The Queue

We can’t wait to watch these movies and TV shows in 2026

A look ahead at the biggest TV premieres and movie releases slated for 2026.

Robert Pattinson and Zendaya star in "The Drama."

February 3, 2026

3 minutes to read

For me, the first couple of months of the year are typically spent catching up on the prior year’s movies and TV shows. Even after watching hundreds of hours of on-screen entertainment, there are still plenty of titles sitting on my watchlist.

But the bone-chilling days of winter are also a time to take stock of what’s to come. And while the recent Oscar nominations announcement still has me appreciating what 2025 had to offer, I’m also looking forward to everything coming down the entertainment pipeline.

This month, I published both a 2026 TV premiere dates list and a 2026 movie preview, with dozens of noteworthy titles on each. But in the interest of time, let’s boil it down to the three from each list that I’m most excited about.

Key 2026 TV premiere dates

“Paradise” Season 2 (Feb. 23, Hulu): Between “Silo,” “Fallout,” and this Hulu show, bunker dramas are having a moment, and I’m here for it.

Sterling K. Brown in the new season of “Paradise” on Hulu. – Anne Marie Fox

“Survivor 50” (Feb. 25, CBS): Boston native Charlie Davis, who finished second in Survivor 46, is back to vie for $1 million on the superstar 50th season of this long-running show, which features fan favorite castaways dating all the way back to Season 1.

“Jury Duty” Season 2 (March 20, Prime Video): While there’s no longer a jury, co-creators Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (a Needham native) have come up with another premise in which one man is placed in a sea of actors: A temp worker in his first week at a hot sauce company goes on a corporate retreat.

2026 movies to get excited about

“The Drama” (April 3): Robert Pattinson and Zendaya play a soon-to-be-married couple whose plans are thrown into disarray when one learns a terrible secret about the other. The production turned heads when it filmed around the Boston area in 2024, both for young fans of the leading heartthrobs and the increasingly-not-young cinephiles (me) who spotted the film’s co-stars, Alana Haim and Mamoudou Athie, at the Somerville Theatre that same week.

“Disclosure Day” (June 12): Other than the short teaser released late in 2025, not much is known about “Disclosure Day,” other than that it is an alien film both directed by and based on a story by Steven Spielberg starring Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor. After “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “E.T.,” and “The War of the Worlds,” what else do you need to know?

“The Odyssey” (July 17): After the massive scope of his Oscar-winning biopic “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan decided to scale back a bit by adapting the most epic tale in the history of written language. Matt Damon plays King Odysseus, who must fend off enemies on his journey home to his beloved Penelope (Anne Hathaway), who is fending off fiends of her own.

Play or Skip

Have a show you can’t stop watching? Email me about it at [email protected], and your recommendation may appear in a future edition of The Queue.

Press play on these movies and shows:

“If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You” (2025): One of my favorite movies of 2025, Rose Byrne (who is coming to Cambridge in February for Hasty Pudding’s Woman of the Year ceremony) deserves all the awards love she’s been given for playing an overworked mother losing touch with reality while caring for her chronically ill daughter. Conan O’Brien is also surprisingly good in a rare dramatic turn as her therapist. (HBO Max)

Conan O'Brien as Linda's therapist and Rose Byrne as Linda in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” — Conan O’Brien as Linda’s therapist and Rose Byrne as Linda in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.”

“Secret Mall Apartment” (2024): This documentary, about a group of artists who secretly lived inside of the Providence Place Mall, was mostly a film festival curiosity until arriving on Netflix, where it has become a well-deserved hit. Come for the anti-capitalist performance art, stay for the archival footage of Buddy Cianci. (Netflix)

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” (2026): The latest story from the mind of George R.R. Martin is so distinctly different from “Game of Thrones” it almost feels like a different genre entirely. But telling a small story (six, 30-minute episodes) in the epic world of Westeros turns out to be a strength. No magic? No dragons? No problem! (HBO Max)

But go ahead and skip this one:

“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” (2025): I already shared at length in my review why this biopic of The Boss didn’t connect with me, despite Jeremy Allen White’s committed performance. But for those of you who love everything about Bruce, the film is now widely available. (Hulu)

End Credits

That’s a wrap on this edition of The Queue. If you’re a fan, please consider recommending this newsletter to your friends.

Until next time, good stream hunting, everyone!

— Kevin

Kevin Slane

Staff Writer

Kevin Slane is a staff writer for Boston.com covering entertainment and culture. His work focuses on movie reviews, streaming guides, celebrities, and things to do in Boston.

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We can’t wait to watch these movies and TV shows in 2026