Apple TV is bringing many exciting stories to the screen, and these ten new and returning TV shows are ones you absolutely cannot miss. Although the streaming site started much later than others, Apple TV has quickly cemented its place as one of the best.
Not every show is a home run, but largely, the streamer puts out quality TV shows with complex stories and high production values. There’s something hopeful about a streamer that seems to care more about quality over quantity. Unfortunately, the streamer underpromotes its originals, so some of the best Apple TV shows fly under the radar.
These ten upcoming Apple TV shows are slated to be the best and most exciting projects that the streamer has to offer. If you love good TV, you won’t want to miss any of them.
Honorable mentions: Pluribus season 2, The Savant, The Stormlight Archive, Prodigies, Severance season 3, and For All Mankind season 6
10
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Release Date: April 15, 2026
In Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Margo, played by Elle Fanning, is a young woman who recently dropped out of college and has to find a way to support her baby. Inspired by her Hooters waitress mother and professional wrestler dad, Margo decides to start an OnlyFans to pay the bills.
This show, based on the titular book by Rufi Thorp, has been a highly anticipated 2026 release because of the book’s sharp humor and unconventional coming-of-age story. The author and production team also did extensive research into the experiences of OnlyFans models.
The closer it gets to the release, the more exciting it gets. The cast of Margo’s Got Money Troubles is stacked with A-listers, whose performances critics have praised. The trailer captures the same wit and playfulness of the book. All things considered, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is not a show you’ll want to miss.
9
Widow’s Bay
Release Date: April 29, 2026
Matthew Rhys in Apple TV Widow’s Bay
The horror-comedy Widow’s Bay centers on Tom Loftis, the mayor of the titular town, who tries to increase tourism, despite strange occurrences that suggest it might be haunted. Part of the reason to get excited about the Apple TV show is that there’s very little information about the story, past that one-sentence description.
The streamer has put out multiple 30-second teasers, but they’re extremely cryptic. Even in creator Katie Dippold’s interview with Polygon, she provided minimal details about the characters or the specific story. Instead, she confirmed that Widow’s Bay is inspired by Atlanta and Stephen King. Dippold confirmed that the series is funny but “also legitimately scary.”
The final aspect of Widow’s Bay that makes it a must-watch is Emmy-winning actor Matthew Rhys’s involvement. He is one of the best actors in Hollywood right now. Rhys has impeccable comedic timing, and he’s a master at playing vulnerable, ambiguous characters.
8
Star City
Release Date: May 29, 2026
A Star City first look image shows a woman standing in front of a group of SovietsCourtesy of Apple TV
For All Mankind is one of Apple TV’s flagship shows, and fans cannot get enough of the story. The show will return for a sixth and final season, but that won’t be the end of the franchise. Star City spinoff debuts this year, following the same story but from the Soviets’ perspective.
The upcoming series was already exciting based on the premise alone. Not many Hollywood shows or movies have explored the space race from the perspective of the Cosmonauts. The team did extensive research to ensure high accuracy on Star City.
The first teaser for Star City, released on March 25, makes the show look incredible. It’s dramatic, gritty, and packed with tension. There’s an eerie “Big Brother is watching” feeling to the teaser. If Star City matches the quality of that trailer, the Apple TV show is bound to succeed.
7
Cape Fear
Release Date: June 5, 2026
Javier Bardem as Max Cady in Apple TV Cape Fear
John D. MacDonald’s 1957 thriller The Executioners was adapted into the 1962 and 1991 Cape Fear films, both of which were extremely successful and well-received. Now the book is being adapted as a TV show as well. The series will follow a married couple named Sam and Anna Bowden, who become the victims of a deranged murderer with a personal connection to Sam Bowden.
In the past, filmmakers had to cut things out and condense the story to fit into a 2-hour runtime, but that won’t be an issue for the Apple TV series. The show will include 10 episodes, giving it more time to explore the events as well as the characters.
What’s more, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are co-executive producing the show. The powerhouse filmmakers have collaborated with one another in the past, and it almost always turns out well. Plus, they both have experience making phenomenal thrillers.
6
Lucky
Release Date: July 15, 2026
Anya Taylor-Joy has proven herself capable of commanding a TV show or movie over and over again, so there’s no reason to doubt that she will give the performance of a lifetime in her upcoming crime thriller TV show, Lucky.
Taylor-Joy will play the eponymous main character, who tries to pull off a multi-million-dollar heist. When everything goes wrong, Lucky must go on the run, trying to avoid both the FBI and a crime lord. The story sounds like a heart-racing, adrenaline-filled good time.
The series only gets more exciting when looking at the rest of the cast. Timothy Olyphant can handle virtually any role he’s given. Reese Witherspoon and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor are seasoned actors. Annette Bening is an absolute Hollywood legend. It would be difficult for any show to fail with all these individuals involved.
5
Ted Lasso Season 4
Release Date: Summer 2026
Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso looking shocked
Ted Lasso is the most famous Apple TV show of all time, and its season 4 return is highly anticipated. The fourth season was quite the surprise. Everything about Ted Lasso season 3’s ending prepared audiences to say goodbye to the beloved characters. However, Apple TV officially renewed the TV show in March 2025.
The streaming numbers for the Apple TV masterpiece absolutely warranted a fourth season, and star and co-creator Jason Sudeikis finally found a story that he liked enough to continue. This is such a joy for fans everywhere. Jason Sudeikis brings such relatability to Ted, making him one of the most enjoyable characters to watch on TV.
Ted is optimistic but not obnoxiously so. He’s kind. He’s driven and really loves what he does, even if he’s a fish out of water at times. The upcoming season will find Ted coaching a women’s soccer league, and we cannot wait to see how he handles the new challenge.
4
Dark Matter Season 2
Release Date Estimate: Summer 2026
Joel Edgerton Dark Matter
Apple TV has established itself as the ultimate go-to for original sci-fi content, and one of the incredible shows that they put out is Dark Matter. The multiversal story follows Professor Jason Dessen, who gets abducted and taken to an alternate version of his life. The first season follows his attempts to return home to his family and save them from himself.
Dark Matter season 1 followed the storyline of the book pretty closely, so the show didn’t necessarily have to have a second season. However, it was renewed by Apple TV. Author and showrunner Blake Crouch explained the choice, saying this in Apple TV’s press release:
“In the process of writing and filming season one, we discovered that there’s so much more story to tell, and we’ve only scratched the surface of these characters as they fight for survival and to find their way home through a landscape of mind-bending realities.”
The fact that Blake Crouch made the call and will continue as the showrunner should quell concerns about the show continuing past the book. Crouch is the person who knows the most about the Dark Matter characters and world, so there’s no reason to doubt his ability to continue a story that he created to begin with.
3
Neuromancer
Release Date Estimate: TBD 2026
If there’s one upcoming sci-fi show that nobody should skip, it’s Neuromancer. The story follows a disabled hacker named Case who gets hired by a mysterious employer to pull off a heist in the matrix, a digital cyberspace, with the help of a razorgirl named Molly. The hype surrounding Apple TV’s Neuromancer has been loud and continuous for a good reason.
The book is a foundational piece of sci-fi history that helped propel the cyberpunk genre into the public eye. Without Neuromancer, there would be no Matrix. The writing of Walter Jon Williams and Neal Stephenson would look different. We wouldn’t have the movie Hackers or the game Cyberpunk 2077.
Shockingly, over the past 42 years, it has never appeared on the big or small screen. The upcoming series is monumental, allowing a whole new audience to experience one of the stories that helped start the popular subgenre. Plus, Neuromancer is just a really incredible story.
2
12 12 12
Release Date Estimate: TBD 2026
Jamie Dornan in The FallMovieStillsDB
Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan are big-name actors who are teaming up for the second time in the heist crime show 12 12 12, which will follow a heist in Zurich. The show will feature the 12 months leading up to the heist, the 12 hours actually committing the heist, and the 12 days afterward.
Dornan will play the mastermind of the heist, and Mackie will play the disgraced FBI agent trying to catch him. Mackie’s FBI agent being disgraced will make it a fun foil of the honorable Sam Wilson/Falcon/Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Meanwhile, Dornan’s role in The Fall will make him the perfect antagonist.
Luckily, potential viewers won’t have to wait too much longer. 12 12 12 finished principal photography at the end of 2025, which means the show will likely come out this year.
1
Murderbot Season 2
Release Date Estimate: TBD 2026
Alexander Skarsgard as Murderbot with its helmet down and text reading “Hostile Subdued” in Murderbot season 1©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection
The Murderbot Diaries book series by Martha Wells was considered unadaptable for the longest time, but Apple TV brought the story to life in the most enjoyable way. Alexander Skarsgård perfectly embodies the Murderbot, the sarcastic security android (SecUnit) who loves soap operas, such as The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, and dislikes humans.
With its debut season, Murderbot became one of the best TV shows based on books in 2025. The series has a strong balance of sci-fi, action, and comedy. It understands what makes the books special and stays as faithful as possible. Luckily, Apple TV is bringing the show back for season 2, which is bound to be just as good as, if not better than, the first season.
The book series by Martha Wells is truly one that gets better with every book, instead of plateauing or declining in quality. As such, Murderbot season 2’s story will offer higher stakes and even more character development for our lovable SecUnit. Ultimately, Murderbot season 2 isn’t an Apple TV show that viewers should skip.