Winter TV preview: Josh Charles' return, the next 'Star Trek,' 'Game of Thrones' prequel, 41 more shows

The new year 2026 is about to come crashing through the TV device of your choice, and "crashing" does seem about right. Get ready for the next season of "The Pitt" and a new one (finally) of "The Night Manager." Gird yourself for another edition of "Fear Factor" and yet another Buttafuoco movie. One more "Star Trek" is about to arrive, and so is another series set in the world of "Game of Thrones."

There will be revivals ("The Forsytes"), returns ("Bridgerton") and reboots ("Scrubs"). Josh Charles is back in his first series lead role since "The Good Wife." Tracy Morgan will star in two series. Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman (who seems to be everywhere these days) is back on TV later this season as well. 

Here's your guide to what's coming up:

JAN. 4

BEST MEDICINE (Fox/5, 8 p.m.)

Dr. Martin Best (Josh Charles), a great surgeon with not-great bedside manners, relocates to a small town in coastal Maine because he can't operate anymore. Cue up those quirky eccentric locals who force him to reassess this mid-career move. This romantic comedy (with Annie Potts and Abigail Spencer) is a remake of long-running Brit hit "Doc Martin." (This is a preview — the show moves into its regular slot, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Jan. 6.)

JAN. 7

MARCELLO HERNANDEZ: AMERICAN BOY (Netflix)

"SNL's" Hernandez gets his first special — taped in hometown Miami — where he talks about dancing, family dynamics, growing up, ADHD, relationships.

JAN. 8

HIS & HERS (Netflix)

In this adaptation of the 2022 Alice Feeney psychological thriller, the murder of a woman is investigated by a local detective (Jon Bernthal) and a former TV anchorwoman (Tessa Thompson, "Westworld"). The complication: They are married. Their marriage? It's complicated, too. Six episodes.

THE PITT (HBO Max)

TV's most celebrated new drama returns, with Noah Wyle's Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch having another bad day (during a Fourth of July weekend). Lots of new cast members, and returning ones as well, including Emmy winner Katherine LaNasa. Otherwise, we're told not to expect any huge changes, or as Wyle told Deadline, "our job is not to outdo ourselves [but] to do ourselves."

JAN. 11

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL (WNET/13, 9)

This beloved (deservedly so) series about gentle country life in Darrowby moves into a postwar phase, in May 1945. It features James (Nicholas Ralph) and Helen (Rachel Shenton) and their growing family, along with Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) and Siegfried (Samuel West). Entering its sixth season, there are another two in the works.

BOOKISH (WNET/13, 10)

Prolific British TV writer-actor Mark Gatiss steps in front of the camera again for this six-part murder mystery about a bookshop owner who helps the police solve a crime (or two). Also starring Polly Walker (Lady Portia from "Bridgerton").

THE NIGHT MANAGER (Prime Video)

After nearly 10 (!) years, "Night Manager" is finally back, with Tom Hiddleston still in the title role. No longer a hotel night manager, he's an MI6 agent in London, under a new name (Alex Goodwin). According to press notes, Goodwin is "running a quiet surveillance unit in London — his life is comfortingly uneventful. Then ..." Events ensue. His old boss, Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) is back, too.

JAN. 13

POLE TO POLE WITH WILL SMITH (Nat Geo, 9, then Disney+, Hulu on Jan. 14)

Will Smith has been working through his Oscar slap trauma by traveling "26,000 miles in 100 days from the South Pole to the North Pole, exploring desert, jungle, mountains and polar ice."

JAN. 14

FEAR FACTOR: HOUSE OF FEAR (Fox/5, 9)

This version of the old NBC unscripted stunt series is hosted by Johnny Knoxville, ("Jackass") with 14 contestants, including Rodney Rodriguez, 59, a retired NYPD detective from Freeport. They'll be "dropped into an unforgiving, remote location ... and face mind-blowing stunts, harrowing challenges and a twisted game of social strategy where trust is fleeting — and fear is a weapon." Expect to be grossed out.

JAN. 15

AGATHA CHRISTIE'S SEVEN DIALS (Netflix)

Martin Freeman and Helena Bonham Carter star in this adaptation of the 1929 novel, where guests arrive at an English country home, then troll one of them by putting eight alarm clocks in his room — each set to go off at a different time. Clearly this is the sort of prank that would incite murder. Superintendent Battle (Freeman) and Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent (Mia McKenna-Bruce) are on the case.

PONIES: PERSONS OF NO INTEREST (Peacock)

This spy thriller is about a pair of secretaries (Emilia Clarke, Haley Lu Richardson) working in the American Embassy in Moscow circa 1977, recruited by the CIA after their husbands are killed.

STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (Paramount+)

For the first time in the TV franchise's history, this much-anticipated addition to the canon will go to school — the Fleet Academy, specifically (in a distant future San Francisco). While starring Holly Hunter, Tig Notaro and Oded Fehr, for Trekkies the really big name here just might be Robert Picardo, the veteran TV (and stage) actor who played the Doctor — or technically an "Emergency Medical Hologram" — on "Star Trek: Voyager" from 1995 to 2001

JAN. 17

I AM MARY JO BUTTAFUOCO (Lifetime, 8)

There have been some (all) Buttafuoco TV movies that deserve your scorn and some (none) that do not. But in the spirit of the just-ended holiday season, let's pretend this one falls in the latter camp. In this, Buttafuoco, 70, narrates her own life story post-1992 after she was shot by Amy Fisher in the doorway of her home. Chloe Lanier ("General Hospital"  is in the title role.

JAN. 18

A KNIGHT OF SEVEN KINGDOMS (HBO Max)

This third series from the "Game of Thrones"-verse is based on the George R.R. Martin novellas "Tales of Dunk and Egg," which concern the travels of one "Dunk," or Duncan the Tall, and his very young consort, "Egg," or Aegon Targaryen. In this brisk adaptation, each of the six episodes are just a half-hour long, and promise a look at the lighter side of Westeros, in the company of a famed knight, Dunk (Peter Claffey, "Bad Sisters") and future king, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).

JAN. 20

STAR SEARCH (Netflix)

This reboot of a show that launched a hundred careers (or at least a few memorable ones, like those of Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears) has an unusual twist — for Netflix, if not for "American Idol." Editions will stream Tuesdays and Wednesday (at 9), with the audience voting in real time. Anthony Anderson hosts.

JAN. 21

THE BEAUTY (FX, 9; Hulu )

A sexually transmitted disease is making some Americans gorgeous — tight abs, chiseled features, perfect hair, sculpted bods — but after they start dying, a pair of detectives investigate. They travel to Paris in search of answers. This latest body horror-bodice ripper from Ryan Murphy stars Rebecca Hall, Evan Peters and Ashton Kutcher.

DROPS OF GOD (Apple TV)

This fun thriller from French screenwriter Quoc Dang Tran about a brother (Tomohisa Yamashita) and sister (Fleur Geffrier) vying for their father's wine cellar (long story, but the cellar was worth vying for) is back for a second season, while no doubt still exploring important questions, such as — is a 1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grand Cru really all that different from a 1946?

STEAL (Prime Video)

Zara (Sophie Turner) and her friend Luke (Archie Madekwe) are muddling through another day in the office, at Lockmill Capital, when armed robbers force them to withdraw 4 billion pounds in pension funds. Who are they? What happens to the money? Do the bad guys get caught? (And doesn't 4 billion sound a bit excessive?) Six episodes to find the answers.

JAN. 22-23

MEL BROOKS: THE 99 YEAR OLD MAN! (HBO Max)

This two-parter promises to "explore the life, career, friendships and loves" of the legend, with the legend himself offering a little on- and off-screen guidance in the bargain. Judd Apatow directs.

JAN. 25

MEMORY OF A KILLER (Fox/5, 10)

Angelo (Patrick Dempsey) has early onset Alzheimer's, which hampers his day job as a photocopier salesperson, but especially his moonlighting work as a hitman. After his wife's murder, someone is coming for his pregnant daughter. As the news release elaborates, "now, Angelo must hunt down his mortal enemy while continuing to carry out hits without giving away his diagnosis and still making it home in time to cook dinner for his daughter." Michael Imperioli and Gina Torres co-star. 

IT'S NOT LIKE THAT (Prime Video)

Malcolm (Scott Foley), a recently widowed pastor with three kids, and Lori (Erinn Hayes), a divorcee with two teens, are navigating life together as singletons, but press notes ask whether "this is the beginning of a love story? It's not like that. Or is it?" Of course it's like that. In eight episodes, with the first two on Jan. 25.

JAN. 27

WONDER MAN (Disney+, 9)

If the words "another Marvel adaptation" turn you into a quivering pile of ennui then you'll probably want to skip this latest from the MCU — except this story about a lesser-known Avenger named Simon Williams may possibly be intended for you. Something of a Hollywood slick in search of fame and fortune, Williams — Yahya Abdul-Mateen, aka Black Manta of "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" — wants to get cast in a superhero movie and gets help from Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), the drugged-out struggling thespian from "Iron Man 3." A good hint this will be a quasi-comedy treatment: Andrew Guest, who wrote for "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," is showrunner.

JAN. 28

SHRINKING (Apple TV)

This stealth hit returns for a third season with Jeff Daniels joining as Jimmy's (Jason Segel) father, and Michael J. Fox joining, too, in a storyline tied to Paul (Harrison Ford), who has Parkinson's. Candice Bergen is also on board.

JAN. 29

BRIDGERTON (Netflix)

Two things to keep in mind for Season 4 — it's Benedict's (Luke Thompson) turn to tie the knot while "Cinderella" plays a thematic role. Free spirit Ben still has no interest in marriage, despite Lady Violet's (Ruth Gemmell) pleas. Then, at a masked ball, Benedict is smitten by the mysterious "Lady in Silver." Surprise! She's a house maid, Sophie, (Yerin Ha, "Dune: Prophecy"), and an "Upstairs/Downstairs" love-conquers-all love story unfolds. With that "Cinderella" theme in mind, Sophie's villainous overseer is someone named Lady Araminta Gun — Katie Leung of "Harry Potter" fame. Four episodes will drop Jan. 29 and the final four on Feb. 26.

FEB. 3

BLACK AND JEWISH AMERICA: AN INTERWOVEN HISTORY (WNET/13, 9)

This four-parter from Henry Louis Gates Jr. promises to explore "the complex relationship between Black Americans and Jewish Americans — forged in shared struggle, tested by division."

FEB. 8

THE 'BURBS (Peacock)

The 1989 Tom Hanks movie of the same name was a cautionary black comedy about next-door neighbors who seemed like murderers (and in fact were). This eight-part series comes from Seth MacFarlane and Celeste Hughley ("Dead to Me"). Keke Palmer stars as the lady next door who has well-founded suspicions about her neighbors. All eight episodes arrive Feb. 8.

FEB. 15

DARK WINDS (AMC, 9)

This fourth season (based on the Tony Hillerman 1984 mystery, "The Ghostway") dangles at least two interesting reasons to drop in: First, some of these eight episodes will take place in Los Angeles, and away from the Four Corners; and Titus Welliver ("Bosch") stars out of character as an L.A. crime boss.

FEB. 18

56 DAYS (Prime Video)

Based on the 2021 Catherine Ryan Howard thriller set in the time of COVID lockdown, this eight-parter is about a couple who move in together just as the pandemic gets underway, while one ends up possibly murdered. Another twist: Police can't identify the body. Dove Cameron stars; it's from horror master James Wan.

FEB. 19

THE NIGHT AGENT (Netflix)

Shawn Ryan's kicky thriller is back for a third go-round, with Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) en route to Istanbul to hunt down someone who stole sensitive government documents. There's a journalist (Genesis Rodriguez, "The Umbrella Academy"), who's on the hunt, too. Jennifer Morrison ("House") and Stephen Moyer ("True Blood") also star. 

FEB. 23

CIA (CBS/2, 10)

A loosey-goosey CIA case officer ("Lucifer's" Tom Ellis) and a by-the-book FBI agent ("Chicago Med's" Nick Gehlfuss) team up to save the world from bad guys. While this Dick Wolf New York City production was only supposed to be a spinoff of "FBI," it's already cycled through a lot of changes, names and a few executive producers. Who knows what we'll end up with.

THE FALL AND RISE OF REGGIE DINKINS (NBC/4, 8)

Tracy Morgan is about to have two series on two networks — "Crutch," which premiered in the fall on Paramount+, and now this Tina Fey-produced sitcom about a former football player trying to rehab his image with the help of a film producer (Daniel Radcliffe).

PARADISE (Hulu)

In this second season of the apocalyptic thriller set in/under a big bubble, Secret Service agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) leaves the "bunker" for the first time, to search for his wife, Teri (Enuka Okuma). Production notes explain the "social fabric frays" inside the bunker, and it's worse outside.

FEB. 25

THE GREATEST AVERAGE AMERICAN GAME SHOW (ABC, 8)

Hosted by stand-up Nate Bargatze — repurposing the name from his Netflix special — this envisions a quiz show for the truly average among us. Winners — who must establish their bone fides in averageness — even get $67,920 (which is presumably the average American's salary).

SCRUBS (ABC/7, 8)

J.D. (Zach Braff) and the gang at Sacred Heart Hospital — gone from our TV lives 16 years — are back, now older, wiser and creakier. What to expect from this reunion of Donald Faison (Dr. Chris Turk), Sarah Chalke (Dr. Elliot Reid), Judy Reyes (nurse Carla Espinosa), and John C. McGinley (Dr. Perry Cox) besides more of the same? As best I can tell, more of the same. Newcomers include former "SNL" star Vanessa Bayer and Joel Kim Booster ("Loot").

SURVIVOR 50: IN THE HANDS OF FANS (CBS/2, 8)

This supersized celebration season (three hours on Feb. 23) allowed fans to vote on elements (for example, whether the finale heads back to L.A.). Meanwhile, the cast includes Stephenie LaGrossa (Guatemala), Colby Donaldson (Australia), Cirie Fields (Panama) and Ozzy Lusth (Cook Islands.) Many others have appeared multiple times, so all are familiar, including Mike White ("The White Lotus") who's back after his run on the "David vs. Goliath" edition.

FEB. 26

THE GRAY HOUSE (Prime Video)

This Rolland Joffe-directed eight-parter is about four women turned spies during the Civil War (Mary-Louise Parker heads a big cast.)

MARCH 1

Y: MARSHALS (CBS/2, 8)

Both spinoff and sequel to "Yellowstone," this returns Luke Grimes to that show's universe without specifically referencing it, which has led to some speculation the title is still a work in progress. (Or because this is not set at the Dutton Ranch. Either way, the title is confusing.) Kayce Dutton (Grimes) is a U.S. marshal who dispenses High Plains justice while several other "Yellowstone" regulars are back, further forging ties with the Paramount hit. They include Gil Birmingham's Thomas Rainwater (who was John Dutton's foil and leader of Broken Rock Reservation) and Moses Brings Plenty as Rainwater enforcer Mo.

MARCH 4

YOUNG SHERLOCK (Prime Video)

This eight-part origin story, stars Colin Firth, Joseph Fiennes and Natascha McElhone.

MARCH 6

OUTLANDER (Starz, 9)

This epic TV love story that spanned centuries, oceans (and decades — it began in 2014) is finally coming to a close. The eighth season (or, if you will, second half of the seventh) is based on Diana Gabaldon's ninth novel of the Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitríona Balfe) saga, set in 1779, and back on Fraser's Ridge. The American Revolution is about to engulf their isolated world atop a North Carolina bluff, and we know what Jamie and Claire will be forced to do: Protect home, hearth and bluff.

MARCH 11

SCARPETTA (Prime Video)

Patricia Cornwell's famed forensic pathologist, Kay Scarpetta — here played by Nicole Kidman — gets her TV close-up. Jamie Lee Curtis, Bobby Cannavale and Simon Baker also star. Meanwhile, the showrunner behind the camera is what makes this promising — Liz Sarnoff, who's produced so much first-rate work over her career, from "Deadwood" to "NYPD Blue."

MARCH 20

PEAKY BLINDERS: THE IMMORTAL MAN (Netflix)

"Peaky Blinders" ended a six-season run in 2022 until it occurred to someone — why end there? This standalone movie — presumably a setup for a pair of future six-episode seasons — finds Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) back in Birmingham at the outset of World War II. He's grappling with the legacy of his criminal enterprise and with a few personal demons, too. (This will also have a theatrical release on March 6.)

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (WNET/13, 10)

This 2024 miniseries about Alexandre Dumas' treasure-seeking, identity-co-opting French sailor — with Sam Claflin in the title role — gets its U.S. premiere.

THE FAITHFUL (Fox/5, 8)

The women of the Bible get a TV treatment, Fox-style, in this three-week, six-hour, sword-and-sandal "event" series. They are: Sarah (Minnie Driver); Hagar (Natacha Karam) Rebekah (Alexa Davalos); Leah (Millie Brady) and Rachel (Blu Hunt). "CSI's" Carol Mendelsohn is showrunner.

THE FORSYTES (WNET/13, 9)

Could this latest six-episode adaptation of John Galsworthy's Edwardian trilogy (published in 1922) become our next "Downton Abbey" obsession? Tuppence Middleton, Millie Gibson, Eleanor Tomlinson and Jack Davenport star.