As the Christmas decorations come down and the long trudge towards daylight and warmth begins, thoughts turn to cultural treats to accompany us through the upcoming year – concerts, plays, and of course the latest instalments of fare that can be enjoyed without even getting off the settee. For combined subscription fees of only £4,000, here, then, are the highlights of the telly for 2026.
Harry Potter (HBO): As anyone who has seen the constant queues for Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross station will attest, the Harry Potter phenomenon is strong enough to withstand creator JK Rowling’s transformation into one of the more unpleasant people in the world. Reimagined with new actors in the lead roles, this nine-episode series also features veteran stagers such as John Lithgow, Janet McTeer and Nick Frost. Last one on the Quidditch field is a rotten egg!
Elle (Amazon Prime): For anyone who may be tiring of winged creatures, wizards and replicants, here comes Elle, a prequel to the now 25-year-old cultural sensation Legally Blonde. Announced last year by non-other than Reese Witherspoon herself, who played the titular character in the original film, the series is set during the would-be lawyer’s time as a college student. Not just a new series, Elle features new talent, too, with the lead role taken by relative newcomer Lexi Minetree. For anyone wishing to warm the cockles of their heart, an online video of Witherspoon informing Minetree that she’s landed the role is a delight.
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Vladimir (Netflix): Based on the novel by Julia May Jonas, from 2022, Vladimir tells the story of a college professor who, after becoming caught up in her husband’s sex scandal, develops an obsession of her own with a younger colleague from whom the series takes its name. With Rachel Weisz and The White Lotus’s Leo Woodall in lead roles, and with Sharon Horgan taking the reins as executive producer, the talent quotient is enticingly high. “Oh what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive,” seems to be the overall gist.
Blade Runner 2099 (Amazon Prime): The arrival of the latest iteration of the Blade Runner franchise has at last escaped the quagmire of a writers’ strike and years in development to make its appearance on the small screen next year. Details of the story are hard to uncover, but the title alone confirms the action takes place 50 years after Denis Villeneuve’s movie sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017). With filming having wrapped, in Prague, at the end of 2024, a year spent in post-production suggests the visuals will be lavish.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO): With the first episode of the latest addition to the Game of Thrones universe set to air on January 18, at least we don’t have to wait long for this TV show. Based on the George RR Martin novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg, the action in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place 90 years before the parent programme. Hopefully, there will be dragons.
Ian Winwood is the author of the bestselling Bodies: Life and Death in Music
