Taylor Sheridan fans are on top of the world right now after the neo-Western scribe has delivered several new shows to start the year. Sheridan got the ball rolling with a new Yellowstone spin-off, Marshals, which brought back Luke Grimes to play Kayce Dutton now that he’s left ranch life behind. Around the same time that Marshals was unleashed into the world via CBS, Paramount Plus subscribers were also treated to the first season of The Madison, the heartfelt neo-Western led by Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer. The Madison has already been picked up for second and third seasons, so the show isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Sheridan has a few other shows set to return later this year, including Tulsa King (starring Sylvester Stallone) and Mayor of Kingstown (starring Jeremy Renner), but they all fall under the shadow of his biggest hit since Yellowstone.

When it comes to TV shows, few networks have the same level of stacked lineup as NBC, which has been producing the top hits for years now. The first group of shows that come to mind are those that operate under the One Chicago banner, Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, and Chicago Med. The trio of interweaving procedurals were all written and created for TV by Derek Haas, who also recently penned Countdown, the Jensen Ackles-led crime thriller on Prime Video. The series was tragically canceled after only one season, but having the One Chicago series to fall back on certainly helped soften the blow for Haas. NBC is also responsible for the highly popular Law & Order franchise, which has been on the air for the better part of the last 35 years.

It’s taken years, but Harlan Coben has quietly become one of the most legendary writers of crime fiction in the world. Coben’s work has become so popular that he was recruited to star in an unscripted series, Harlan Coben’s Final Twist, which follows the author as he exposes shocking murder and scandals that peel back layers of deceit. The show aired earlier this year in January, and it was such a success that it was picked up for Season 2, though it’s unclear at this time when it will be released. Coben’s first project of 2026 was Run Away, the Netflix original crime thriller starring James Nesbitt and Minnie Driver. Run Away went toe-to-toe with Stranger Things Season 5 at the time of airing, and Coben will have a chance to keep the momentum soon with another binge-worthy Netflix series.

Both Marvel and DC have plenty of popular superheroes, but each brand has a few that stand head and shoulders above the rest. For Marvel, some of its biggest heroes include Spider-Man and Wolverine, and, more recently, Iron Man. Over at DC, the biggest superhero by a wide margin is Batman, who is confirmed to return in a new sequel movie next year. James Gunn is also developing a new Batman movie set to be directed by Andy Muschietti (The Flash), but it’s been years since it was announced and no casting or production timeline has been revealed. Batman is such a popular character that even his villains and sidekicks can be considered some of DC’s most popular superheroes — HBO released a full Penguin spin-off starring Colin Farrell that swept the Emmys last year with nine wins.

Few animated franchises have endured as long as Ice Age without ever crossing over into live-action. The first Ice Age movie released all the way back in 2002, and while it may not have aged as well as you remember, it’s still widely considered one of the best animated movies ever made. It was four years later that stars such as Ray Romano and John Leguizamo returned for the 2006 sequel, Ice Age: The Meltdown, which grossed over $660 million at the box office, proving worthy of its $80 million budget. Three more films were released theatrically in 2009, 2012, and 2016, and while most fans thought that the time of Ice Age was finished, Disney has been working on another installment for years now, Ice Age: Boiling Point, which is coming to theaters around the world on February 5, 2027.

Over the last few years, Alan Ritchson has quietly become one of the most popular action stars working in Hollywood today. This is largely due to his role in Reacher, the hit Prime Video show with three full seasons already out and a fourth on the way later this year. Prime Video is so sure that Reacher Season 4 is going to be a smash hit — Ritchson has already promised that it’s by far the best season of the show yet — that it’s been picked up for Season 5 before Season 4 even has a premiere date. Ritchson has also expanded into movies recently with hits like The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which was directed by Guy Ritchie. Earlier this year, Ritchson headlined the biggest Netflix sci-fi thriller of 2026, War Machine, which has scored over 125 million views.

Marvel may have some of the most popular characters in comic book history, but where the brand has really shone is with its teams. One of the first that comes to mind is Marvel’s First Family, aka The Fantastic Four, who have headlined several feature films and hundreds of comics over the years. The Avengers have also become one of Marvel’s biggest cash cows in recent years, particularly thanks to the rise of the team during the early days of the MCU’s Infinity Saga. There is, however, another Marvel team that stands above the rest as the most popular in comic book history: The X-Men.

Prime Video has had a big year in 2026 so far with new releases for some of its most popular shows, including both Invincible and The Boys. Prime Video subscribers are also on the lookout for the fourth season of Reacher, which is confirmed to premiere before the end of this year, but it’s still lacking an official premiere date. The show stars towering action icon Alan Ritchson, and Prime Video has so much faith in the series to perform that it’s already been picked up for Season 5. Reacher has become such a success that other platforms have attempted to recreate the show’s magic — Netflix has landed on The Night Agent as its closest replacement for the series. The hit conspiracy thriller stars Gabriel Basso, and while Netflix did renew it for another season, the streamer has confirmed that it will be the final season of the show.

An Oscar has evaded Josh Brolin so far to this point in his career, but that doesn’t take anything away from what he’s accomplished as one of the most prominent actors working in Hollywood today. It’s been almost 20 years, but Brolim has been nominated for an Oscar for his performance in the 2008 film Milk, which also stars Sean Penn. Most fans would agree that Brolin deserved a nomination for his performance in the CoenBrothers-directed Western, No Country for Old Men, but the spotlight shined brighter on his co-star, Javier Bardem, who won the Best Supporting Actor award that year. Brolin has also earned fame for his role as Gurney Halleck in the Dune franchise, but after playing a key role in the first two films, he will seemingly be absent from Dune: Part Three, which is coming to theaters later this year on December 18.

It hasn’t exactly been an ideal start to the year so far for Gerard Butler, who starred in one of the biggest box office bombs of the last few years. Butler re-teamed with Morena Baccarin (Deadpool) for Greenland 2: Migration, the sequel to their moderately successful disaster thriller that was released in 2020. Unfortunately, Greenland 2 struggled at the box office under the weight of its $90 million budget, failing to even gross $50 million by the end of its run. Butler fans were treated to some good news not long after the premiere of Greenland 2 when it was reported that Netflix had acquired the rights to his hit crime thriller, In the Hand of Dante, which also stars Oscar Isaac and Jason Momoa. Netflix has already released the first trailer for the film, which is coming to streaming later this year.

2026 hasn’t exactly been a picture-perfect start to the year for Jason Statham, especially after his first action movie bombed at the box office under the weight of its $50 million budget. Statham will have a chance at redemption this August for another action thriller, Mutiny, which co-stars Annabelle Wallis (Peaky Blinders). As part of our Exclusive Preview Event here at Collider, we recently debuted a hot new image from Mutiny ahead of its August 21 release date. Statham will also return to his signature role as Adam Clay early next year in The Beekeeper 2, which is a direct sequel to the 2024 action smash hit directed by David Ayer. Ayer is not returning to direct The Beekeeper 2 due to a prior commitment to helm Heart of the Beast, an action thriller starring Brad Pitt and J.K. Simmons.

It’s safe to say 2025 was one of the most successful years of Brad Pitt’s career. He starred in F1, which went on to become the highest-grossing movie of his career with over $600 million at the global box office. Following a successful run in theaters, F1 has gone on to become the most-watched movie on Apple TV by a mile, even outlasting newer arrivals like Eternity (starring Elizabeth Olsen). Pitt is also back in the spotlight in 2026 with the release of his new action-adventure movie, Heart of the Beast, which comes from director David Ayer. The film was recently set for release in theaters on September 25, and if it’s any indication about how good the cast and crew feel about it, David Ayer chose to work on Heart of the Beast over reuniting with Jason Statham for The Beekeeper 2.