Disney+; Allyson Riggs/AppleTV; Simon Ridgway/HBO; Warrick Page/MAX If there’s a theme that unites all the series on this best-so-far list, it’s anxiety. Anxiety about money, about class, about fame, about legitimacy. About the Blackfyre Rebellion. The creators of the best TV of the year so far took a hard look at the world around them and chose not to counterprogram. The shows that are sticking with us feature few warm-and-fuzzies and only rare uplifting family moments. In fact, almost every entry revolves around the workplace, or at least, work (or lack thereof). Schitt’s Creek is firmly in the rear-view mirror.
And yet, this list also includes some of the funniest programs assembled in a long time. Many of these series refuse to stay in their lane, mixing genres and expectations, smashing up superheroes, horror tropes, and OnlyFans with genuine, gut-busting laughs. Deploying razor-sharp precision, they examine work’s slow creep into identity and self-worth at every level, skewering the gig economy, public service, global finance, Hollywood, and Westeros.
This is just the first six months of 2026 — who knows, kindness could make a comeback. But the worthwhile watches in the television landscape right now are packed with uncertainty. And if anxiety is the diagnosis, looks like the cure demands insightful, idiosyncratic, original humor. Along with some good dumb jokes from Tracy Morgan.
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‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ (HBO)
Image Credit: Steffan Hill/HBO Just when you thought the idea of spinning off more Game of Thrones shows was simply an exercise in IP extension, along comes a buddy comedy that restores your faith in George R.R. Martin’s TV franchise of fire and ice. Based on the author’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” novellas and set roughly a century before GoT, this chronicle of the adventures of bumbling would-be knight Dunk (Peter Claffey) and his young, bald-headed squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) is fleet-footed and not weighed down by the need for spectacle that sank the flagship series’ final season. Yes, these two characters will eventually become big deals in the Thrones-verse, and there are some incredible set pieces, including one hell of a jousting battle. But freed from the responsibility of having to add chapters to a saga, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is happy to crack wise and be bawdy over in the saga’s margins. —David Fear
