--- title: "The Best TV Shows of 2026 So Far" description: "The best TV shows of Jan–July 2026, ranked by Celluloid Score — The Vampire Lestat, Widow's Bay, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Star City — cross-checked against Variety, BBC Culture, Rotten Tomatoes and Netflix's most-watched report. Updated July 22, 2026." url: "https://celluloidscore.com/news/best-tv-shows-2026-so-far/" category: "Roundup" author: "Kaiser Khan" date_published: "2026-07-22" date_modified: "2026-07-24" source: "Celluloid" --- # The Best TV Shows of 2026 So Far The best TV shows of Jan–July 2026, ranked by Celluloid Score — The Vampire Lestat, Widow's Bay, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Star City — cross-checked against Variety, BBC Culture, Rotten Tomatoes and Netflix's most-watched report. Updated July 22, 2026. **2026's television midyear now has a clear leader: [*The Vampire Lestat*](/shows/the-vampire-lestat/).** AMC's rebranded Anne Rice continuation tops our 2026 premiere chart at 88% Celluloid — the highest-rated new show on Rotten Tomatoes' midyear list (98% Tomatometer) and a fixture of both Variety critics' top-10s. It edges out the spring leader [*Widow's Bay*](/shows/widows-bay/) (87%), with HBO's Westeros charmer [*A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms*](/shows/a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms/) close behind. This Guide is cross-checked against Variety's midyear picks, BBC Culture's top 10, Rotten Tomatoes' best-of-2026 board, and Netflix's What We Watched report. Pair it with the live **[Best of 2026 hub](/best/2026/#top-tv)** for scores that update as aggregates settle. ## What is the best TV show of 2026 so far? **[*The Vampire Lestat*](/shows/the-vampire-lestat/)** — Sam Reid's Lestat drags his centuries of damage on a rock tour, with Jennifer Ehle as his mother-turned-fledgling Gabrielle. 98% Tomatometer, Metascore 90, and the rare gothic melodrama critics and audiences agree on (88% Celluloid). If you want the consensus 2026 premiere, start here tonight. ## Ranked: 2026 premieres on Celluloid 1. **[*The Vampire Lestat*](/shows/the-vampire-lestat/)** — AMC+ · United States · Horror / Romance · ongoing The Interview with the Vampire reinvention critics call 2026's best new season — original songs included. 2. **[*Widow's Bay*](/shows/widows-bay/)** — Apple TV+ · United States · Comedy / Horror · ongoing Katie Dippold + Matthew Rhys: civic boosterism vs a literal curse. [My review](/reviews/widows-bay-review/). 3. **[*Margo's Got Money Troubles*](/shows/margos-got-money-troubles/)** — Apple TV+ · United States · Comedy / Drama · ongoing Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer in the Rufi Thorpe adaptation. [Review](/reviews/margos-got-money-troubles-review/). 4. **[*How to Get to Heaven from Belfast*](/shows/how-to-get-to-heaven-from-belfast/)** — Netflix · United Kingdom · Comedy / Thriller · ended Lisa McGee's post-*Derry Girls* caper — BBC Culture's #2 show of the year. [Review](/reviews/how-to-get-to-heaven-from-belfast-review/). 5. **[*A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms*](/shows/a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms/)** — HBO Max · United States · Fantasy · ongoing Dunk and Egg make Westeros fun again — shorter, lighter, and already renewed. 6. **[*Teach You a Lesson*](/shows/teach-you-a-lesson/)** — Netflix · South Korea · Action / Drama · ended The anti-bullying K-drama that punched into Netflix's global top 10 with 48M views. 7. **[*The Testaments*](/shows/the-testaments/)** — Hulu · United States · Drama · ongoing The Handmaid's Tale sequel finds a coming-of-age register inside Gilead, with Ann Dowd's Aunt Lydia back. 8. **[*Star City*](/shows/star-city/)** — Apple TV+ · United States · Drama / Sci-Fi · ongoing The For All Mankind spinoff goes behind the Iron Curtain — a 97% Tomatometer paranoid thriller. 9. **[*Bait*](/shows/bait/)** — Prime Video · United Kingdom · Comedy / Satire · ended Riz Ahmed as an actor caught in a James Bond casting firestorm — the year's sharpest industry satire. 10. **[*Jury Duty: Company Retreat*](/shows/jury-duty-company-retreat/)** — Prime Video · United States · Comedy · ended The hoax sitcom pulls it off twice — one real hire, a fake hot-sauce company, total sincerity. Also scored from the midyear lists: [*The House of the Spirits*](/shows/the-house-of-the-spirits/) (Chile's Allende epic), [*Lord of the Flies*](/shows/lord-of-the-flies-2026/) ([review](/reviews/lord-of-the-flies-2026-review/)), [*Young Sherlock*](/shows/young-sherlock/), [*Half Man*](/shows/half-man/) (Richard Gadd's return), [*The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins*](/shows/the-fall-and-rise-of-reggie-dinkins/), [*DTF St. Louis*](/shows/dtf-st-louis/), [*Rooster*](/shows/rooster/) (Steve Carell × Bill Lawrence), [*The 'Burbs*](/shows/the-burbs/), [*The Beauty*](/shows/the-beauty/) (Ryan Murphy body horror), and HBO's feud docuseries [*Neighbors*](/shows/neighbors-2026/). **The K-drama wave runs deeper than Netflix's charts.** [*The Scarecrow*](/shows/the-scarecrow-2026/) (80%) is the year's most bracing Korean thriller — Park Hae-soo in a Hwaseong-inspired procedural ([review](/reviews/the-scarecrow-2026-review/)); the Hong sisters' [*Can This Love Be Translated?*](/shows/can-this-love-be-translated/) (80%) pairs Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung ([review](/reviews/can-this-love-be-translated-review/)); and [*Perfect Crown*](/shows/perfect-crown/) was Korea's broadcast phenomenon of the spring ([review](/reviews/perfect-crown-review/)). The 2025 holdover towering over all of them: [*When Life Gives You Tangerines*](/shows/when-life-gives-you-tangerines/) (93% — [review](/reviews/when-life-gives-you-tangerines-review/)), IU and Park Bo-gum's Jeju-set generational epic. ## The returning seasons dominating 2026 Not premieres, but this year's runs earned their spots on every critics' list: - **[*Industry*](/shows/industry/)** (HBO Max) — Season 4 is BBC Culture's #1 show of 2026; a maximalist reinvention headed into a final season. - **[*The Comeback*](/shows/the-comeback/)** (HBO Max) — Valerie Cherish returns after a decade to star in an AI-written sitcom. 97% Tomatometer. - **[*Rivals*](/shows/rivals/)** (Hulu) — Jilly Cooper's Rutshire soap, back at 97% for Season 2. - **[*The Night Manager*](/shows/the-night-manager/)** (Prime Video) — Hiddleston's Pine resurfaces after ten years, worth the wait. - **[*The Pitt*](/shows/the-pitt/)** (HBO Max) — the Emmy-swept medical drama's Season 2 somehow exceeded it. Still our top-scored current show. - **[*Your Friends & Neighbors*](/shows/your-friends-and-neighbors/)** (Apple TV+) — Jon Hamm's larcenous Coop meets a billionaire foil in James Marsden. ## What the world actually watched Netflix's H1 report is a different lens — reach, not reviews. The most-watched shows of 2026 so far: [*HIS & HERS*](/shows/his-and-hers/) (104M views, Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal solving the same murder from opposite sides), [*Bridgerton*](/shows/bridgerton/) Season 4 (100M), [*I Will Find You*](/shows/i-will-find-you/) and [*Run Away*](/shows/run-away/) (the twin Harlan Coben engines), [*Teach You a Lesson*](/shows/teach-you-a-lesson/) — the critical and commercial overlap of the year — [*ONE PIECE*](/shows/one-piece/) Season 2, [*Man on Fire*](/shows/man-on-fire/), [*Ms. Rachel*](/shows/ms-rachel/), and [*The Night Agent*](/shows/the-night-agent/) Season 3. Popularity and quality only partly overlap: the Cobens hover in the 60s on Celluloid while Teach You a Lesson clears 83%. ## Still essential: 2025 holdovers people still ask for - **[*Adolescence*](/shows/adolescence/)** (United Kingdom · Netflix) — near-perfect critic lock - **[*The Pitt*](/shows/the-pitt/)** (United States · HBO Max) — see above; the bar every 2026 drama gets measured against ## Biggest 2026 premiere still ahead: HBO’s Harry Potter **HBO’s [*Harry Potter*](/shows/harry-potter-hbo/) arrives Christmas Day 2026** — eight episodes, a new trio (Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, Alastair Stout), and John Lithgow as Dumbledore. It is not ranked above because it has not aired; Celluloid Scores land after reviews lock. Cast, date, and movie vs series differences: [HBO Harry Potter series guide](/news/hbo-harry-potter-series-guide/). Rewatch the films first with our [Harry Potter watch order](/news/harry-potter-watch-order/). ## FAQ ### What are the best new TV shows of 2026? **[*The Vampire Lestat*](/shows/the-vampire-lestat/), [*Widow's Bay*](/shows/widows-bay/), and [*A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms*](/shows/a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms/)** lead our 2026 premiere chart, with [*Teach You a Lesson*](/shows/teach-you-a-lesson/) the top non-English entry. All 25+ scored 2026 premieres are ranked at [/best/2026/](/best/2026/#top-tv). ### Where should I start tonight? **Start with [*The Vampire Lestat*](/shows/the-vampire-lestat/)** for the consensus pick. Prefer comedy? [*Widow's Bay*](/shows/widows-bay/) or [*Bait*](/shows/bait/). Fantasy? [*A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms*](/shows/a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms/). A one-sitting thriller? [*HIS & HERS*](/shows/his-and-hers/). ### Are there more 2026 shows coming to Celluloid? **Yes — including HBO’s [*Harry Potter*](/shows/harry-potter-hbo/) on 25 December 2026.** We score series as critic aggregates stabilize — the same publish discipline as theatrical films. Check [/shows/](/shows/) and [Movie News](/news/) for additions. --- Canonical HTML: https://celluloidscore.com/news/best-tv-shows-2026-so-far/ Last modified: 2026-07-24