2026 has already delivered a very decent year for television, especially when it comes to the worlds of superheroes, comic books, gaming, and major franchises. We’ve had highly anticipated returns, brand-new shows, and a few surprises that have completely exceeded expectations.
As the year is closing out faster than I can comprehend, now feels like the perfect time to look back at what we’ve had so far and rank the shows that have impressed us the most. From the brutal world of The Boys and the return of Daredevil to journeys across the wasteland and a galaxy far, far away, competition for the top five has been incredibly strong.
So, based purely on what we’ve watched and enjoyed throughout the year, here are our top five shows of 2026 so far.
1. Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord
My absolute #1 pick for the year. I am not usually a fan of animated shows and much prefer live-action, so that alone should tell you just how fantastic I thought this show was. From the moment Maul protects Devon on the train to FINALLY going toe-to-toe with Darth Vader, Shadow Lord had absolutely everything. I was engrossed from the very first episode, and I genuinely don’t think any show was going to beat this for me.
A second season is coming in 2027, and I cannot wait to see what comes next. Shadow Lord once again proves just how incredible Maul is as a character, while Sam Witwer continues to do a fantastic job bringing him to life through his voice performance. When our Show of the Year vote comes around again in December, there isn’t even a question over where my vote is going. Shadow Lord will be my #1 pick.
2. Fallout – Season 2
Fallout is one of my all-time favourite franchises, and it’s not even close. I controversially have Fallout 4 as one of my all-time favourite games, and I absolutely love the lore and the world this franchise has created. The second season of Fallout delivered another strong outing and did exceptionally well, although I do believe the first season was slightly better.
The show continues to do so many things right. Season 2 had the monumental task of maintaining continuity while bringing the likes of Robert House, New Vegas, and so much more into the story, but it pulled it off incredibly well. Even watching the characters roam around locations that felt so familiar from the games was strange, but incredibly satisfying at the same time. There was never much doubt about this making my top five, and it’s an easy second choice for me.
3. Daredevil: Born Again – Season 2
If we’re talking about finales, Daredevil takes the cake. The ending to Season 2 was absolutely chaotic. Daredevil: Born Again has been a great show since being rebooted from the Netflix series, and Season 2 was no different, truly showing the lengths Fisk will go to in order to protect himself. There were some fantastic characters introduced (and killed) throughout the season, and I really liked the direction they went with here.
My only gripe is that this show is based in New York, yet there’s still been very little connection to the wider MCU, including Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It makes the story feel slightly flatter than it should when so much is happening within the same universe, despite how entertaining the season itself was. All in all, when judging it on its own, it was excellent. I can’t wait for Season 3.
4. The Boys – Season 5
People found a lot of flaws with the final season of The Boys, particularly Deep and Homelander’s deaths. I personally found both to be fitting conclusions for their characters. Deep being killed by his own kind and Homelander finally feeling vulnerable after believing himself to be untouchable came together beautifully. I thought the season had a lot of emotion, plenty of great moments, and an ending that I ultimately felt comfortable with.
I do understand the complaints surrounding the showrunners teasing Homelander going on a full-blown massacre, and I really wish we could’ve seen that too. It felt like something the show had been building towards, but even without it, I still believe the season finished strongly. The Boys goes down as one of my favourite television franchises of all time, and I was satisfied with how it eventually came to an end.
5. Lanterns
We’re only five episodes into Lanterns at the time of writing, and if it ended now, I’d be okay with that. Episode 5 genuinely felt like a finale, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by what I’ve seen so far. I feel like there’s been a lot to dig your teeth into whilst knowing there is still much more to come. The fact it’s already earned a place in my top five despite the season not even being finished says a lot.
James Gunn is proving that DC needed a reboot, and more importantly, this reboot is actually working. Lanterns goes to show that you don’t need fancy CGI suits or off-planet missions to make a Green Lantern story work. A grounded space-cop TV show with a Lantern ring can work just as well, and Lanterns has already proven exactly that.
