8 Unmissable 2026 TV Masterpieces You’ll Want to Binge Before Monday

With so much telly landing every single week – hundreds of shows, if you can actually stomach the stats – you’d be forgiven for throwing up your hands and resorting to reruns of Peep Show rather than sifting through the avalanche of 2026 releases. Honestly, I’ve seen enough bland mediocrity this year to last me a lifetime… but, amongst the dross, a handful of absolute gems have emerged. Below, I’ve picked out eight genuinely brilliant TV series from 2026 – all utterly bingeable, all worth your time, and a couple you’ll be telling everyone about long after the credits roll.

• 'His and Hers' (2026)
  If you’re hungry for a tight, twisty crime drama, His and Hers adapts Alice Feeney’s bestseller but makes things a bit sweatier by shifting the action from damp British suburbia to sticky Georgia heat. Imagine a Southern Gothic vibe glued to psychological suspense, with Tessa Thompson absolutely chewing up the screen. Six meaty episodes, so no risk of your weekend vanishing into a ten-part slog. Fans of Harlan Coben’s curveball plots should get on this sharpish.
• 'The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins' (2026)
  Now, this one surprised even me: a sports mockumentary straight out of the States with Tracy Morgan as the washed-up ex-footballer, Reggie Dinkins, trying for a very unlikely comeback. Morgan’s properly on fire here – equal parts hilarious and shamelessly earnest, which shouldn’t work, but does. Add Daniel Radcliffe, Erika Alexander, plus guest spots from Megan Thee Stallion and Craig Robinson, and you’ve never far to look for a good gag. Rotten Tomatoes has gone full marks for this, oddly enough – 100% – and, for once, it’s deserved.
• 'Ponies' (2026)
  Given the endless parade of serious-faced spy dramas we keep getting – yes, Slow Horses, I mean you – Ponies is a proper palette cleanser. Two secretaries lose their husbands behind the Iron Curtain, get drafted by the CIA, and end up in the thick of 1980s espionage largely surviving by being utterly ordinary. Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson absolutely nail the blend of accidental wit and genuine peril, and the show’s breezy pace keeps things lively without going daft.
• 'Girl Taken' (2026)
  Not one for a light evening, Girl Taken is a brutal, slow-burning story of a woman trying to rebuild after escaping her abductor. What sets it apart: no cheap twists, just a steadily mounting sense of dread and trauma. Alfie Allen is alarmingly convincing as the villain – a schoolteacher so odious and plausibly calm, you’ll find yourself cringing whenever he’s onscreen. It’s all done with restraint, which makes the darkness land even harder.
• 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' (2026)
  Sounds like tabloid bait, doesn’t it? A 20-year-old drops out of university, gets pregnant by her married lecturer, and, running out of cash, launches an OnlyFans side-gig with help from her estranged ex-wrestler dad. Somehow, it’s neither scandal-fodder nor sitcom farce: it’s sharply written, weirdly moving, and smart about its handling of sex, shame, and messy relationships. 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and universally well-reviewed – for once, internet consensus actually reflects quality.
• 'Wonder Man' (2026)
  Yes, we’re all suffering from superhero overload, but Wonder Man has somehow found a fresh angle: meta-comedy meets showbiz satire, following a super-powered bloke banned from acting unless he hides his powers. It skewers Hollywood’s nonsense while quietly digging into what it costs to repress your own identity. If you’re tired of rubber suits and world-ending stakes, give this a go.
• 'Run Away' (2026)
  Classic Harlan Coben territory, delivered via Netflix: a panicked dad tracks his addicted daughter through a maze of sordid secrets and thumping real-world pain. James Nesbitt anchors the whole thing, reminding everyone (again) why he’s telly royalty. What could be exploitative is handled thoughtfully: addiction, abuse, and fractured families all tackled with empathy, but still, plenty of nerve-shredding tension throughout. None of that overwrought pacing, either – just pure, gripping drama.
• 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' (2026)
  Westeros is back, and after all the fallout of Game of Thrones’ infamous ending, expectations were... let’s say, sky-high. Yet, somehow, this prequel absolutely nails it. Gone are the endless political chess games and overblown spectacle; you get tighter, character-driven plotting, and a genuinely warm dynamic between leads. Easily the best slice of fantasy TV in the last ten years, which is a sentence I wouldn’t have predicted writing after ‘Bran the Broken’ took the crown.