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In an era where streaming platforms dominate the market and viewer habits are evolving with more access to older shows, the upcoming schedule for reboots and revivals in 2026 and beyond is stacked. Nobody can deny that we're witnessing a major boom when it comes to television reboots. Between the power of nostalgia and the ability to mitigate risk on screen, reboots are proven successes. Audiences who grew up loving shows that faded into the background as they grew up now have the chance to revisit characters they've missed on reboots, which often makes them appealing. Finding out where beloved characters have ended up and what happens next in their stories, even if the shows aren't centered on them, is a major draw of reboot culture. While some reboots have found more success than others, it's been clear that the power behind them is far stronger than it was likely expected to be. As the creative landscape has changed, networks and producers have opted to use IP that's proven successful in order to tell new stories, and reboots have been able to provide a level of stable staying power in uncertain times. Despite some feeling like reboot culture isn't allowing the same level of storytelling to step up to the plate, others have been enjoying new takes on their favorite shows and new twists on series that may not have ended favorably. When done well, a reboot can become a bridge that honors beloved shows and offer something new, and those slated for 2026 hope to be just that. 9 Scrubs ABC The beloved comedy, which originally aired from 2001 through 2010, will be returning to ABC for a reboot in 2026. While Scrubs originally ran on NBC for the majority of its tenure, the series moved over to ABC ahead of its eighth season and spent its final two years there. The reboot, bringing John "J.D." Dorian (Zach Braff) and Christopher Turk (Donald Faison) back, will air on ABC. Having already shared a still featuring Turk and J.D. back in the hospital and a timeline of when to expect the series, the Scrubs reboot is an exciting one for fans. With the series premiering on February 26, 2026, the show is going to blend its comedic roots with a new era of medicine, providing a new look at fan-favorite characters. 8 Malcolm In The Middle Disney+ Fox's classic, Malcolm In The Middle, brought Frankie Muniz to stardom during its seven-season run. Airing from 2000 to 2006, the series followed middle child Malcolm as he navigated his young adulthood as a gifted & talented student in a chaotic family. Co-starring Bryan Cranston as his father Hal and Jane Kaczmarek as his mother Lois, the series was a poignant and deeply funny one. While not everyone is slated to return for Malcolm In The Middle: Life's Still Unfair, which is slated to premiere on Disney+ in 2026, the key cast members will be back for another look at Malcolm's family in the future. With a log line that centers on the idea of Malcolm and his daughter interacting with his family, the series will present a whole new side to the group. 7 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Hulu A pop-culture sensation, Buffy The Vampire Slayer ran for seven seasons on the ever-iconic The WB, watching as Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her rag-tag group of supernaturally inclined friends fought off monsters of the week at their home base hellmouth, Sunnydale High. Set to return on Hulu after years of speculation, the Buffy reboot has exciting updates. While the show has been said not to be a direct reboot, but instead an extension of the world, the upcoming Buffy The Vampire Slayer series is an exciting one. With Ryan Kiera Armstrong joining the series as the co-lead with Gellar, the new slayer will face new threats, and have one of the most kickass mentors of all time. 6 Prison Break Hulu An early 2000s drama that doesn't often get its due, Prison Break ran from 2006 through 2009, with a revival series in 2017. Following brothers Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) and Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), Prison Break chronicled Lincoln's plan to help his brother escape from prison after being sentenced to the death penalty for a crime he didn't actually commit. While Prison Break returned for a revival in 2017, the full reboot of the series is something entirely different. Having been in production for the past two years, Prison Break's reboot is bringing a whole new cast and a whole new story into the mix, though it's set in the same high-risk, higher-reward universe as the original series. 5 Legally Blonde Prime Video Although less of a reboot than the others, Legally Blonde's prequel series is going to be a massive to-do for fans of the film franchise. While Legally Blonde, which originally debuted in 2001, starred Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, the new series coming to Prime Video will feature an entirely different take on the iconic character, showing her long before Harvard law. Elle, which is slated to debut in the summer of 2026, will follow Elle Woods' adventures as a high school student. Starring newcomer Lexi Minetree as the seminal Elle, the series cast comedy icon June Diane Raphael and That Thing You Do! star Tom Everett Scott as her parents, as well as a group of fellow students including Chandler Kinney rounding out the ensemble. 4 Baywatch Fox Bringing the iconic series to a modern time, the Baywatch reboot will revisit the trials and tribulations of high-stakes life guarding on the California coast. The global phenomenon originally ran for over a decade, starting in 1989 and running until 2001 despite being rebranded and spun-off more than once. With nearly 250 episodes, Baywatch brought new meaning to life guarding. After the successful movie version of the series in 2017, the idea of a Baywatch reboot floated around consistently for a few years, but eventually got a straight-to-series order from Fox. With a 12-episode order set for the 2026 season, the network will be bringing viewers back to the beach with a new cast, a ton of adrenaline, and their signature red swimsuits. 3 White Collar TBD Although the White Collar reboot may not have a platform just yet, the series is looking for a place to call home. The original White Collar, which ran from 2009-2014 on USA Network, starred Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey and Tim DeKay as FBI Special Agent Peter Burke. Bringing the original series back into the spotlight, White Collar's reboot will continue the show's original story. 2 Desperate Housewives Hulu Mark Cherry's Desperate Housewives was a cultural phenomenon when it debuted in the mid-2000s. Soapy and satirical, Desperate Housewives portrayed the lives of a group of women living on Wisteria Lane in the wake of their friend's suicide. While the series went on to become far more twisted than viewers would've anticipated, it captivated audiences for years on end. Kerry Washington, star of Scandal and Little Fires Everywhere, is executive producing the reboot of the suburban mystery soap. While there's no premiere date as of yet, the Desperate Housewives reboot appears to be forging ahead with new stories on the iconic cul-de-sac. 1 A Different World Netflix
