Sci-fi seems to be undergoing a bit of a renaissance at the moment. We had a bunch of fantastic shows, movies, and games last year, and that train is showing no signs of slowing down in 2026. Don't believe me? Check out our roundup of the upcoming sci-fi TV shows for 2026, and see what I mean.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was the headline act for January, and while the Hogwarts in space premise left a lot of Trekkies feeling apprehensive, we'll be damned if the show isn't starting to hit its stride. Looking forward, things are about to get very smashy, with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Invincible, and The Boys all getting new seasons over the next month or so.
Further on the horizon, there are a bunch of exciting shows with nebulous "TBA 2026" release dates that we're keeping a close eye on too (most of them coming from Apple TV, which has sneakily become the home of amazing sci-fi).
Oh, and we haven't forgotten the silver screen; check out our upcoming sci-fi movies for 2026 for the theatrical releases, too. Right, now let's dive in — here are all the upcoming sci-fi TV shows you need to be excited for in 2026.
Spider-Noir — May 25, 2026
Release date: May 25, 2026 | Cast: Nicolas Cage, Brendan Gleeson, Li Jun Li, Jack Hutson | Where to watch: MGM+ / Amazon Prime Video
The MCU is well-versed in the multiverse, and your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is one Marvel character that delicately straddles alternate timelines and realities. If you’ve seen the animated Spider-Verse, you’ll have already met Spider-Noir, a character in keeping with his name as a black-and-white Spidey, but now he's getting his own live-action show on Prime Video.
In Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Nicolas Cage voiced Noir, and he’ll be reprising that role, in person, in his very own spin-off. Not much is known about the plot beyond the synopsis; Spider-Noir is an aging and struggling private investigator who reminisces about his vigilantism as the only superhero in 1930s New York City.
With that said, if the pitch is Cage as a brooding Spider-Man with a Sin City-esque backdrop, then you can sign me up. The show will strangely debut on MGM+ before landing on Amazon Prime Video a few days later.
Star City — May 29, 2026
Release date: May 29, 2026 | Cast: Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin, Solly McLeod | Where to watch: Apple TV
Sci-fi mystery thriller For All Mankind has delighted fans with its tales of an alternative world. A world where the Soviet Union beat the US to the Moon, and the space race continues down the road of "what if," and ultimately, the repercussions of this twisted reality. While the show has been renewed for a fifth season, a spin-off series, Star City, has also been announced.
For Star City, the show will tell the stories of the cosmonauts, engineers, and intelligence officers serving in the Soviet space program at the home of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
In an official announcement, showrunners Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert said, "The more we learned about this secret city in the forests outside Moscow where the Soviet cosmonauts and engineers worked and lived, the more we wanted to tell this story of the other side of the space race."
Silo (Season 3) — July 3, 2026
Release date: July 3, 2026 | Cast: Rebecca Ferguson, Robert Sims, Tim Robbins, Harriet Walker | Where to watch: Apple TV
Sci-fi thriller Silo is based on Hugh Howey’s dystopian trilogy of novels, depicting a world where the last people on Earth live in a silo, hidden underground and away from the harmful substances of the Earth’s surface. Sort of like a grittier, more serious version of Fallout.
While most of the silo residents are happy to adhere to the rules, others begin to ponder what’s really being hidden from them. In pursuit of the truth, Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson), a silo engineer, embarks on a mission to uncover the truth, no matter how deadly it is. Season 2 concluded with Juliette returning back to her home Silo, only to get caught in a tense confrontation with Holland (Tim Robbins), which results in them both getting trapped in a burning airlock. Certainly a hot cliffhanger to finish on.
We also got a sneaky tease in the form of a flashback sequence, showing a man and woman discussing a dirty bomb attack. This was our first glimpse into the world before the apocalypse, and we're expecting to see more of this for season 3.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Season 4) — July 23, 2026
Release date: July 23, 2026 | Cast: Anson Mount, Christina Chong, Ethan Peck, Melissa Navia | Where to watch: Paramount+
The prequel series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, follows Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew on the USS Enterprise, and while season 3 only finished in September with an explosive finale, you’ll be pleased to know that season 4 has already wrapped production. Oh, and the show has already been renewed for a fifth and final season, too.
No stranger to unusual episodes, like the crossover animated episode with 'Lower Decks,' we’ve already seen a teaser for the new season, and it features Captain Pike as a puppet. How he turns into a puppet, that’s yet to be revealed.
We also got a first look at a clip of a more conventional episode at New York Comic Con. Season 4 will bring another ten episodes to look forward to as we approach the show's final frontier.
Lanterns — August 16, 2026
Release date: August 16, 2026 | Cast: Aaron Pierre, Kyle Chandler, Kelly Macdonald, Nathan Fillion | Where to watch: HBO Max
Some superheroes wear capes, and some… suffer from strained attempts at making it onto the big/small screens.
Green Lantern doesn’t have the best history when it comes to on-screen adaptations, but that hasn’t put the DCU off giving it another go. This time, though, while Green Lantern has usually appeared as a one-off member of the Green Lantern Corps, this time, we’re getting two.
Both Hal Jordan, the experienced Lantern of the pair, and John Stewart, the new recruit, are investigating a murder in Nebraska that leads them on the path of a much darker and sinister mystery. James Gunn has described it as similar to True Detective, but this time with space cops. I don’t know about you, but I really like the sound of that.
Vision Quest — October 14, 2026
Release date: October 14, 2026 | Cast: Paul Bettany, James Spader, Emily Hampshire, T’Nia Miller | Where to watch: Disney+
After the success of WandaVision and its rather open-to-interpretation ending, Marvel’s Vision is finally getting his own spin-off show. Whether we’ll see Wanda return as part of this next chapter, there’s been no word yet.
While Vision died in Avengers: Infinity War, the Wandavision show brought him back to life… twice… kinda. It's complicated, but the show ends with the antagonistic ‘White Vision’ regaining his memories before flying off to parts unknown.
James Spader and T'Nia Miller have been cast as Ultron and Jocasta, respectively, giving a little hint at where the Vision Quest plot may take us. And there’s huge potential for Vision to find his very own narrative, isolated for the first time for his own spin-off. Fans at New York Comic Con got an exclusive sneak peek at the show's first trailer, but the rest of us are still waiting.
3 Body Problem (Season 2) — TBA 2026
Release date: TBA, 2026 | Cast: Jovan Adepo, Eiza Gonazález, Jess Hong, Benedict Wong | Where to watch: Netflix
This thrilling sci-fi series, adapted from the trilogy book series by Cixin Liu, really made its mark on Netflix’s original content slate when it premiered in 2024. And, with a trilogy of books as source material, it’s no surprise that 3 Body Problem is coming back for season 2. Heading into production in July, it’s been reported that season 2 will also be shot back-to-back with the third and final season, so there’s plenty more to come.
Season 1 saw the San-Ti, an advanced extraterrestrial civilization, enacting their plans to colonise the Earth to escape their own unstable homeworld (which is caught in a trinary solar system). While their threat seemed imminent, as it turns out, the invasion fleet is actually 400 years away. But that hasn’t stopped our protagonists, the "Oxford Five," from preparing Earth to defend itself.
If you loved season 1, the show’s co-creators told Tudum: “The tone really changes once you get to the second season. It’s much bigger. Things get wilder, the conflicts get more cosmic.” There is no trailer for season 2 yet, but we'll keep you posted.
Blade Runner 2099 — TBA 2026
Release date: TBA, 2026 | Cast: Hunter Schafer, Michelle Yeoh | Where to watch: Netflix
A live-action sequel TV series to Blade Runner 2049 is coming to Amazon Prime, set 50 years after the movie, and aptly named Blade Runner 2099. In keeping with the rest of the franchise, the show will continue to follow the concept of the "blade runners" — humans who hunt bioengineered humanoids called "replicants".
Not much is known about the plot other than that, but Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) has been confirmed to play a replicant called Olwen, and Hunter Schafer (Euphoria) will co-star, although her character details have also been kept under wraps.
It’s definitely on the way, though, as filming for the six-episode mini-series wrapped in December 2024. We're excited to see more on this one later in 2026.
Neuromancer — TBA 2026
Release date: TBA 2026 | Cast: Callum Turner, Briana Middleton, Mark Strong, Peter Sarsgaard | Where to watch: Apple TV
Another epic, multi-award-winning sci-fi novel turning into a TV show is William Gibson's Neuromancer. The story follows Case, a washed-up but excellent hacker, who is hired to complete one last job. While Neuromancer has seen adaptations into a graphic novel, an '80s video game, and even an opera, Apple TV is finally bringing it to the small screen with a 10-episode run.
We won’t spoil the plot of the book, but Case’s investigation sees him clashing with a powerful AI, high-stakes crime, and a web of digital espionage alongside his partner/assassin, Molly.
Callum Turner (Masters of the Air) has been signed up as Case, and Briana Middleton as Molly, alongside other big casting announcements, including Mark Strong and Peter Sarsgaard.
