We are 19 days into 2026, and if you’re looking for new shows to watch, there are a limited number of options. If you are looking for the best new shows to watch, there are already some that have racked up 90%+ scores from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
There are five options for you here, four returning series (one after a decade) and one new surprise. These are the shows we’ve seen arrive or return in 2026 so far with the top-tier of Rotten Tomatoes score:
The Pitt season 2 (HBO) – 99% – It is probably no great surprise that The Pitt is the number one series, given its blockbuster status and easy award wins for its star, Noah Wyle. Even then, a 99% across 74 critics is pretty stunning, and that’s actually above the also-amazing 95% for season 1. I’m not sure how many episodes critics have seen to rate it, likely not all 15, but so far, so good.
Industry season 4 (HBO) – 97% – Industry is going from HBO sleeper hit to one of its major offerings, with viewership increasing and sky-high scores. The last three seasons of the investment drama have a 96%, 98% and 97% for the just-arrived season 4, which had an incredibly Kit Harrington-led episode last night.
Ponies (Peacock) – 95% – This is the only brand new series on the list here, one starring The White Lotus’ Haley Lu Richardson and Game of Thrones Emilia Clarke, this being her biggest TV role since the somewhat traumatic ending of Thrones itself. The Cold War spy drama is a big critical hit for Peacock.
A Thousand Blows season 2 (Hulu/Disney Plus) – 93% – My guess is that few reading this may have heard of this series, a historical drama created by Steven Knight about a female crime family and bare-knuckle boxing in London in the 1880s. All episodes can be binged right now on Hulu/Disney Plus.
The Night Manager season 2 (Amazon) – 91% – After ten years and a half dozen appearances as Loki in the MCU, Tom Hiddleston is back with another season of his spy drama that no one ever thought would return. And it’s just as good as the original, it seems. Though worth a ten-year wait? I’m not sure anything is.
Is that not enough? Here are a few more that almost made the cut:
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
HBO
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO) – 88% – HBO’s new Game of Thrones spin-off barely missed the cutoff here, but last night’s premiere of the Westeros comedy based on George RR Martin’s novellas was hilarious.
Starfleet Academy
Paramount Plus
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (Paramount) – 87% – This series is already hugely controversial among Star Trek fans, with culture war fights sparked already, but critics like it quite a bit.
So, which of these will you try?
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