Summer may be the big season for movies, but not all the fun happens in the theaters. This year, especially, streamers are releasing some major titles over the course of the summer months, including the return of some of the most beloved shows currently airing. But that’s not all: traditionally, back in broadcast’s heyday, summer was the time for experimental and risky shows to take prime-time slots before the fall, and that tradition has carried on into the streaming era.
From new adaptations, creative retools, experimental franchise expansions, and original stories, there’s a lot to look forward to in the coming months. Here are 10 upcoming shows to save the date for, including some returns we’ve waited on for years.
The Boroughs
The Duffer Brothers may be done with Stranger Things, but now they’re in their producing era. Previously, they released Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, the chilling wedding horror series, and now they’re about to release The Boroughs, a supernatural thriller set within a retirement community. Much like Stranger Things, this series follows an ensemble cast including Geena Davis, Bill Pullman, Alfred Molina, and Alfre Woodard. Could this be Netflix’s next big sci-fi success? It certainly has all the right ingredients.
Release Date: May 21, 2026, on Netflix.
Spider-Noir
Nicolas Cage captured the hearts of audiences when he lent his signature voice to the Spider-Verse trilogy as Spider-Noir, a variant of Spider-Man who earns his crust as a hard-boiled detective. Then, Amazon gave Ben Reilly his own series and, much to fans’ surprise, it was revealed to be a live-action show, allowing Cage to use the over-the-top gesture work he’s now known for.
Prime Video is going the extra mile with the release of this series: while it will be available in black and white, like the original Ben Reilly character, a full-color version will also be available to watch.
Release Date: May 27, 2026, on Prime Video.
The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4
Critical Role smashed Kickstarter records with an effort to raise funds for an animated series adaptation of their actual-play Dungeons and Dragons livestreamed campaign. Now, that project has turned into a franchise, with The Legend of Vox Machina, the first campaign, now on its fourth season, while the second campaign, The Mighty Nein, is on Season 2.
This season spells the beginning of the end for this campaign, however. The Legend of Vox Machina has been renewed for a fifth and final season, so this is just the start to an epic conclusion.
Release Date: June 3, 2026, on Prime Video.
Cape Fear
Martin Scorsese’s classic 1991 movie, itself a remake of a previous film, is reimagined for the modern day in this streaming series starring Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson, and Javier Bardem as the devious Max Cady, played by Robert Mitchum in the 1962 film and Robert De Niro in the 1991 remake. A remake of a remake may seem prone to deviate from the original story, but it actually cites the original source material, John D. MacDonald’s book The Executioners. With Steven Spielberg and Scorsese himself on board as executive producers, this may be one of the most cinematic series of the year.
Release Date: June 5, 2026, on Apple TV.
The Vampire Lestat
Interview with the Vampire has adapted Anne Rice’s series of vampire fiction into two seasons of sultry, intriguing television. But with Season 3, the show is changing up a lot, from the setting to the title itself. Interview with the Vampire is now The Vampire Lestat, focusing on Lestat Lioncourt (Sam Reid) as he takes on a new rock star persona.
It’s a soft reboot for the series, but judging by the voracious fan response, this is what countless viewers have been waiting for.
Release Date: June 7, 2026, on AMC and AMC+.
Sugar Season 2
Sugar is an odd duck of a TV show. Apple TV’s neo-noir mystery show starred Colin Farrell as your typical private investigator protagonist. Those usually have their fair share of secrets, but Sugar took it one step further by revealing that its title character is actually a blue-skinned alien. That’s not genre-bending, that’s genre-breaking. The real question is how much this sci-fi element will lend itself to Season 2. Will we see more alien exposition, or is this just an extraterrestrial non sequitur?
Release Date: June 19, 2026, on Apple TV.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2
Netflix’s streak of lackluster live-action remakes seemed to be broken by Avatar: The Last Airbender, an adaptation of the hit Nickelodeon fantasy series. Now, Aang, Katara, and Sokka are back with a new batch of adventures that will bring them face to face with fan-favorite character Toph, played by Miya Cech. Sure, these actors may have grown a bit since Season 1 in 2024, but that’s just an occupational hazard when animation comes into live action. You can replicate a lot with special effects but there’s no halting time.
Release Date: June 25, 2026, on Netflix.
House of the Dragon Season 3
House of the Dragon was the first Game of Thrones spinoff back in 2022, and since then, it has expanded the franchise just as the franchise has expanded around it. In the upcoming third season, the story has quite a tall task ahead of it: Season 2 left off right before the Battle of the Gullet, one of the most deadly battles in the Dance of Dragons. With only one more season after this one, expect the heat to be turned up even more.
Release Date: June 2026 on HBO.
Silo Season 3
Apple TV has become the home for the most hardcore sci-fi shows, and one of its best is Silo, based on the books by Hugh Howey. So far in the show, we’ve seen the community of people who live underground in a massive silo to hide out from an apocalypse, but we don’t actually know what actually caused the apocalypse in the first place. What’s more, none of the silo dwellers seem to know either.
But in Season 3, the action will be split between the post-apocalyptic present and the distant past, as we watch a congressman and a journalist do what they can to avoid doom.
Release Date: July 3, 2026, on Apple TV.
Lanterns
Under the careful hand of James Gunn, the DC Universe has tried a few new things, including a prestige-y miniseries about The Penguin and Peacemaker going absolutely buck-wild in Season 2. But one of its most creative ideas so far is Lanterns, a take on the classic Green Lantern story that folds in influences from one of HBO’s most esteemed shows, True Detective. But how will the space cops blend with a human mystery? It certainly will be interesting to see.
Release Date: August 2026 on HBO.
