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• Look out One Piece - the biggest manga of 2026 might be Captain Underpants (and I don't think that's a bad thing) [Future Fest]

And everything happening this week for Future Fest!

Future Fest is officially upon us, loyal reader, that special event where your pals at Popverse cast our gaze into the murky depths of tomorrow to see what brightness awaits there (or winning lottery numbers, we'll take either). And while some of what we'll be covering gets pretty specific thanks to our bevy of pop culture experts writing on their favorite topics, we're also looking ahead to answer some bigger, broader questions about what's coming up next.

Questions, for example, like what will be the biggest TV shows of 2026?

With the admission that "biggest" is a relative term here (we're not going to try to predict the next show to rack up Squid Game views - that way lies madness), we've at least compiled a list of the shows that we think you'll be hearing about more than once around whatever water coolers you find yourself at in the coming months. So sit back and enjoy, fellow binge-watcher - there's plenty ahead to love.

Big 26 TV series - One Piece, season 2

We are long past the days when online One Piece fans were wondering (and even doubting) whether or not Netflix could pull of a live-action version of one of the most popular anime ever created. After a blisteringly successful season 1, we're fully confident in their abilities, and we think that once the show airs its sophomore season in 2026, that fact will be even more cemented in the heads of fans.

Unfortunately, we don't have an exact release date for Netflix's One Piece season 2, but we do know it will air sometime in 2026.

Big 26 TV series - VisionQuest

Usually, you'd think of a Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogy as happening on the big screen, but as Disney+ is likely to prove in 2026, it can very much be pulled off on TV as well. That is, if people take to the third chapter in the story begun with 2021's WandaVision - VisionQuest. After the success of the first show and the buzz created by the spinoff Agatha All Along, we have high hopes for a third series in the saga to reinvigorate the MCU's TV offerings.

VisionQuest debuts on Disney+ sometime in 2026 - again, we don't know the release date for sure.

Big 26 TV series - Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

With Star Trek: Lower Decks having wrapped and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds announcing that it's coming to a close, we've had a bit too much news regarding the end of shows set in Trekkies' favorite future. So we think that the beginning of an all-new one will get people tuning in in record numbers - a theory we're betting will be proven true when Star Trek: Starfleet Academy debuts next year. Set in the 32nd century, this show will be some of the farthest flung of far flung universes yet to appear in the Trek universe.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is currently without a release date (believe me, I'm annoyed too), but will premiere on Paramount+ in 2026.

Big 26 TV series - The Boys, season 5 

Beginnings aside, though, one of the biggest hits of 2026 will almost definitely be the explosive fifth and final season of Prime Video's R-rated superhero satire, The Boys. The saga that began with Jack Quaid's Hughie and Karl Urban's Butcher first teaming up to take on psychos like Homelander will at last wrap up when season 5 premieres next year, but don't worry - the show has already inspired three spinoffs, meaning you won't be without your supersickos for very long.

The Boys season 5 is expected on Amazon Prime Video in mid-2026.

Big 26 TV series - Lanterns 

Speaking of superheroes (the nice kind, though), next year will also see the next TV project set in the James Gunn-led DCU after Peacemaker season 2. That is, the True Detective-inspired Lanterns, which will follow Green Lanterns (and DC favorites) Hal Jordan and John Stewart into a cosmic mystery and deeper into the universe that began with TV's Creature Commandos. Very little is known about the series as of yet, though we do know Superman's own Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, will be making an appearance.

Lanterns is expected to stream on HBO Max in early 2026.

Big 26 TV series - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

In 2026, HBO is about to prove once again that the Game of Throne TV franchise is moving faster than George RR Martin is with yet another Westeros-set spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. As you'll know if you're a regular Popverse reader, this show is the second of its kind, with The House of the Dragon already reigniting popular interest in this particular fantasy world across two seasons. 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set to stream on HBO Max January 2026 (I know, an actual release date! Wish it was more specific, but hey, we'll take it.) 

Big 26 TV series - The Pitt, season 2

I'll confess that I may have been influenced by its success at the 2025 Emmy's, but if I were putting money on the biggest premiere of 2026, I'd say it is absolutely the second season of Noah Wyle-starring medical drama The Pitt. A breathtakingly-acted return to form for medical TV, The Pitt proved that you can have stakes in a show with no capes, no dragons, and no Dunes. If I were a smarter writer, I'm sure I'd come up with something about 'breathing life back into' a once-ubiquitous genre, but well, that's why they don't pay me doctor money.

The Pitt season 2 debuts on HBO Max January of 2026. That's a busy month, Max subscribers. 

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