Fall television in 2026 is less a single premiere week than a four-month release season. Broadcast networks are concentrating many of their biggest returns around late September and early October, while Netflix, Apple TV, Disney+, Prime Video, Peacock and HBO are extending the calendar all the way through Christmas.
As of September 9, official network and streaming announcements confirm dates for major titles including Slow Horses, Brothers, East of Eden, Tracker, VisionQuest, The Gilded Age, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and HBO's new Harry Potter series.
Here are the most important fall 2026 TV premiere dates currently confirmed, with several season-number mistakes found in other published schedules corrected.
Fall 2026 TV premiere dates for September
September begins the transition from summer programming to the main broadcast season, but streaming services already have several major releases lined up.
- September 9: The Paper Season 2 — Peacock. All episodes arrive together.
- September 15: Dancing with the Stars and R.J. Decker — ABC. Dancing with the Stars also has a special Wednesday broadcast on September 16.
- September 16: Slow Horses Season 6 — Apple TV. The six-episode season begins with one episode and continues weekly.
- September 17: Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story — Netflix; The Traitors: New Blood — NBC.
- September 21: The Voice Season 30 and new drama Line of Fire — NBC; Celebrity Name That Tune Season 6 and Celebrity Weakest Link Season 2 — Fox.
- September 22: Best Medicine Season 2 and Doc Season 3 — Fox.
- September 23: Brothers — Apple TV; Survivor Season 51 — CBS; The Floor Season 6 and 99 to Beat Season 2 — Fox.
- September 24: Hell's Kitchen Season 25 and Special Forces: World's Toughest Test Season 5 — Fox.
- September 27: The Simpsons Season 38, Animal Control Season 5, Universal Basic Guys Season 3 and Grimsburg Season 3 — Fox.
- September 30: Scrubs and Shark Tank — ABC; The Amazing Race Season 39 — CBS.
Two of September's most notable streaming launches are very different projects. Apple TV's Slow Horses brings Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb and the Slough House team back for a sixth season on September 16.
One week later, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson headline the eight-episode Apple TV comedy Brothers. The actors play fictionalized versions of themselves whose long friendship is disrupted when a family secret raises the possibility that they might actually be related. The first two episodes arrive September 23, followed by weekly episodes through November 4.
October brings the busiest stretch of the fall schedule
October is where broadcast premiere week and several major streaming releases collide.
- October 1: East of Eden — Netflix.
- October 4: Marshals Season 2 and Tracker Season 4 — CBS.
- October 5: FBI Season 9, CIA Season 2 and Harlan Coben's Final Twist Season 2 — CBS.
- October 6: NCIS Season 24, new series NCIS: New York and NCIS: Origins Season 3 — CBS.
- October 7: Abbott Elementary — ABC, alongside the returns of Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. on NBC.
- October 8: Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Season 3, new comedy Eternally Yours, Elsbeth Season 4 and new drama Cupertino — CBS. NBC also returns Law & Order: SVU for Season 28 and Law & Order for Season 26.
- October 9: Sheriff Country Season 2, Fire Country Season 5 and Boston Blue Season 2 — CBS.
- October 14: VisionQuest — Disney+.
- October 15: 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Nashville and Grey's Anatomy — ABC; The Diplomat Season 4 — Netflix; Crystal Lake — Peacock.
- October 23: Happy's Place Season 3 and new comedy Newlyweds — NBC; Lupin Part 4 — Netflix.
East of Eden and VisionQuest lead October's new streaming series
Netflix's East of Eden arrives October 1 with Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames. Zoe Kazan wrote and executive produced all seven episodes of the new adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel, with Christopher Abbott and Mike Faist among the actors playing members of the Trask family.
Marvel then brings Paul Bettany back as Vision in VisionQuest on October 14. James Spader returns as Ultron, while Terry Matalas serves as showrunner. Marvel describes the Disney+ series as the final part of the television trilogy that began with WandaVision and continued with Agatha All Along.
Peacock also enters franchise territory on October 15 with Crystal Lake, its A24-produced prequel series connected to Friday the 13th.
November brings fantasy, period drama and science fiction
- November 1: The Gilded Age Season 4 — HBO and HBO Max.
- November 2: St. Denis Medical and The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins — NBC.
- November 11: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 — Prime Video.
- November 12: The Good Daughter — Peacock.
- November 20: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 3 — Disney+.
- November 25: Blade Runner 2099 — Prime Video.
- November 26: The Hunting Wives Season 2 — Netflix.
HBO's The Gilded Age starts its eight-episode fourth season on November 1. Ten days later, Prime Video returns to Middle-earth with The Rings of Power Season 3. The first four episodes are scheduled for November 11.
Disney+ follows on November 20 with the third season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, while Prime Video closes the month with one of the year's largest science-fiction projects. Blade Runner 2099 stars Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer and takes place 50 years after the events of Blade Runner 2049. All eight episodes are scheduled to arrive November 25.
December ends the fall season with Bad Monkey and Harry Potter
- December 2: Bad Monkey Season 2 — Apple TV.
- December 24: Emily in Paris Season 6 — Netflix. Netflix has identified this as the final season.
- December 25: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone — HBO and HBO Max.
Bad Monkey begins its second season December 2 with Vince Vaughn returning as Andrew Yancy. Apple TV says the new 10-episode season tells an original story and will release weekly into February 2027.
The biggest Christmas premiere currently on the calendar is HBO's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Warner Bros. Discovery has officially set the eight-episode first season for December 25, ending months in which the project had previously been discussed more broadly as a 2026 or 2027 release.
Why the fall 2026 TV calendar looks different
The schedule shows how much the meaning of “fall TV” has changed. ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox still create recognizable premiere weeks, but streaming services no longer need to concentrate their biggest shows in one short window.
That gives viewers a season stretching from September workplace comedies and spy dramas to November fantasy and science fiction, followed by major December releases. It also means individual dates matter more than the traditional idea of one fall launch week.
What happens next
Premiere calendars can change, particularly for programs scheduled several months in advance. The dates above reflect official announcements available as of September 9, 2026 and should be checked again closer to release.
Several other projects are still being discussed for the broader fall window without firm dates. No official release date has been announced. Until their networks or streaming services provide one, they are better left off a confirmed-date calendar.
For now, viewers have a packed run of new and returning television stretching through Christmas. Which fall 2026 series is at the top of your watchlist?
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