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This year is shaping up nicely when it comes to television, and although there are still many exciting series yet to drop, there is a lot to celebrate. BBC Culture has released its listing of the best series of 2026 so far, and here we are doing a deep dive into the top five.

From a super relevant series about beauty standards and plastic surgery to the corporate financial drama-fuelled world, these five series should not be missed.

From the writer of the global sensation that was Adolescence comes an adaptation of William Golding's celebrated novel, Lord of the Flies.

Jack Thorne has kept the book's period setting but given it a fresh feel. The story follows a gang of schoolboys who become stranded on an island and therefore create their own community - but when order disappears, disaster strikes.

Lord of the Flies is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.

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After nearly eight years, The Night Manager series two finally dropped, so now is as perfect a time as any to rewatch or catch up on the first series. Tom Hiddleston stars as a hotel manager turned spy in this stylish drama for the BBC, which ranks among the channel's all-time greatest TV shows. The second series has an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Night Manager is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

In this intriguing exploration of just how far people will go to reach beauty standards, we see appearances from famous faces such as Bella Hadid, Evan Peters and Ashton Kutcher. The gripping body horror was created by Ryan Murphy and Matthew Hodgson. The series synopsis reads: "The world of high fashion turns dark when international supermodels begin dying in gruesome and mysterious ways. FBI Agents Cooper Madsen and Jordan Bennett are sent to Paris to uncover the truth. As they delve deeper into the case, they uncover a sexually transmitted virus that transforms ordinary people into visions of physical perfection, but with terrifying consequences. Their path leads them directly into the crosshairs of "The Corporation", a shadowy tech billionaire who has secretly engineered a miracle drug dubbed "The Beauty," who will do anything to protect his trillion-dollar empire --including unleashing his lethal enforcer, "The Assassin". As the epidemic spreads, Jeremy, a desperate outsider, is caught in the chaos, searching for purpose as the agents race across Paris, Venice, Rome and New York to stop a threat that could alter the future of humanity."

The Beauty is available to stream on Disney+.

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is a comedy thriller series created by Lisa McGee. It follows a trio of lifelong friends who reunite after the death of an old classmate sparks a mystery. They take it upon themselves to piece together the truth by adventuring across Ireland. The series has amassed an impressive 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is a definite must-watch.

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is available to stream on Netflix.

Industry is a financial thriller drama television series created by former investment bankers Mickey Down and Konrad Ka. It follows the personal and professional lives of a group of young graduates who join a prestigious investment bank in London. The latter series follows their careers and expands the narrative to encompass the wider UK financial sector and its governing bodies. It features an ensemble cast led by Myha'la, Marisa Abela, Ken Leung, Sagar Radia and Kit Harington in later instalments. The series has an incredible 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with one viewer describing it as "unmissable".