Food for the Soul: New and Returning Shows 2026 – Food for the Soul by Nina Heyn

By Nina Heyn

The start of the year is the time for some interesting shows to be launched or the successful ones to premiere new seasons. I took a look at some of them, on the condition that they be cinematically ambitious (script, filmmakers, production values, casting, costume and production design, etc.) and that they provide some interesting plot settings or action. Over to you to judge these selections.

NEW SHOWS

AMADEUS (Mini-series, premiered in Dec. 2025, only in the UK so far)

If you remember Milos Forman’s exquisite Amadeus movie (a winner of eight Oscars in 1984), this is a series based on the same literary material of Peter Shaffer’s 1979 play. The series is faithful to Shaffer’s narrative of a duel between the only two people who can actually appreciate music—Mozart and his frenemy Antonio Salieri. A composer and courtier, Salieri does his damnedest to sink the young Mozart’s career, all the while pretending to be a supporter, albeit writhing in jealousy and with full knowledge that Mozart is the genius that he will never be. Paul Bettany (Avengers) stars as Salieri, Rory Kinnear (the Bond movies and The Diplomat) is Emperor Joseph, and Will Sharpe (White Lotus) embodies the enfant terrible of Mozart. No brownie points for guessing whose music underlies the narrative.

BOOKISH (UK; 2025-)

Mark Gatiss (who starred as Mycroft in the Sherlock Holmes series) and Polly Walker (Rome series) are the unconventional amateur detectives in this new series set in 1946 London. Food is scarce, the city is pockmarked with bomb sites, and Gabriel Book, a bookseller and a detective with some mysterious WWII past, is busy solving complex crimes. As “cosy mysteries” go, this one is decidedly bookish (pun intended), with meticulously designed period décor and costumes, and it is much less formulaic than your typical English village mystery. A second season is already in the works.

A KNIGHT of the SEVEN KINGDOMS (2026-; 1 season)

For all the fans of the Game of Thrones world who would like to stay in the universe of Westeros, here is a clever prequel show, much lighter in tone than the relentlessly violent GoT and the House of the Dragon series. Wannabe knight Ser Dunk tries to enter a tournament, except that he has a borrowed horse, no armor, a secondhand shield, and his squire is a small cute boy called Egg due to his bald shaved head. Egg is wise beyond his eight or ten years, sweet and tough at the same time, with a curious self-confidence and an even more mysterious attachment to his amateur knight. Early in the show, there is a plot twist that explains some things about this strange boy, but until then, his disillusioned banter with his master is a source of good laughs. This show has the irreverent spirit of the Deadpool movies and seems to be catching on with fans of the medieval fantasy genre.

ÉTOILE (2025; 1 season only)

Sadly, this show has only eight episodes, having been canceled in the wake of Jennifer Salke’s departure from Amazon Studios. If you are a fan of ballet or, even more so, of the Call My Agent! show (both the French and UK versions), this tale of two ballet theaters is for you. New York’s Metropolitan Ballet Theater (a not-so-subtle reference to the ABT) and Paris National Ballet (again, a fictional version of the real Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris) decide to exchange their talent to revive audience interest in both cities. Because both the exchanged stars and their bosses are temperamental and unpredictable beyond measure, sparks fly and diva dramas abound. Shot on location in New York and Paris, the show has incredibly rich production values, great moments of ballet performances, and the acting virtuosity of Charlotte Gainsbourg, Luke Kirby, and Lou de Laâge. Simon Callow as a ruthless billionaire sponsor provides additional spice to the story.

RETURNING SHOWS

VIENNA BLOOD (Austria and UK; Season 4)

In the fourth installment, the show has not lost any of its charisma as a great insight into the world of the 1900s. It’s the eve of WWI, with the end of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the Great War looming heavily over the population of Vienna. The protagonists continue to be Max—a student of Freud and now the head of the psychiatric department at a leading hospital—and Oskar Reinhardt, a brilliant police detective whose humble social origins are a source of contempt for his aristocratic and powerful superiors. Together, Max and Oskar have to stop a killer whose actions could lead to a start of the war, and with the stakes so high, both investigators are in mortal danger. The show was shot on location in Vienna, with landmark views of palaces and the cathedral; the costumes and set design are works of art.

THE NIGHT MANAGER (UK, revival after 10 years hiatus)

Tom Hiddleston is returning to the iconic role of the hotelier turned British spy that he embodied in the first season in the 2016 series. This time, his role of Jonathan Pine, the undercover MI6 agent, makes him take on Colombian arms dealers while he is chasing his old enemy. The stellar cast includes Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman with the addition of newcomers Camila Morrone and Diego Calva. Season 3 has already been announced. Until the new Bond movie is cast, this is the substitute for the fans of the suave British spy genre.

THE PITT (U.S.; Season 2)

One of the most awaited second seasons, the show, dubbed “the most realistic medical show ever,” does not disappoint. Medical mysteries abound, the tension of gruesome emergencies is intertwined with funny or tender moments, and the hard work of all medical personnel is highlighted in every scene. Most major members of the cast return, with some new additions, and they are all led by the “Dr. Robbie” character, embodied with compassion and poise by Noah Wylie.

HIJACK (UK, 2023-; Season 2)

The first season of the show had English star Idris Elba in the role of Sam Nelson, a negotiator who finds himself on a hijacked plane that is heading for London. The show’s creators decided to up the game in Season 2 by having Nelson on a metro train that is hurtling underneath Berlin. In the first season, Nelson had to use all the willpower and all the wiles of a mediator to save himself and hundreds of passengers. This time, the story has a significant twist that aims to keep the tensions high and solutions hard to guess.

OUTLANDER (U.S.; Season 8 and the last one)

Fans of Diana Gabaldon’s books and 18th-century Scotland will be both happy to see the new season and saddened, as this is the last one of the series. The world of Outlander tales is now continuing with the prequel called Outlander: Blood of My Blood, but in the meanwhile, the show’s creators are soon premiering the last installment of the adventures of time traveler Claire and her star-crossed lover, the Scottish warrior Jamie. The final chapter of this time traveler’s romance and action is set during the American Revolution. All the protagonists—the 18th-century British colonists and the modern time travelers—have to face together the vicissitudes of the war, choosing sides, going into combat to protect their families and coping with revealed secrets.

THE DIPLOMAT (U.S.; Season 3)

A continuation of a marital strife story set against the world of high-level politics, the show has Kate (Keri Russell) and Hal (Rufus Sewell) vying for political standing in the new government of President Grace (Allison Janney). Plot twists abound, all to better showcase the ruthlessness and slyness of Grace’s political maneuverings and the ingenuity of the Wyler couple in managing the damage. Part comedy, part riveting political drama—always entertaining. Season 4 has been announced.