There’s plenty to look forward to on the box this year, from home-grown dramas, mysteries and comedies, to reality and lifestyle shows with a twist.

Here are 10 new shows to watch out for across free-to-air and subscription platforms.

Dustfall (ABC)

Anna Torv (Territory, The Newsreader, Secret City) returns to the small screen in 2026 with this new short series based on Australian Vikki Petraitis’s chilling crime novel The Unbelieved.

The story sees senior detective Tig (Torv) returning to her home town of North Gap after years living in the city, where one of her cases went drastically wrong. She uncovers a series of drink-spiking assaults, and the stakes rapidly ratchet up when one of the main suspects is found murdered.

Filmed on Queensland’s Gold Coast, Dustfall is described by the ABC as an atmospheric “tropic noir”, with a network spokesperson predicting it will be “the watercooler drama of 2026”.

Anna Torv stars in new ABC crime drama Dustfall. Photo: Vince Valitutti

Apocalypse (Binge)

“Could you survive the end of the world?” That’s the question posed by this new reality show, which sounds like a cross between Survivor and 28 Days Later.

Co-commissioned by Binge and the UK’s Channel 4, the eight-part series will see contestants from Australia and Britain dropped into a “post-apocalyptic abandoned city” (the actual location remains secret) without supplies… no, not even a smartphone. The idea is that they have to survive by relying on their wits and each other.

Apocalypse’s producers promise it will be “cinematic in style and immense in scale”, with plenty of twists.

The end of the world is nigh in Apocalypse.

Bad Company (ABC)

If you’ve been missing Kitty Flanagan since Fisk, the good news is that she’s returning to the ABC in 2026 with this new six-part comedy series created and written by fellow Aussie comedian Anne Edmonds.

Bad Company will immerse viewers in the behind-the-scenes drama of an iconic theatre company on the brink of bankruptcy, promising plenty of shenanigans as Edmonds’ character – volatile artistic director Margie – goes head to head with Flanagan’s Julia, a high-flying corporate executive brought in to clean up the mess created by Margie’s “unchecked whims”.

The series is being produced by Guesswork Television, the company behind shows such as Deadloch, Frayed, Rosehaven, Hard Quiz and Get Krack!n.

Kitty Flanagan and Anne Edmonds will bring the drama. Photo: ABC

The Chaplain (SBS)

An encounter that series co-creator Jude Troy had with Melbourne International Airport’s real-life chaplain after she lost her bags inspired the unique idea behind this eight-part Australian drama commissioned by SBS.

In the fictional series, chaplain Tobias Wallace has a “decidedly unorthodox” approach to solving the daily crises of an airport, but runs into a problem when he meets his formidable new young boss Carmen.

“Their clash ignites a power play that ripples through the terminal and into the lives of the cleaners, baggage handlers and passengers around them, all fighting for their own hopes, dramas, and flight credits,” SBS says of The Chaplain, whose cast has not yet been announced.

The Killings: Parrish Station (Stan)

“A cosmic mystery intertwines with horror as a gruesome massacre at a remote research station plunges a detective into an inexplicable, decades-long mystery.”

The promotional blurb for this new Stan Original drama certainly piques our interest, as does the fact that it stars talented Australian actresses Mia Wasikowska (Blueback, Tracks) and Heather Mitchell (Mother and Son, Fake).

The Killings is told across two timelines, with Wasikowska playing Detective Georgia Cook, who is called in to investigate the massacre of four scientists in 1987, while Mitchell plays an older version of Cook when she’s plunged back into the nightmare by a chilling spree of new killings 37 years later.

The Killings stars Xavier Samuel and Mia Wasikowska. Photo: Stan

Once in a Lifetime with Chris Brown (Seven)

Dr Chris Brown (you might remember him from I’m a Celebrity and Bondi Vet) reunites with his co-host from The Living Room Amanda Keller in this Seven show, which was originally slated for release in 2024 and is set to finally make it in 2026.

Seven says Once in a Lifetime will see Brown (who is also hosting its new renovation show My Reno Rules) embark on global wildlife journeys, joined by Keller and fellow Australians Mick Molloy, Kate Ritchie and Matt Preston as his “untrained and unqualified veterinary assistants”. “Together, they help animals while navigating unpredictable and often humorous situations.”

Seems like a no-brainer if you like animals, adventures and handsome vets.

Chris Brown will be back doing what he does best. Photo: Seven

1 Euro House (Nine)

Reno show meets travel series in this series hosted by interior designers and The Block judges Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer. Inspired by an Italian trend where small towns started selling houses for just one euro to combat declining populations, it will follow the pair as they transform a dilapidated property bought in the Italian village of Castronovo into a “spectacular dream home”.

“Much more than just a makeover program, 1 Euro House also explores the richness of Italian life, blending travel, culture and friendship,” says the 9Network blurb.

Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole (Netflix)

Fans of Nordic noir, rejoice. Bestselling author Jo Nesbø’s “brilliant but tormented” Oslo detective Harry Hole is coming to the small screen in this new nine-part serial killer mystery premiering on Netflix globally at the end of March.

Tobias Santelmann (Exit, The Arctic Convoy) plays Hole, who struggles with his own demons while also going head-to-head with his long-time adversary, corrupt detective Tom Waaler, in what Nesbø (also the screenwriter) describes as a “truly dark and twisted journey” where the lines between justice and revenge are blurred.

Detective Harry Hole (Tobias Santelmann) is coming to Netflix. Photo: Ronald Plante

The Celebrity Traitors Australia (Ten)

Okay, so this isn’t a totally new show, but it is the first celebrity edition and anyone hooked on the hugely successful UK Celebrity Traitors – whose finale attracted around 15 million viewers – will want to check it out.

The Aussie version will be hosted by Gretel Killeen, filmed in New Zealand, and feature celebs including Olympic swimmer Shane Gould, comedian Rhys Nicholson, former Australian Idol host Ian Dickson, and Drag Race Down Under star Kween Kong. We can only hope they’re capable of as much backstabbing, betrayal and hilarity as their UK counterparts.

Dog Park (ABC)

Actress and comedian Celia Pacquola (Rosehaven) plays eternal optimist Samantha in this six-part comedy about a group of mismatched dog-parkers – including Roland (Leon Ford), who is in the grip of a mid-life crisis.

Premiering in February with a top-notch ensemble of creatives at the helm, including directors Matthew Saville (Please Like Me, Upright) and Nina Buxton (Heartbreak High, Summer Love), it promises a “feel-good story of love, loyalty and licking”.

Screen Australia’s Louise Gough reckons even cat people will love it.

 

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