I got a look at Sky's 2026 slate, and it could be a massive year for British TV

This week, Sky went big – and I can see why. At its now annual Up Next event, the broadcast giant took the wraps off large parts of its 2026 slate, and the results are pretty undeniably exciting. This is an array of British and international shows that are likely to be turning heads at the likes of Netflix and Prime Video.

I was in central London to see all the new trailers and hear from some of the shows and movies' stars – including some announcements that aren't actually public yet. Still, those bits I can talk about were plenty impressive already, and some were good reminders about the state of my backlog.

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Some of the glimpses were of shows we've known about but not heard much from, including a message from Eddie Redmayne confirming that they're in the middle of production on Day of the Jackal's second season. The first was Sky's biggest ever scripted original series, so there's a lot of excitement around the Jackal's next outing.

The show that I'm most excited for, though, is a little smaller in scale. Back when it was first teased, I thought Sweetpea looked really offbeat and interesting. Now, with Sky confirming that its second season will come in 2026, I've been served up a great reminder that I need to actually watch it – in a world of too much content, it can be hard to stay on top of things!

Another super-intriguing project comes from James McAvoy, playing the lead role in an adaptation of Danny Boyle's first novel – Meantime. A story that's deeply Glaswegian like this one is a natural fit for a British producer like Sky, and this promises to be a raucous original movie when it comes. It'll be out in 2027, though, so it isn't due for a while.

By contrast, of course, there's a far more imminent launch for Sky that has a lot riding on it. Saturday Night Live has been an institution in the US for decades, and now it's finally getting a proper UK version – with some big hosts like Tina Fey already lined up and a whole heap of promo. It starts this Saturday and could turn into appointment viewing if the stars align.

Returning to scripted drama, a quick teaser for Possession starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw shows that Sky is going to dip its toe into horror-infused supernatural thrillers. It looks dark and disturbing, and with a whole heap of filming done on location in Jamaica, it should be gorgeous to look at.

That's also a word you could apply to The 'Burbs, one of the few trailers I saw that's actually been made public at this point. It's a darker interpretation of a story that was turned into a Tom Hanks film in the 90s, and stars the always excellent Keke Palmer opposite Jack Whitehall (who's doing more and more dramatic work).

Of course, one of Sky's big strengths is that it doesn't just have its own originals, but also a heap of partners to call on, which means this year should also bring a second season of Heated Rivalry, a third of House of the Dragon and Euphoria, new arrivals like The Good Daughter and more. That does serve as a pretty timely reminder that while Prime Video implements downgrades and HBO Max becomes its own UK service, Sky's bundles are looking better and better value all the time.