In the first part of the DQ100 2026/27, we pick out a range of shows to tune in for and the actors, directors and writers making them, as well as some of the trends and trailblazers worth catching up with.
ACTORS
Susana Abaitua
The Goya-winning star leads HBO Max’s Spanish drama Infamia, which is based on the novel by Ledicia Costas. In the show, filmed between Madrid and the Basque province of Bisacay, she plays Emma Cruz, a tenacious lawyer in the midst of an existential crisis who becomes obsessed with an unsolved case: the mysterious disappearance of two girls 20 years earlier. What begins as professional curiosity soon becomes a dangerous fixation, fuelled by her own trauma: the tragic death of her sister when they were children, a loss for which she has always felt responsible. In her quest to unearth unspeakable secrets hidden beneath the suffocating and claustrophobic facade of the town, Emma will have to confront her worst demons, while her relentless search will place her in the crosshairs of those willing to do anything necessary to keep the truth hidden. The screenplay is by Manuel Gancedo and Eduardo Torallas, while Agustina Macri (Miss Carbón, Soledad) and Beatriz Sanchís (Nacho, Aquel) direct. Due to air in 2026, the show is produced by Evafilms.
Rosalie Craig
Having fronted the titular rock band in Sally Wainwright’s Riot Women, Craig is now leading a cohort of guest stars joining the cast of BBC drama Sherwood for its third season. Filming in Nottinghamshire, the series returns to the former mining community of Ashfield where the Wood family is the picture of working-class respectability – pillars of the community, volunteers at the local church – with Zoe Wood (Craig), in particular, a passionate campaigner on behalf of her town. When the discovery of a body leads a trail back to her family, the Woods are forced to look back into the past as events conspire to uncover more buried secrets for the family and wider community alike. Joe Dempsie and Kirby Howell-Baptiste are also among the new faces joining James Graham’s series, which is produced by House Productions and distributed by BBC Studios.
Jisoo
A global pop icon as one of the members of K-pop phenomenon Blackpink, Jisoo also established herself as an actor with her breakout role in South Korean series Snowdrop, the story of a man who escaped from a political prison camp in North Korea. She followed up that project with roles in feature films Dr Cheon & the Lost Talisman and Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy, as well as zombie drama series Newtopia. The recipient of this year’s Madame Figaro Rising Star Award at Canneseries, Jisoo will now star in Netflix drama Boyfriend on Demand, a romcom set in the world of virtual reality. In the show, webtoon producer Mi-rae escapes the real world through a simulation programme and finds the boyfriend of her dreams.
Martin Matte
Québécois stand-up comedian and actor Matte has starred in long-running series such as hidden-camera comedy Caméra Café and comedy-drama Les beaux malaises, in which he plays a fictional version of himself. He’s also taken inspiration from his own life for his latest series, Vitrerie Joyal (The Glass House), which he co-writes and stars in as André Joyal, a character based on his father. Here, André is the owner of a glass shop and factory, and attempts to save his declining business while facing up to major family challenges in an ever-changing world. Set in 1990s Québec, the Prime Video series is produced by Encore Télévision and Matte TV for Amazon MGM Studios, with Encore also handling distribution.
David Oyelowo
The Selma, Silo, Lawman: Bass Reeves and Les Misérables star will step into the boots of pirate Long John Silver for a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Described as a bold, high-stakes coming-of-age adventure series for a new generation, it charts the transformation of teenager Jim Hawkins (Tom Sweet) from sheltered boy to emboldened young pirate. When Jim gets his hands on a legendary treasure map, his mother Bess (Hayley Atwell)’s clever and decisive actions leave him holding valuable knowledge that puts both of their lives in danger. Sailing aboard the Hispaniola, Jim and Bess are then caught between the charming, terrifying pirate Long John Silver and the debonair, duplicitous British agent Aaron Graham (Jack Huston) as Jim confronts a world far more complex and dangerous than he ever imagined. The Paramount+ (UK & Ireland) and MGM+ (US) series is produced by Playground, with Fifth Season distributing.
DIRECTORS
Stefan Golaszewski
A writer who got his big break with comedy Him & Her and Mum, two-time Bafta winner Golaszewski stepped into directing his own work on his second major series, Mum, which starred Lesley Manville as a widow attempting to rebuild her life while surrounded by her problematic family. He then wrote and directed all four episodes of Marriage, which follows Sean Bean and Nicola Walker as a couple dealing with the ups and downs of their 30-year marriage. His latest project is six-parter Babies, which he writes and directs. It maintains Golaszewski’s slow-burn, funny, moving and bittersweet approach to storytelling, this time focusing on a couple in their 30s whose hope is tested when they suffer a series of devastating miscarriages. Starring Paapa Essiedu and Siobhán Cullen, it is produced by Snowed-In Productions and The Money Men Studios. All3Media International distributes.
Sam Miller
Miller (A Gentleman in Moscow, Luther) is reuniting with previous DQ100 entrant Michaela Coel on the actor and writer’s latest project, First Day on Earth, following their collaboration behind the camera on her acclaimed drama I May Destroy You. Commissioned by the BBC and HBO, First Day on Earth stars Coel as British-Ghanaian novelist Henri, who is on the run – from herself, her life, her partner and that weird guy at her book talk. When she ends up in Ghana, her ancestral homeland, she finds herself submerged in an altogether different world. Amid new friends, fresh joy and many different and nuanced relationships, Henri also finds secrets, lies, difficulty and denial – leading her to question everything about herself, her heritage and her family. Created and written by Coel, it is produced by Various Artists Limited and FALKNA, in association with A24. The cast will also include Thandiwe Newton, Maxine Peake, Danny Sapani and Ncuti Gatwa.
Davíð Óskar Ólafsson
Ólafsson (The Valhalla Murders, Trom) directs Hollywood stars Leslie Bibb (The White Lotus) and Anna Chlumsky (Veep) in Cold War thriller Top of the Rock, which is set to be filmed in Iceland later this year. Set in 1983, amid escalating paranoia, the series follows Captain Diane Goodman (Bibb), a US Military Police investigator, and MP Sarah Ellis (Chlumsky), both stationed at the NATO base in Keflavík, after an American soldier is found dead under suspicious circumstances outside the base. Forced to work closely with the Icelandic police, Goodman and Ellis uncover a web of espionage, betrayal and political deceit. Trapped between duty and diplomacy, they must navigate a dangerous network of secrets before more lives are lost. The series comes from Truenorth, Mystery Productions and Vertu. Ólafsson created the series with Jón Atli Jónasson (Arctic Circle) and co-creator Ragnar Jónsson (Black Sands), and directs all six episodes.
Esra and Patrick Phul
The married writer-directors are behind fantasy-drama series All Heroes Are Bastards, an action-packed, stylistic series set in a futuristic, radically divided Cologne, with deepening social division that targets migrant communities. Malik, Dina and Hamza are three unlikely heroes who discover a mysterious artefact that grants them extraordinary powers. When children are suddenly taken from their neighbourhood and separated from their families, the trio join forces to find and rescue them. At the same time, they are forced to confront systemic oppression – and choose between personal revenge or becoming the last hope for a community fighting a corrupt regime. The cast includes Kebir Sargin, David Mayonga, Funda Bostanlik and Pegah Ferydoni. The show is produced by Picture Me Rollin and bildundtonfabrik for ARD Degeto Film in Germany, with Global Constellation holding global distribution rights.
Lea Thompson
Thompson is best known as an actor, most notably for playing Lorraine McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy and for leading roles in Caroline in the City and Switched at Birth. She has also been a director for more than 20 years, but directs a series pilot for the first time with her new project. It’s also a deeply personal job for Thompson, who had been developing crime drama Anna Pigeon, based on the novels by Nevada Barr, for a decade before USA Network and Canada’s Bell Media commissioned a 10-part series. Tracy Spiridakos plays Anna, a former city slicker who leaves her job as a New York theatre stage manager to become a park ranger after a devastating loss changes her life forever. As Anna tries to outrun her demons, her focus turns to solving crimes that have taken place within national park grounds, no matter who or what gets in her way. Cineflix, December Films and Seven24 Films are producing, with Cineflix Rights handling international distribution.
WRITERS
Ole Bornedal
The Nightwatch and 1864 writer-director has boarded The Sound, a series adaptation of Conny Palmkvist’s Second World War novel The Elsinore Crossing. Bornedal will develop the script from the book’s real events to blend 1940-43 occupation history with a storyline set in 2010. The Sound follows journalist Neville Parker, who arrives in Helsingør in 2010 to report on a forgotten 1964 Hamlet production at Kronborg Castle, only to uncover the story of unknown 92-year-old Christian Larsen, a former policeman, whose diaries reveal his pivotal role in Denmark’s extraordinary 1943 civilian rescue of 95% of its Jewish population by rowing them across to Sweden. In 1943, a group of four ordinary men – a bookbinder, a police officer, a rookie cop, and a journalist – masterminded 142 perilous nighttime crossings of the Øresund Strait, ferrying refugees to safety. The show is produced by Finite Films & TV in association with Shoni Productions.
Chris Brancato
He’s investigated Narcos, met the Godfather of Harlem and stayed at Hotel Cocaine. Now US showrunner Brancato is heading back in time to 1980s New York for The Westies, a crime drama revolving around the city’s infamously violent Irish gang of the same name. When the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente with the Five Families of the Italian Mafia. But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the mafia. Brancato created the series with Michael Panes for MGM+, which will air it in the US, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Colombia. Fifth Season has global distribution rights.
Damon Lindelof
The Leftovers creator is back in the showrunner’s chair for the first time since HBO’s 2019 graphic novel adaptation Watchmen with his latest project The Chain, an adaptation of Adrian McKinty’s novel of the same name. Also for HBO – the first project under the two-year overall deal he signed with the network in September 2025 – it is said to be an expansion of the book that follows a mother who is told the only way to recover her kidnapped child is to abduct someone else’s. Media Res is producing. Lindelof is also one of the co-creators behind HBO’s upcoming Lanterns, based on the DC Comics Green Lantern characters Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). Global peacekeepers with rings that give them extraordinary powers, veteran Lantern Hal and new recruit John investigate a murder in Nebraska, leading them into a dark mystery. Lanterns is due to premiere this August.
Caroline O’Donoghue
Irish author and columnist O’Donoghue is bringing her own novel, The Rachel Incident, to Channel 4, writing all eight episodes of a story about friends, lovers and Ireland in chaos – and a young woman desperately trying to manage all three. In Cork in 2010, Rachel (Máiréad Tyers) is a student working at a bookstore when she meets James (Ellis Howard), and it’s love at first sight. Effervescent and insistently heterosexual, James soon invites Rachel to be his roommate, and the two begin a friendship that changes the course of both their lives forever. When Rachel admits to a huge crush on her married professor, Dr Fred Byrne (Daniel Ings), James helps her devise a launch for his new book at the store, with the hope that she might seduce him afterwards… But Fred, as it turns out, has other desires. So begins a series of secrets and compromises that intertwine the fates of James, Rachel, Fred, and Fred’s wife Deenie (Sarah Greene), an incredibly cool and well-connected literary editor. UCP is producing with Element Pictures, in association with Pageboy Productions. NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution is handling international sales.
Ava Pickett
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast and The Great writer Pickett is adapting her award-winning stage play, 1536, as an eight-part, 30-minute series for the BBC. Set in the heart of Tudor England against the backdrop of Anne Boleyn’s arrest, it centres on Anna, Mariella and Jane: three young women gossiping, arguing and dreaming in an Essex village, desperately waiting for their lives to start. When the news reaches them that King Henry VIII has had his Queen, Boleyn, arrested, the three women never suspect this event will change their lives forever as they try to hold on to their friendship while navigating marriage, relationships, betrayals and births against a rising tide of puritanism and misogyny. Drama Republic is producing.
SERIES
Careless
A gripping and provocative thriller commissioned by Australia’s Stan, in association with the UK’s Channel 4, Careless follows Scottish backpacker Robbie (Solly McLeod) in Sydney, where he becomes the live-in carer for a notorious rock ‘n’ roll legend. But as he grows closer to Mike (Richard Roxburgh), he also grows closer to Mike’s wife Angela (Robyn Malcolm) and becomes their confidante. Soon, it becomes clear there’s something in Robbie’s past that means Mike and Angela could be in serious danger. Created by Helen Fitzgerald and Louise Fox, the series is produced by Easy Tiger Productions and Synchronicity Films. All3Media International is the distributor.
God of War
Ryan Hurst and Callum Vinson play Kratos and Atreus respectively in this live-action adaptation of the hit, ancient mythology-themed PlayStation title of the same name. The story follows the father-and-son pair as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of wife and mother Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human. The ensemble cast also includes Mandy Patinkin, Ed Skrein, Max Parker, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Teresa Palmer, Alastair Duncan, Jeff Gulka and Danny Woodburn as Brok. With a two-season order and Ronald D Moore (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica) showrunning, God of War is coproduced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions.
Morfeusz (Morpheus)
This action drama is the latest Polish series coming to European streamer SkyShowtime. It centres on Piotr Leyer, a lawyer who, through a tragic twist of fate, becomes the head of a criminal gang. When he assumes control of the organised crime group previously led by his brother – and before that, his father – it quickly becomes clear that the young Leyer fits remarkably well into the brutal world of crime. The cast is led by Andrzej Grabowski, Kamil Szeptycki, Mateusz Kmiecik and Sylwia Gola. Morpheus is directed by Maciej Migas and written by Michał Wawrzecki. TFP produces.
Royal Blood
Expected to begin shooting in early 2027, this epic royal drama is set to portray the dramatic power struggles between the Scandinavian royal houses during a time of profound geopolitical upheaval from 1807 to 1814. As Europe’s great powers collide, the series follows a small group of ambitious figures in Denmark, Norway and Sweden forced to navigate desire, loyalty, identity and ambition in a world where every personal choice carries national consequences. Produced by Miso Film, the six-part miniseries is the first ever scripted project backed by TV2 Norway, TV4 Sweden and TV2 Denmark, also known as the Scandi Alliance. It has been created by Nanna Westh, Erik Richter Strand, Monica Boracco and Katarina Launing, with Westh and director Strand as head writers. Fremantle is handling distribution.
The House of the Spirits
A magnificent family saga, this Chilean drama is the first Spanish-language television series based on the novel of the same name by Isabel Allende. Blending a multi-generational tale of a family living through the 20th century with elements of magical realism, The House of the Spirits centres on Clara, Blanca and Alba as they deal with family, secret loves and bloody revolution in a conservative South American country shaped by class struggle, political upheaval and magic. The Trueba family’s passions, struggles and secrets span a century of violent social change, culminating in a crisis that hurls proud, tyrannical patriarch Esteban and his beloved granddaughter Alba towards opposite sides of the fence. The show had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival this year and is produced by FilmNation Entertainment with Fabula for Prime Video.
TRENDS & TRAILBLAZERS
Detecting new drama
Dalziel & Pascoe and Lovejoy are among the British crime series being rebooted for modern audiences. Kerry Godliman and Nina Singh (pictured) will take the title roles in Dalziel & Pascoe, an ITV and BritBox crime drama that is a reimagining of the 1990s detective drama based on the books by Reginald Hill. The series centres on the relationship between seasoned Detective Inspector Andrea Dalziel (Godliman) and the newly qualified, by-the-book perfectionist Detective Sergeant Paige Pascoe (Singh). Despite their clashing methods, Dalziel and Pascoe work together to form a formidable partnership underscored by humour, heart and humanity. West Road Pictures is producing the six-part series, which is filming in the North of England in spring 2026. All3Media International is the distributor. Meanwhile, Slow Horses producer See-Saw Films has picked up the rights to Dr John Grant’s Lovejoy detective novels with a view to bringing the titular character back to the screen. A BBC Lovejoy series ran from 1986 to 1994, famously starring Ian McShane as the charismatic antiques dealer with an almost mystical knack for spotting genuine artefacts and scams.
Emergencia 53 (Emergency 53)
Due to air later in 2026 on Brazil’s Globoplay, this medical series claimed the first ever Studio Babelsberg Production Excellence Award at February’s Berlinale Series Market in recognition of its diverse cast and its “vibrant and complex” setting – one deeply rooted in the reality it portrays. Created and produced by Conspiração, it follows the daily lives and challenges of professionals working in a special mobile emergency response unit. It was created by Claudio Torres, Márcio Maranhão and Andrucha Waddington, who also shares directing duties with Torres. The screenplay is written by Torres and Fábio Mendes, while the cast includes Valentina Herszage, Heloisa Jorge, Yara de Novaes, Emílio Dantas, Ana Hikari, Jaffar Bambirra, Raquel Villar, William Nascimento and Emílio de Mello, with a special appearance by Fernanda Montenegro.
Erotic thrillers
TV is getting hot and steamy, with a raft of erotic thrillers spicing up the small screen. After a series based on the 1987 film Fatal Attraction aired on Paramount+ in 2023, starring Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan (pictured), upcoming shows in the genre include Teach Me, a Peacock series in development with Mandy Moore as a teacher who wields power over an impressionable but unreliable student; Hancock Park, a Netflix development project with Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page starring as charismatic outsider who invades the lives of a seemingly picture-perfect LA family; Dangerous Liaisons, a contemporary take on the 18th century novel being worked up by Nicôle Lecky (Mood) for Netflix; and Night Float, a drama adapted by Lila Raicek from her own play, Vertebrae, starring Nina Dobrev as a woman who becomes entangled with an older man.
Heated Rivalry
In the age of streaming, Heated Rivalry (also pictured top) is proof – if any were needed – that it is still possible to have a bonafide word-of-mouth smash hit, with this series conquering the globe since its release on Canada’s Crave and HBO in the US in November 2025. Based on Rachel Reid’s novel Game Changers, the romantic drama is set in the world of professional ice hockey, where rivals Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) are two of the biggest stars, bound by ambition, rivalry and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands. But what begins as a secret fling between two fresh-faced rookies evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial and self-discovery as the pair chase glory on the ice while struggling to navigate their feelings off it. Produced by Accent Aigu Entertainment, it is distributed internationally by Sphere Abacus.
Law & Order
It’s not even the longest running series in the storied franchise, but the original Law & Order series reached a major milestone when it returned for its 25th season in the 2025/26 US network season. From creator Dick Wolf, the show became familiar for its trademark cold open, during which a crime is discovered, before a pair of detectives investigate the case and then prosecutors attempt to secure a conviction. Each scene, of course, is punctuated by the show’s now familiar “dun, dun” sound effect. Starring George Dzundza, Chris Noth and Dan Florek, Law & Order debuted on NBC in 1990 and ran for 20 seasons until 2010, before it was pulled from the schedules. It was then revived in 2022 and now continues to air alongside spin-off Law & Order: SVU (airing since 1999) and Law & Order: Organised Crime (since 2021). The 25th anniversary was marked in January 2026 with a special two-hour crossover event with SVU.
tagged in: Ava Pickett, Careless, Caroline O’Donoghue, Chris Brancato, Damon Lindelof, Davíd Óskar Ólafsson, David Oyelowo, Emergência 53, Emergency 53, Esra Phul, God of War, Heated Rivalry, Law & Order, Lea Thompson, Martin Matte, Morfeusz, Morpheus, Ole Bornedal, Patrick Phul, Rosalie Craig, Royal Blood, Sam Miller, Susana Abaitua, The House of the Spirits
