HBO revealed their projects lined up for 2026 – the ones already stirring up curiosity, side-eye, and maybe a little excitement. Think of it as the early gossip on what your screen will be arguing with you about next year.
There’s something oddly comforting about HBO dropping a future-shaping lineup, as if they’re leaning over the table to whisper, “Yes, we’ve been busy.” The 2026 slate isn’t just a list of shows, it feels more like a flex, the kind you make when you know everyone’s watching and you’re perfectly fine with that. From long-awaited returns to brand-new worlds that look suspiciously binge-worthy, they’re clearly aiming for another year of conversation-dominating TV.
And honestly, half the fun is imagining how these projects will hijack group chats months before they even premiere. HBO seems to know exactly what strings to pull: a little prestige, a little chaos, a couple of curveballs, and suddenly the calendar looks more exciting than it has any right to be. If this is their warm-up act for 2026, the rest of the year better keep up.
Euphoria, Season 3
The gritty, neon-lit world of Euphoria comes crashing back with its third chapter, promising more raw energy and emotional wreckage. Expect familiar faces, but also fresh chaos: new loves, darker secrets, and the sort of teenage breakdowns that hit you emotionally long after the screen goes black. The series has never shied away from extremes – intense visuals, loud feelings, and messy lives – and Season 3 looks ready to lean into all of it. With the cast reportedly older and the stakes higher, what was once teenage angst might screw up adulthood with full force. If you thought the last season left you reeling, buckle up: this one doesn’t promise healing, just more intensity.
Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Season 1
A brand-new fantasy from HBO vaults straight into the “seriously ambitious” category: think swords, politics, magical intrigue and a kingdom on the brink of collapse. Sounds like Game of Thrones to you? That's because it kind of is. The show is based on these novellas right here by George R. R. Martin and follows Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Aegon Targaryen. So expect betrayal, ancient curses, and power plays, all draped in cavernous castles and misty forests. The pilot reportedly invests heavily in world-building, with lavish sets, complex lore, and political scheming that doesn’t apologize for its own ambition. Whether this becomes the next fantasy binge or another “too much, too fast” casualty depends on how well the story balances spectacle with heart. If they nail that, viewers might find a new fictional obsession by the end of the first few episodes.
The Pitt, Season 2
After a first season that apparently stirred curiosity, The Pitt returns for round two, promising deeper dives into its gritty underworld and more moral fractures. The show as a blend of crime drama, family tension, and personal ruin uses the city as a character: streets heavy with history, decisions made in dimly lit rooms, and loyalties that shift like sand. Season 2 is rumored to lean further into those cracks: old debts resurface, alliances break, and innocence gets harder to hang onto. If you thought the first season was grim, the second promises to be something darker, more unforgiving, the kind that keeps you watching when you know you ought to walk away.
House of the Dragon, Season 3
Dragons, power struggles, royalty and betrayal – yes, that’s all coming back, with more fire in the wings (2026 is gonna be all Westeros, it seems!). Season 3 reportedly ramps up the political intrigue: old houses form shaky alliances, secret agendas unfold, and the cost of ambition becomes painfully clear. Expect new heirs, shifting loyalties, and the kind of whispered deals that change kingdoms. And when dragons are involved, silence rarely lasts long. The cast changes and new storylines suggest this could be the boldest turn yet for the prequel saga if it doesn’t collapse under its own weight. For fans of epic fantasy and sharp betrayals, this might be the kind of ride that claws under your skin.
Dune: The Prophecy, Season 2
Sci-fi grandeur meets destiny in this follow-up to Dune: The Prophecy, where the desert sands, political scheming, and interplanetary prophecy deepen into something darker and more urgent. From whispered alliances to brutal betrayals, Season 2 reportedly broadens the scope: new factions rise, secrets unravel, and what was once prophecy becomes a weapon. The show’s aesthetic with harsh landscapes, neon-lit corridors, and ominous rituals combines with layered moral complexity: who survives, who betrays, who becomes legend? For viewers craving cosmic stakes and philosophical weight wrapped in epic visuals, this could be the kind of sci-fi that makes you question loyalty, power, and humanity itself.
Hacks Season 4
There’s something oddly comforting about watching Deborah Vance pretend she’s in total control while her entire career keeps shifting underneath her. Season 4 builds on that fragile confidence, sending her into sharper material that sometimes lands brilliantly and sometimes blows up in her face. Ava, caught between admiration and self-preservation, ends up right back in the gravitational pull she swore she’d escaped. The show keeps its bite, but there’s a warmer current running through the arguments and reconciliations this time around. And every episode circles back to the uncomfortable truth that these two are at their best when they’re tormenting each other just enough to stay honest.
Half-Man Season 1
This one arrives with built-in curiosity purely because it comes from the creator of Baby Reindeer, and the DNA is unmistakable: raw humor, self-inflicted disasters, and a protagonist who can’t help poking the bruises life already gave him. The series follows a former child star trying to reclaim relevance in the least dignified ways possible, turning even small victories into fresh humiliations. What makes it work is how openly it leans into the absurdity of fame while still letting moments of sincerity sneak through. Every episode shifts between cringe comedy and emotional fallout, the kind that hits harder because he never fully admits how lost he is. And by the end of the season, the show makes you root for him despite yourself.
City of God: The Fight Rages On Season 2
Reentering this world feels like stepping into a neighborhood where danger never really sleeps, just changes hands. Season 2 deepens the rivalries and uneasy alliances left hanging before, letting power float between characters who barely manage to hold it. The story tracks how violence shapes lives long after the bullets stop, and the show treats those consequences with a weary kind of honesty. New leaders rise from unlikely corners, often out of desperation rather than ambition. The atmosphere is heavy but never empty, filled with the sense that every choice has a history attached. It keeps the tension tight without losing the humanity that made the original story resonate.
Lanterns Season 1
Instead of racing straight into cosmic spectacle, the series grounds itself in a partnership that’s half detective drama, half uneasy truce between two Green Lanterns who barely trust their own instincts. Their investigation unfolds slowly, giving the mystery room to build while the show slips in just enough sci-fi chaos to remind you who these characters are. Their dynamic is jagged but strangely endearing, marked by moments where competence gives way to doubt. As clues stack up, the case grows stranger and more unsettling, pushing them into choices neither feels ready for. And by the finale, the emotional cost matters just as much as the glowing-ring heroics.
Like Water for Chocolate Season 2
This season doubles down on the idea that emotions can take physical form, sometimes tender and sometimes volatile enough to ruin an entire evening. The family’s tangled loyalties tighten again, drawing characters into decisions they can’t undo and romances they can’t fully control. Magic slips into the everyday with the same casual ease as in the first season, shaping meals, memories, and arguments alike. What stands out is how the show balances longing with responsibility, letting tradition clash with desire without choosing sides. And in the quiet moments, it reminds you that miracles and heartbreak often come from the same place.