The 12 Best ITV Shows of 2026, Ranked
From twisty detective dramas to enormous reality-TV events, these are the ITV and ITVX shows that have made 2026 worth watching.
ITV has given us a wonderfully difficult problem this year: deciding what to watch first. Perhaps you want a detective story that will occupy your entire weekend. Perhaps you want a glossy spy thriller, an unsettling true-crime drama, or a competition show you can enjoy with everyone in the room. In 2026, ITV has had an answer for all of those moods.
This ranking includes shows and new seasons released during 2026, not older favourites that happen to be available on ITVX. It also treats “best” as more than a viewing-figures contest. We have considered the strength of each premise, the appeal of its cast, the pleasure of actually spending time with it, and whether it offers something distinctive within ITV’s crowded schedule. That means a smartly constructed detective drama can sit beside a brilliantly watchable reality series. Both can earn their place; they simply give us different kinds of television nights.
The list is current to 25 September 2026. Streaming availability can change, but the ITVX links below take you directly to the relevant show pages. If you are here for mysteries, there are plenty. If you need a break from murder investigations, we have you covered too.
Love discovering your next watch? Support That Love Podcast, explore our latest podcast episodes, and read our guide to 2026’s binge-worthy crime and detective dramas. Brands interested in reaching fellow entertainment fans can also advertise with us.
Let’s count down the ITV shows that deserve a place on your watchlist.
12. The Floor
Sometimes the best television idea is one you can understand before the kettle has boiled. In The Floor, contestants take over territory by winning head-to-head trivia duels. Keep winning and your piece of the enormous studio floor grows; lose and somebody else claims it. Eighty-one players begin the contest, with £50,000 at stake.
Rob Brydon is an inspired host for this format. The rules provide enough strategy to make every decision matter, while his presence keeps the atmosphere playful rather than oppressively intense. You can dip in for one duel and find yourself unexpectedly invested in who controls half the board.
Why only No. 12? The format’s pleasure is immediate, but its contestants do not necessarily stay with you in the way the characters in ITV’s strongest dramas do. Still, when you want something lively, accessible and genuinely easy to watch with other people, this is an excellent choice. It also proves that ITV’s 2026 strengths extend well beyond crime fiction.
Best for: A low-commitment family viewing night with just enough strategy to spark an argument on the sofa.Where to watch: ITVX in the UK.
Want more recommendations for your next night in? Listen to That Love Podcast.
11. The Neighbourhood
Take the social manoeuvring of a reality competition, give it an entire purpose-built street, and ask its residents to live alongside the people they are trying to beat. That is the appeal of The Neighbourhood, Graham Norton’s 2026 ITV game show, in which households compete for a £250,000 prize.
The setting is the clever part. Contestants are not merely meeting for a challenge and disappearing until the next episode. Their relationships, alliances and irritations have room to develop in a shared community. The result is closer to a social experiment than a conventional quiz, and Norton is exactly the sort of host who can make its awkwardness entertaining without needing to manufacture excitement.
It does require more patience than The Floor: the fun comes from learning how the households interact, not from a single spectacular round. Give it an episode or two to establish the personalities. Once the street’s dynamics become clear, the competition gains a different sort of tension. ITV’s official introduction to the series offers more on the format.
Best for: Reality-TV fans who enjoy alliances, personality clashes and a competition with a distinctive setting.Where to watch: ITVX in the UK.
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10. Britain’s Got Talent — 2026 series
You know the format. Somebody walks onto a stage, the judges prepare to be impressed or disappointed, and the performance turns out to be something nobody in the room expected. That possibility is still the reason Britain’s Got Talent works.
The 2026 series earns its place because ITV’s biggest talent show remains genuinely communal television. A clever audition or surprising finalist gives people something to discuss the next morning, and the range of acts means an episode can change tone completely in a matter of minutes. It is also one of the few entries here that you can comfortably watch out of order: start with an audition, a semi-final or the final, according to your mood.
Of course, its greatest strength is also its limitation. Talent competitions can feel repetitive between their exceptional moments, and your enjoyment will depend partly on which acts connect with you. But when one does, there is still a particular pleasure in watching somebody get a huge stage and seize it.
Best for: Viewers who want a crowd-pleasing programme they can share across generations.Where to watch: ITV and ITVX in the UK.
For more picks beyond ITV, see our guide to the best streaming and TV shows of 2026 so far.
9. Love Island: All Stars — Series 3
Whether you love Love Island or insist you only hear about it through other people, you probably know its peculiar talent for turning a small romantic decision into an enormous event. The third series of Love Island: All Stars brought returning Islanders back to the South African villa for an extended six-week run in 2026.
That returning-cast premise is what makes All Stars different from the main show. These contestants arrive with histories, reputations and, sometimes, unfinished business. A conversation is rarely just a conversation when the audience already knows why two people might not trust each other. Maya Jama hosts, Iain Stirling supplies the commentary, and the familiar villa machinery gets to work.
This is not the place to look for subtle storytelling. It is the place to look for shifting loyalties, reality-TV spectacle and a show designed to be watched—and discussed—as it unfolds. ITV’s series-three announcement confirms its longer run. If you are coming to it late, expect a substantial binge.
Best for: Reality-TV viewers who enjoy romance, rivalries and the pleasure of having opinions about everybody.Where to watch: ITVX in the UK.
8. The Lady
A royal household, an extraordinary job, and a life that ends in a terrible crime: The Lady has the ingredients of a sensational drama. What makes its premise more interesting is the gulf between proximity to privilege and actually possessing power.
Mia McKenna-Bruce plays Jane Andrews, who worked as a dresser for Sarah Ferguson; Natalie Dormer portrays the Duchess of York. The story follows Andrews beyond the glamour suggested by that job and towards the killing of her partner, Thomas Cressman. Because these are real people and a real victim, it matters to approach the series as more than a palace-adjacent curiosity. The murder should not become a dramatic footnote to the celebrity connection.
For viewers, the strongest reason to watch is that uneasy contrast between public fascination and private devastation. The royal setting may draw you in, but the story asks what happens when identity becomes bound up with status and its loss. It is a more sombre recommendation than the competition shows above it, and one to choose when you are prepared for difficult subject matter.
Best for: Viewers interested in British true-crime drama and stories about class, status and public image.Where to watch: ITVX in the UK.
7. Betrayal
Spy thrillers often promise car chases and international conspiracies. Betrayal is more interested in how secrecy changes the people living closest to a spy. Shaun Evans leads this ITV drama, in which professional suspicion and strain at home become increasingly difficult to separate.
That is an appealing angle. An intelligence officer is trained to question appearances, conceal information and imagine threats; those habits are considerably less useful in a marriage. The series draws its tension from that overlap, making the domestic story part of the espionage rather than a pause between missions. The Royal Television Society’s feature on the show explores its interest in the ordinary people behind spy fiction.
It sits at No. 7 because its quieter approach will not satisfy everyone looking for a high-speed thriller. For viewers who prefer distrust, emotional consequences and the question of who can truly know another person, that restraint is precisely its attraction. Watch this one when you want tension that follows a character home.
Best for: Fans of character-driven espionage and troubled relationships.Where to watch: ITVX in the UK.
If the investigations are your favourite part of this list, bookmark our guide to the best cop shows streaming right now.
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6. The Blame
A murdered teenager ought to be the unquestioned focus of a police investigation. In The Blame, that case also exposes problems within the institution trying to solve it. Michelle Keegan plays DI Emma Crane opposite Douglas Booth’s DI Tom Radley in this six-part mystery.
The title gives away the series’ most interesting question without solving anything: when an investigation goes wrong, who decides where responsibility lies? That gives the detectives more to confront than a sequence of clues. They have a victim to seek justice for, colleagues to assess and an organisation whose priorities may complicate their work. ITV’s press material for the drama sets out that wider institutional premise.
This is a strong pick for a weekend because six episodes offer enough space for reversals without demanding a month of your life. Its appeal is not simply “who did it?” but whether the people tasked with finding out can do so honestly. Keegan and Booth give viewers a clear central pairing to follow through the uncertainty.
Best for: Mystery fans who want institutional stakes as well as an answer to the crime.Where to watch: ITVX in the UK.
You can also take our recommendations with you: listen to the latest That Love Podcast episodes. If your brand wants to join these conversations, find out about advertising with us.
5. The Dark
Landscape can make a crime drama memorable before anyone speaks. In The Dark, the Scottish setting gives a serial-killer investigation a feeling of exposure and isolation. Laura Donnelly plays DI Monica Kennedy, whose search leads her through a story designed to make the surrounding wilderness feel threatening rather than picturesque.
The show’s strongest selling point is its atmosphere. Some detective series invite you to solve a tidy puzzle from the safety of your sofa; this one promises a more unsettling journey, with the location shaping the mood as much as the case itself. Monica is the figure holding it together, an investigator viewers can follow into increasingly uncomfortable territory. ITV’s series information confirms Donnelly’s role and the six-part format.
That darkness is worth taking literally when deciding whether to watch. If you prefer cosy mysteries, start with Grace below. If you want a crime drama that makes the night outside your window feel a little less inviting, The Dark is the better choice. It earns its high ranking by offering a distinct mood rather than merely another investigation.
Best for: Viewers who like bleak settings, serial-killer mysteries and atmospheric British crime drama.Where to watch: ITVX in the UK.
4. Trigger Point — Series 4
Few TV jobs create suspense as efficiently as Lana Washington’s. Vicky McClure returns as the explosives officer in Trigger Point’s fourth series, and the basic appeal remains brutally effective: when Lana approaches a possible device, every movement suddenly matters.
The new run begins with a suspicious lorry in London and expands into another six-episode threat. The show knows that its most gripping moments do not require constant explosions. Often, the greater tension comes from waiting, assessing and knowing that a wrong call could harm the people nearby. McClure gives Lana the authority to carry those scenes, while the role’s personal cost prevents her from becoming merely an action hero. ITV’s Series 4 press pack provides the official setup.
There is a familiar rhythm to Trigger Point by its fourth outing, which keeps it just outside our top three. Yet familiarity can be a strength when the execution remains so immediately watchable. If you want an ITV drama that can make you hold your breath before the first ad break, this is the one.
Best for: A tense, fast-moving binge with a compelling returning lead.Where to watch: ITVX in the UK.
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3. Grace — Series 6
There is a particular comfort in returning to a detective who knows his city, trusts his closest colleague and still finds that every new case can surprise him. John Simm’s Roy Grace is that sort of lead, and Grace Series 6 gives viewers four feature-length investigations.
Richie Campbell returns as Glenn Branson, whose partnership with Grace is one of the show’s most reliable pleasures, while Zoë Tapper plays Cleo Morey. According to ITV’s Series 6 guide, the stories are “Left You Dead,” “Capture You Dead,” “Dead Man’s Game” and “One of Us Is Dead.” The feature-length format means you can treat each instalment as a movie-night mystery rather than racing through a conventional short episode.
Grace takes third place because it understands something that many procedurals forget: viewers come back for the people as well as the puzzle. You want the case to challenge Roy, but you also want to spend another evening with him and Branson. Newcomers can follow an individual investigation, though starting earlier will give those relationships more weight.
Best for: Fans of substantial detective mysteries with familiar characters and room to breathe.Where to watch: ITVX in the UK.
For more cases to queue up afterwards, see our guides to 2026 crime and detective dramas and Black-led police and detective shows.
2. Secret Service
What if the person an MI6 officer suspects of serving Russia is a British politician? That question drives Secret Service, a five-part thriller led by Gemma Arterton as Kate Henderson. Mark Stanley plays the politician at the centre of her investigation, while Rafe Spall appears as Kate’s husband.
The premise works because Kate cannot simply chase a suspect without considering the political consequences of being right—or wrong. Intelligence, public power and private loyalty all press against one another. Adapted from Tom Bradby’s novel, the drama has the satisfying shape of a compact thriller: five episodes are enough to complicate the situation, but short enough to keep its central question urgent. ITV’s interview and introduction offers useful background without requiring you to know the book.
Arterton makes this an especially attractive recommendation if you prefer your spies to be thinkers first and action figures second. Secret Service narrowly misses our top spot, but it may be the easiest choice here for somebody asking, “What can I start tonight and finish this weekend?”
Best for: A compact, politically charged spy binge with a strong central performance.
Where to watch: ITVX in the UK.
Before our No. 1 pick, you can find more viewing ideas—and plenty to listen to between episodes—at That Love Podcast.
1. Gone
A woman disappears. Her husband becomes the prime suspect. The detective investigating him must work out whether she is seeing a guilty man or somebody trapped inside the worst moment of his life. Gone takes a familiar mystery premise and gives it the two performers needed to make every exchange count.
David Morrissey plays headmaster Michael Polly, whose wife Sarah has vanished; Eve Myles plays the detective examining the case. The question of what happened to Sarah supplies the momentum, but the more compelling tension lies in watching suspicion spread. What does Michael’s behaviour reveal? Which impressions are evidence, and which are stories other people have decided to believe? How much can an investigator trust her own instincts when the personal and public narratives around a disappearance become so powerful?
That combination makes Gone our best ITV show of 2026. It offers the bingeability of a six-part mystery without reducing its characters to pieces on a clue board. Morrissey and Myles are excellent reasons to press play, and the central uncertainty makes it difficult to stop at one episode. ITV also reported that the drama became a major viewing success during its March run in its 2026 streaming update. Popularity alone would not put it at No. 1; the strength of the premise and pairing does.
Go in knowing as little as possible. The less you have decided about Michael before the investigation begins, the more satisfying the drama’s questions become.
Best for: Viewers who want one gripping ITV mystery to start tonight.
Where to watch: ITVX in the UK.
Final verdict: What should you watch first?
If you want just one recommendation, make it Gone. It delivers the psychological uncertainty, strong performances and “one more episode” pull that make a television mystery irresistible. Pick Secret Service if political espionage is more your thing, or Grace if you want a dependable detective and four substantial cases.
For a different kind of evening, The Floor is the easiest show to put on with friends or family; Love Island: All Stars is the one to choose when the conversation around a show is half the fun. That range is the story of ITV in 2026. Its best television has not asked us all to watch in the same way.
Enjoyed the guide? Support That Love Podcast and listen to our latest episodes. You can also advertise with us to reach readers who love finding their next great show.
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If ITV has been dominating your watchlist this year, these related guides are perfect for finding more gripping dramas, detective stories, and binge-worthy British television:
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When you are ready to swap television for audio, explore original romance, comedy, and drama on That Love Podcast.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best ITV show of 2026?
Our pick is Gone, the six-part psychological mystery starring David Morrissey and Eve Myles. Its missing-person premise makes it immediately gripping, while the uncertainty surrounding its main suspect gives viewers more to discuss than a simple whodunit. If you would rather watch espionage than a disappearance, start with our runner-up, Secret Service.
What is the best ITV detective show of 2026?
For a returning detective series, choose Grace Series 6. John Simm’s Roy Grace leads four feature-length investigations, making it particularly good for viewers who prefer a complete case in an evening. If you want a new, darker mystery, try The Dark or The Blame. All three are listed on ITVX.
Are all 12 shows on ITVX?
ITV provides ITVX pages for the shows in this guide, and each entry links to its relevant page. What you can actually stream may depend on your location, account and any future catalogue changes, so check the linked listing before settling in. ITVX is primarily intended for UK viewers; readers elsewhere should check local distributors.
Which ITV show should I watch with my family?
Start with The Floor if you want a straightforward, lively quiz competition that encourages everyone to join in. Britain’s Got Talent is another strong communal choice, especially if your group enjoys performance shows. Always check individual programme guidance: several dramas and reality shows on this list contain adult material.
Which ITV show is best for a weekend binge?
Secret Service has an especially manageable five-episode run and a single central espionage question to pull you through it. Gone and The Blame each offer six-part mysteries. If you prefer separate cases to one long serial, the feature-length instalments of Grace let you decide how many stories to watch.
Do I need to watch earlier series of Grace or Trigger Point?
Starting earlier will make the returning characters and their relationships more rewarding. That is particularly true of Trigger Point, whose central character carries the consequences of previous events. An individual Grace investigation is easier to approach on its own because its cases have a feature-length structure, though Roy and Branson’s partnership benefits from familiarity.
Is The Lady a fictional story?
The Lady dramatises the life of Jane Andrews, who worked for Sarah Ferguson, and the killing of Andrews’s partner, Thomas Cressman. It features actors portraying real people; it is not a documentary. If you watch, it is worth remembering the real loss behind the drama rather than treating the royal connection as its whole story.
What is the best ITV reality show of 2026?
It depends on the experience you want. Love Island: All Stars Series 3 is the pick for romance, existing relationships and dramatic social shifts. The Neighbourhood offers a more unusual communal competition, while The Floor is the simplest show to enjoy without a large time commitment. Our ranking puts All Stars highest of the three.
What is the shortest drama on this list?
Secret Service runs for five episodes, making it the most compact of our top drama recommendations. Several others, including Gone, The Blame, The Dark and Trigger Point Series 4, have six-episode runs. Grace Series 6 has four instalments, but each is feature-length, so its total viewing time is a different proposition.
Are these the most-watched ITV shows of 2026?
No. This is an editorial ranking of the best shows to watch, not an audience-size chart. Big entertainment programmes can attract enormous audiences, while a drama may rank higher here because of its performances, storytelling or distinctiveness. If you want official audience and streaming updates, ITV publishes them through its Press Centre.
More places to find great movies and TV shows
For cast and episode information, visit IMDb. For a sense of critical reception, try Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic. TV Guide can help with viewing choices, while Entertainment Weekly, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter cover television news. For official UK availability and programme details, begin with ITVX.
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