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Michael Block is a 14 time GLAM Award nominated writer, producer, and host of the podcast Block Talk. Throughout his time in the entertainment industry, he has worked on and off Broadway as a stage manager, written several produced plays, critiqued hundreds of theatrical performances, drag and cabaret shows, and has produced events randing from drag competitoons to variety concerts!
On Block Talk, he interviews nightlife personalities, covers the wide world of entertainment through features, ranking episodes, and recaps ALL of Drag Race, as well as Dragula and Survivor. He has interviewed hundreds of RuGirls that span the globe at DragCon NYC, DragCon LA, and DragCon UK.
In his free time, he makes one-of-a-kind jewelry and gift baskets with his mom. He is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.
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The calendar year of 2026 is filled to the brim with extraordinary titles. From returning favorites to new series, TV fans are about to watch more TV than they're prepared for as new release dates and windows are revealed. When it comes to the science fiction genre, 2026 is shaping up to be something incredible.
From superheroes to spin-offs to original stories, the world of sci-fi TV has much to be excited about. This year, expect to see Michelle Yeoh jump into another sci-fi TV thriller on Blade Runner 2099, prepare yourself for Kong on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and watch the end of an era as The Boys come to a close.
13 'Blade Runner 2099'
Season 1
Image via Abaca Press/INSTARimagesThe epic Blade Runner franchise is getting a new addition to the family with the upcoming Prime Video series, Blade Runner 2099. Based on Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the new entry is created by Silka Luisa. Serving as a sequel to Blade Runner 2049, the series follows Cora (Hunter Schafer), a fugitive replicant, and Olwen (Yeoh), an aging Blade Runner, as they team up to protect her brother. This mission leads them into a conspiracy that threatens the city as it struggles to rebuild.
According to series star Tom Burke, Blade Runner 2099 is "much closer to the aesthetic of the first movie than the second movie." Set 50 years following the events of the second film, Burke noted that the series dives into "what makes somebody human and what makes somebody not human. Or when does somebody cross some threshold. Can we really have a full sense of humanity without being very aware of our own dual sides?" Though there is no official release date, the window is for the 2026 calendar year.
12 'Star City'
Season 1
Image via Apple TVAfter four seasons, For All Mankind is finally getting its long-awaited spin-off, Star City, on screen. Starring Rhys Ifans, the science fiction drama puts the focus on the Soviet Union as audiences ponder "what if" through their eyes. Following the same timeline as its predecessor, Star City is a propulsive, paranoid thriller that returns audiences to the pivotal moment in the alt-history retelling of the space race — when the Soviet Union became the first nation to put a man on the moon. But this time, we explore the story from behind the Iron Curtain, showing the lives of the cosmonauts, the engineers, and the intelligence officers embedded among them in the Soviet space program, and the risks they all took to propel humanity forward.
Back in 2024, series creator Richard D. Moore revealed to Collider that learning more about Russia's activities at the time helped to inform the series. "It was pretty ballsy stuff that they did. The spacecraft were not quite as reliable as ours were; they lost a lot of good people on them. The conditions were tough. They also had things like the KGB being around and hanging out in mission control, so there’s a lot of espionage and Cold War kind of environments that you're dealing with in that particular show." In addition to Ifans, the cast will feature a large ensemble including Anna Maxwell Martin, Solly McLeod, Agnes O'Casey, Alice Englert, Adam Nagaitis, Josef Davies, and Ruby Ashbourne Serkis.
11 'Neuromancer'
Season 1
The television adaptation of William Gibson's 1984 novel Neuromancer is finally arriving in 2026. Created by Graham Roland and J. D. Dillard, the 10-episode series follows damaged hacker Case (Callum Turner), who is thrust into digital espionage and a web high-stakes crime alongside Molly (Briana Middleton) as they pull a heist on a corporate dynasty. A cyberpunk thriller, Neuromancer has been on fans' radars since the series was announced in 2024.
In addition to Turner and Middleton, the cast will be rounded out by Emma Laird, Peter Sarsgaard, Joseph Lee, Mark Strong, and Clémence Poésy. Laird spoke to Collider about wrapping up filming, stating her praise for the project. "They've managed to capture what is in the source material really, really well. There are a lot of characters. It's very complex. It's a very confusing book, but I think somehow bringing that onto the screen helps tell that story maybe a bit more clearly," she said. Though there is no official release date yet, fans are waiting for the cyberpunk revolution.
10 '3 Body Problem'
Season 2
Image via NetflixAfter a long wait, Netflix is giving more details about the mind-blowing hit series 3 Body Problem. Although no official release date has been announced, the highly anticipated return is scheduled for this calendar year. Created by David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo, the mind-bending series follows a fictional past, present, and future wherein Earth encounters an alien civilization from a nearby system of three Sun-like stars orbiting one another, a representative example of the three-body problem in orbital mechanics.
The complex thriller is based on Liu Cixen's Remembrance of Earth's Past book series. The "Oxford Five" — Jovan Adepo, John Bradley, Elza Gonzalez, Jess Hong, and Alex Sharp — are expected to return for the upcoming season, as well as new additions to the cast, including Alfie Allen, David Yip, and Jordan Sunshine. It had been previously reported that both Season 2 and Season 3 would be filming back-to-back. This may mean a shorter wait between seasons, which would make the fans rejoice!
9 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters'
Season 2
Image via Apple TVThe battle is about to get bigger in Season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. For the new season, the fate of Monarch — and the world — hangs in the balance. The dramatic saga returns as buried secrets that reunite our heroes and villains on Kong’s Skull Island, and a new, mysterious village where a mythical Titan rises from the sea. The ripple effects of the past make waves in the present day, blurring the bonds between family, friend, and foe — all with the threat of a Titan event on the horizon.
Connected to the hit films, Legendary's Monsterverse is an expansive cross-platform story universe centered on humanity's battle to survive in a world facing a catastrophic new reality — the monsters of our myths and legends are real. The series stars Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski, alongside Wyatt Russell and Kurt Russell, who share a role playing the younger and older versions of the character Lee Shaw. Apple TV announced at the end of 2025 that a spin-off, starring and executive produced by Wyatt Russell, will be created by Joby Harold, who will also oversee Legendary’s entire Monsterverse franchise for Apple TV, featuring both new and fan-favorite Titans.
8 'The Testaments'
Season 1
Image via HuluIf you're needing a fix after the finale of The Handmaid's Tale, fret not, the newest series adapted from Margaret Atwood's work is coming soon. Created by Bruce Miller, The Testaments is set five years following the finale of the previous series. The series is a coming-of-age story that finds a new generation of young women in Gilead grappling with the bleak future that awaits them. With nothing but life in Gilead as they knew, and facing the prospect of being married off and living in servitude, they will be forced to seek allies, both new and old, to help them fight for freedom and the life they deserve.
"It's about growing up Gilead," Miller stated, speaking to Deadline. "It feels like exactly the opposite world. These are…the most precious girls in Gilead. And yet you start to realize they're walking a plank as well, just like the Handmaids. Hannah has to deal with the June inside of her, [and] all of a sudden she starts to feel mighty, mighty, mighty rebellious." Rising star Chase Infiniti leads the cast as Agnes Mackenzie, with Lucy Halliday, Rowan Blanchard, and Ann Dowd returning as Aunt Lydia Clements. Fans of the original series and the books can expect The Testaments to drop in April.
7 'The Beauty'
Season 1
Image via FXThe hype is quite high for the next Ryan Murphy series simply for the campy, chaotic disaster that was All's Fair. While some are coming to see if it's equally bad, others are impressed by the concept of The Beauty. Based on the comic book written by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley, the series depicts a sexually transmitted treatment known as "the Beauty" as it spreads rapidly, granting users physical attractiveness through aesthetic-based genetic makeup while concealing lethal side effects that begin to overtake their lives. As deaths and public panic escalate, an FBI investigation and competing interests converge on the forces behind the drug and the epidemic it sparks.
The sci-fi horror series tends to blend genres that Murphy has explored before in American Horror Story and Nip/Tuck. The creator previously shared with Variety that the series poses the question, "How far would you go to be beautiful? What would you sacrifice to that, and does that matter?" He added that it is his take on "Ozempic culture." The main cast is set to include a mix of Murphy veterans and Hollywood faithfuls, including Evan Peters, Anthony Ramos, Jeremy Pope, Ashton Kutcher, Rebecca Hall, and Isabella Rossellini. The series kicks off on January 21.
6 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy'
Season 1
Image via Paramount+Hoping to make up from the flop that was Star Trek: Section 31 comes the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The new series follows the first new class of Starfleet cadets in over a century as they come of age and train to be officers. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves, and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself. Created by Gaia Violo for Paramount+, the latest entry into the franchise has already earned high praise.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy features a large ensemble cast, including Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti. Hunter, speaking to CBS News, acknowledged the legacy of joining the Star Trek franchise. Further, though she was not a Trekkie herself, she acknowledged that her first exposure to the franchise was watching it with her father. She noted that the show balances nuanced storytelling with humor and heart, in which the new cadets welcome a new generation to the franchise. The new series is set to debut on January 15 with new episodes dropping weekly.
5 'Paradise'
Season 2
Image via HuluAfter an explosive and twisty first season, it's time to head back to Paradise. Created by Dan Fogelman, the second season will follow Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) as he leaves the bunker for the outside world. On his journey, Xavier learns how people survived the three years since The Day. Meanwhile, inside the bunker, the social structure frays, and new secrets about the city emerge as they deal with the immediate aftermath. As seen in the season teaser trailer, Xavier emerges from the wreckage of a plane, with voice-overs hinting that he is searching for his wife, Teri (Enuka Okuma), in the outside world.
The Hulu series took television by storm, becoming an instant hit. Since its premiere, Paradise has earned multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations. The cast of Season 2 will include Brown, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Krys Marshall, Enuka Okuma, and Charlie Evans, with recurring guest stars James Marsden, Shailene Woodley, Thomas Doherty, and Jon Beavers. The new season kicks off with a two-episode premiere on Monday, February 23.
4 'Lanterns'
Season 1
Image via HBOWith its recent run of successful TV series, DCU is coming for the MCU's gig! The next series to join the growing roster is Lanterns. The third series in the DCU will focus on the Green Lanterns, intergalactic peacekeepers who wear rings that give them extraordinary powers. The series follows experienced Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as he's in training to replace Hal. They investigate a murder in Nebraska, which leads them to darker mysteries and reckonings. Set up similarly to a detective series, Lanterns is set to drop in mid-2026. James Gunn intends to run the new series around the same time as Supergirl.
Officially a part of DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, the series is created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, with Mundy serving as showrunner. One of the show's stars spoke highly of the project, telling Esquire, "It's been a long time coming for many fans and supporters. And I truly hope with all my heart that we make everybody proud." In addition to Chandler and Pierre, Lanterns will also feature Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Laura Linney, and Nathan Fillion, who will be reprising his role of Guy Gardner from last summer's blockbuster, Superman.
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