as he tries to gain respect from the townspeople and increase tourism. The place has plenty of haunting mythology, which the mayor refuses to believe… until he sees it himself.
Comedy and horror are certainly hard to combine, but this show does so masterfully. With lovable, slightly odd characters and disgustingly horrifying monsters, it really does try to do it all, and succeeds.
Widow’s Bay debuted in April this year, and since then, critics and fans alike have praised it. In June, before the premiere of the first season’s finale, Apple TV greenlit the renewal of the show for season 2. There will be plenty more laughs and screams to come, but Apple has yet to reveal the release date. We can’t wait for more of this easy best of 2026 TV contender.
Invincible (Season 4)
Based on a comic series containing 114 issues, Invincible has been Prime Video’s geekiest crown jewel since 2021, when season one dropped.
This adult animated series follows a young superhero as he struggles with morality, his complicated (to say the least) relationship with his father, and one potentially world-ending catastrophe after another. Mark Grayson (Invincible) always pulls through, and season 4 was yet another series of those events. It was packed full of the gory action and well-animated fight scenes the series is known for. That said, it also showcased the more emotional side of all of the characters involved.
Invincible has a season 5 on the way, and a season 6 renewal came to the show on June 24. Its popularity definitely gave Prime Video the confirmation it needed to proceed with two more seasons. That, and the comic series it is based on, is not even close to over.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
If we had to guess, George R. R. Martin is making crazy money this year. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was adapted from his novella, The Hedge Knight, published in 1999. The series follows Dunk, a knight, and his squire Egg. The two exist within the same world as Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, but the tone of their story is entirely different, focusing much less on royalty and more on the “little guy,” so to speak. According to our very own Michael Walsh, who reviewed the series, the vibe is much more “whimsical,” but it doesn’t take away from the high production value that fans know and love.
The season only had six episodes, each between 30 and 36 minutes long. Season 2 is expected to come out next year and will be based on Martin’s second novella, “The Sworn Sword.” The series’ director, Owen Harris, told Awards Buzz the next season will be more of a “road movie,” putting his own spin on the source material. We’re excited that this long-awaited Game of Thrones show made it onto our best TV of 2026 list.
The Boys (Season 5)
The Boys was popular from the beginning; however, this final season got more attention than ever.
The series is political and social satire disguised as a superhero show. It follows a group of ragtag revolutionaries as they attempt to stand up to what seems to be unyielding, absolute power of Vought and its bad supes. The fifth and final season of the show brought absolutely everything to a head (har har). Without significant spoilers, let’s just say most of the loose ends left from the first four seasons were tied up.
One Piece (Season 22)
If you’ve asked yourself how a show can possibly continue after 1,155 episodes, the answer is having a massive number of manga volumes the show is based on. As of March, the One Piece manga series has over 1,100 individual chapters. And boy, does the anime use the source material.
One Piece seasons have always varied in length, but none have been as short as this one with 12 episodes. One Piece season 5 was the closest in 2002, with only 13.
Season 22 follows the “Elbaph” story arc from the manga. In this storyline, the Straw Hat crew and the giants arrive in Elbaph, the Land of Giants. It focuses, too, on the Holy Knights of God and their plan to take over Elbaph
Monkey D. Luffy sails with his crew of Straw Hat Pirates through the Grand Line to find the treasure One Piece and become the new king of the pirates.
Since the series premiered in 1999, episodes have come out year-round. Now, the schedule has been changed so that only 26 episodes maximum are released each year. Netflix is also making its own The One Piece anime, which will debut in 2027.
One Piece (Season 2)
One Piece is incredible any way you slice it. And the live-action One Piece continues to do the impossible by being a perfect anime live-action adaptation. It’s a rarity for a series to be adapted with such naunce and depth, but Netflix’s One Piece live-action keeps all the heart of the original, but deftly evolves it into a whole new medium. The found family, earnestness, and true joy of the anime comes to beautiful life. And in season two of One Piece, the series even managed to introduce live-action Chopper and make him a believable, adorable part of the journey. Truly, one Netflix’s One Piece is one of the best TV series of 2026.
Wonder Man
Marvel’s TV series Wonder Man follows Simon Williams, a Hollywood star who gained his fame starring in a movie called Wonder Man. The series focuses on his relationship with fellow actor and comic relief character Trevor Slattery, who masqueraded as the Mandarin in Iron Man 3.
Wonder Man was a long-forgotten seventh Avenger who appeared in Marvel comics starting in the 1960s. Needless to say, this adaptation was long overdue. Even more niche Marvel heroes appeared in this show, such as Doorman, who appeared in the joke series Great Lakes Avengers.
Originally, his backstory included a deep hatred for Iron Man after Stark Industries beat out his family’s company, Williams Innovations. His involvement in the Avengers started merely as a way of getting back at Stark, but during his time there, his mind changed. Unfortunately, the show doesn’t delve into that story, but what is left is still a delightfully fresh take on the day-to-day life of a superhero.
The series has been renewed for a second season, but Marvel has not yet announced a set release date.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord
Another mature/adult animated series to top our best of 2026 TV series list is Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord. Expectedly, the series follows the fan-favorite Sith lord, Darth Maul. Identifiable by his double-bladed red lightsaber, Maul spends the show’s first season gathering his bearings, rebuilding his criminal empire, and plotting his revenge against Emperor Palpatine.
The series takes place about a year after the Clone Wars, during the Galactic Empire’s reign. While it is very action-heavy, there are certainly still emotional stakes for Maul. In an interview with StarWars.com, Lucasfilm president and Maul creator Dave Filoni said that the character is “relatable.”
He makes mistakes. He’s not perfect. He desires power, and then he gets toppled. That’s relatable. You know, we all probably feel like that when we have a low moment. He just doesn’t deal with it well. He keeps trying to attack his problems the same way. He can’t ever really let go of his hatred and his anger.
Though definitely more detailed and updated, the animation style is reminiscent of older animated Star Wars content, like Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Even ahead of season one’s debut, Maul was renewed for a second season. Disney has not revealed an official release date.
The Vampire Lestat
Five decades after its publication, Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles receives a fresh life on AMC, and we’re so glad. Interview With the Vampire deftly told its tale for two dense, delicious seasons, and now The Vampire Lestat continues the story with a whole new rock and roll energy.
This season, Lestat, played by the exceptional Sam Reid, shatters all your expectations about what you think you know about The Vampire Lestat. The series turns into a whole new kind of art piece, one that, like the diva himself, demands a lot from you. Reid delivers a performance that defies mortal ability, allowing Lestat to possess him, as he’s by turns tragic, hilarious, petty, cutting, devastated, and devastating. It’s a performance we feel lucky to witness. Did we mention The Vampire Lestat also has incredible original songs to set the scene? Fans absolutely adore the way the music underscores of all Lestat’s emotional states and muses. And in a fit of brilliance, Lestat even performed in concert in New York City this June.
Additionally, fans love that the queer elements baked into the original story are made overtly clear—not swept under the rug or written off. All hail, Lestat. Truly, if this were the only series on our best of 2026 TV list, we would not feel sad.
The Pitt (Season 2)
There is nothing people love more than a good medical drama. Grey’s Anatomy has run for 22 (soon to be 23) seasons, after all. But The Pitt is something unequivocally fresh and new. This HBO Max series is like Grey’s Anatomy—if it were much darker. It takes place at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, and it shows in great detail the emotional and physical struggle of healthcare workers and their patients. Noah Wyle stars as Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch, the center’s Chief of Emergency Medicine.
The show stays very current and realistic, dealing with real-life issues like ICE detainments and the inaccessibility of healthcare. It also portrayed violence against healthcare staff in a terrifyingly raw way.
The Pitt season one came out last year, becoming an instant hit, and even before the second season premiered, it had been renewed for a third, which can be expected to drop in early 2027. It’s no surprise this one makes it onto the best of 2026 TV series list.
Fallout (Season 2)
This apocalyptic sci-fi favorite show is based on a video game series by the same name. After a nuclear apocalypse rocked the world, humans retreated to underground bunkers, where they have lived for decades. Generations later, one “vault dweller” named Lucy, played by Ella Purnell, ventures onto the destroyed surface after her father was kidnapped.
The second season continued to develop Lucy’s story, as she encountered people and creatures on the surface and got closer to uncovering the inner workings of big bad corporations, Vault-Tec and The Enclave. Making its mark as a true best of 2026 TV series, Fallout continued to expertly combine heart, humor, tragedy, camp, and horror. It also confidently added to the video game canon while remaining true to everything that has come before it. Several difficult needles to thread, but Fallout season two threaded them.
The Prime Video series came out in 2024, with its second season dropping this year and a third coming soon. If you love the Fallout story and want to see more, Prime Video is coming out with a reality series based on the vault society aspect of the show, dropping contestants into a bunker environment where they will complete challenges and compete for a cash prize. Fallout Shelter has no set release date.
What TV Shows Will Arrive Next on Our Best of List?
We are only halfway through the year, and we already have such an extensive list of fantastic TV series. That said, there is much more to come. Elle, a prequel to the 2001 movie Legally Blonde, and Lanterns, focusing on notable Green Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan, are just two that we are already excited about. Hopefully, this list will continue to grow as the year goes on!
Originally published on June 26, 2026.