The Best Reviewed TV Shows of 2026, According to Metacritic

Everyone has an opinion on television, but maybe watching All's Fair because that gas station cashier told that you HAVE to watch it wasn't the best idea. Let's leave the recommendations to the pros, which is why we're keeping track of all the TV shows this year that are TV critic approved. 

Using review aggregator Metacritic, we've compiled the best reviewed television shows of 2026, separating them from the tempting jumble of meh TV on our screens so you can watch something great.

A few rules and notes on how this list was made: 

• – Metacritic scores TV shows based on an aggregate of published reviews from trusted reviewers, assigns each review a score on a 1-100 scale — 100 being the best — and averages those scores for a total score called a metascore. 
• – Metacritic does not assign metascores to shows with fewer than five reviews from Metacritic's list of approved outlets. 
• – We have set the threshold for TV shows making this list at a metascore of 80. These scores were taken at the time the show was released; it is possible that reviews added later could affect the scores after their release.
• – Metacritic notes that returning shows may trend toward having higher scores, as reviewers are more likely to review a show in its second season or later because they liked earlier seasons, while reviewers who didn't like the show in early seasons are less likely to review the show. 

Here's which TV shows made the list.

Metacritic score: 92

It's no surprise that The Pitt, which came out of nowhere to become one of 2025's most acclaimed TV series in its debut season, is already being touted as one of 2026's best. Time's Judy Berman says, "[Co-creator Scott] Gemmill shows little interest in the kind of hysterical stake-raising that could easily turn a hospital drama absurd (see: Grey's Anatomy). Instead, we get the subtler pleasures of observing how characters evolve and connect."

Premiere date: Jan. 8

Metacritic score: 88

HBO's finance drama has been steadily gaining popularity since it debuted in 2020, and Season 4 has its highest Metacritic score yet. "The thing about Industry is that it's just really good television, and it will always win you back," says TV Guide's Allison Picurro. "If the series was forced to fend off inescapable comparisons to Succession when it first premiered in 2020, Season 4 makes it clear that this show has fully grown into its own very unique animal."

Premiere date: Jan. 11

Metacritic score: 85

As the brain behind Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and more, Genndy Tartakovsky is an animation legend, but his greatest triumph is Primal, a dialogue-free (well, 99% free) story about a caveman in a battle for survival with a violent world. Decider's Johnny Loftus says, "Season 3 finds Spear, dead but not down, on a journey he doesn't know the shape of, which only means more opportunity for this series' already impressive animation and storytelling."

Premiere date: Jan. 11

Metacritic score: 81

The latest series from Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright is about a group of middle-aged women who form a punk band, and it rocks, according to critics. "Fierce, funny, and profound, the show ... is a kaleidoscopic exploration of female rage, community, and the possibility of reinvention at a harrowing turning point in life," writes The A.V. Club's Jenna Scherer.

Premiere date: Jan. 14

Metacritic score: 85

The two-part docuseries about the life and influence of comedy great Mel Brooks was directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, and features interviews with Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, and basically every comedian who grew up watching Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. "That Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! is funny and well-sourced and thoughtfully composed isn't surprising, but the emotional potency perhaps is," says The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg. "You'll laugh at this two-part, nearly four-hour film; it's also hard to avoid tears at multiple points, especially in the second part."

Premiere date: Jan. 22

More: 

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• The best reviewed TV shows of 2025