Disney+ & Hulu 2026: Best Shows, Movies and Bundle Picks for the Year

The Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle in 2026 is finally living up to its price tag. After a couple of quiet years, Disney is delivering a Marvel reset (Wonder Man, Daredevil: Born Again, The Punisher), the long-promised Handmaid’s Tale sequel The Testaments, the final season of Andor, the final season of The Bear, and Noah Hawley’s long-anticipated Alien: Earth. For US subscribers paying $10.99/month for the ad-supported bundle or $19.99 for ad-free, that’s arguably the strongest year Disney has put together since Disney+ launched.

This guide breaks down every major 2026 release across both Disney+ and Hulu, with US premiere dates, official trailers, and a frank read on which titles are worth your evening and which to skip. Notable for the US market: most of the prestige drama (The Bear, Alien: Earth, The Testaments, Paradise, A Thousand Blows) lives on Hulu rather than the main Disney+ tile, which is exactly why the bundle pricing has become the smarter monthly buy.

2026 Disney+ & Hulu Release Calendar

All dates are US premiere dates as confirmed by Disney through April 2026. Theatrical releases stream on Disney+ approximately 90–120 days after release.

The Big Six: What to Prioritize in 2026

Daredevil: Born Again (Disney+, March 4, 2026)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1MqJBVn8Rk

[[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1MqJBVn8Rk]]

Charlie Cox is back, Vincent D’Onofrio is back, and Marvel has finally rated a Disney+ series TV-MA — meaning the violence and language are pulled directly from the Netflix-era playbook. The first three episodes have already screened at SXSW 2026 to strong notices for the courtroom-drama framing. If you enjoyed the original 2015–2018 run, this is the highest-priority Disney+ release of the year.

The Bear Season 5 (Hulu, June 2026 est.)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpWyxrPqkeA

[[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpWyxrPqkeA]]

FX has confirmed Season 5 will be the final season of Christopher Storer’s Chicago restaurant drama. Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach return for what has been described in the trade press as a “closing-time” arc focused on what The Bear becomes after the Michelin star push of Season 4. Eligible for Emmys 2027 and almost certainly the show’s last serious awards run.

Alien: Earth (Hulu, August 12, 2026)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgoxHC7WF9w

[[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgoxHC7WF9w]]

Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) sets the franchise on Earth two years before Ridley Scott’s 1979 original, in a near-future ruled by mega-corporations. Sydney Chandler leads a cast that also includes Timothy Olyphant. FX has ordered eight episodes; the first two have already been described as the most ambitious horror television since The Last of Us. The most singular sci-fi swing on Hulu in 2026.

Andor Season 2 (Disney+, April 2026)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duN-KQgOjYs

[[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duN-KQgOjYs]]

Tony Gilroy’s Star Wars prestige drama returns for its final 12 episodes. Each three-episode arc covers a year, ending the day before Rogue One begins. Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård and Genevieve O’Reilly all return. Universally regarded as the most adult Star Wars project to date and the only one currently in serious awards conversation.

The Testaments (Hulu, April 8, 2026)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uud0aiP-MFw

[[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uud0aiP-MFw]]

Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s Booker Prize–winning sequel novel, set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale. Ann Dowd reprises Aunt Lydia. The promise — and the marketing pitch — is that this is finally Gilead’s ending, not another middle chapter. Expected to dominate the Hulu front page for at least four weeks.

Predator: Badlands (Theatrical Nov 7, 2026 → Disney+ later)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0FBRcf40FM

[[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0FBRcf40FM]]

Dan Trachtenberg follows up Prey (still the highest-rated Predator film) with a story told from the Yautja perspective: a young exiled Predator on a planet of monsters that outclass him. 20th Century’s strongest theatrical bet on Disney’s slate. Expect the Disney+ window in early Q1 2027.

Other Major 2026 Premieres on Disney+ & Hulu

Wonder Man (Disney+, Jan 27, 2026)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT1ng2tiwLA

[[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT1ng2tiwLA]]

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, a struggling Hollywood actor trying to break out as a stunt double while becoming a superhero. Eight episodes, half-hour comedy format, with Ben Kingsley reprising Trevor Slattery as Simon’s acting coach. Lower-stakes Marvel done well — closer to Hawkeye than Secret Invasion.

A Thousand Blows Season 2 (Hulu, Jan 9, 2026)

Steven Knight’s late-Victorian London bare-knuckle boxing drama returns. Knight (Peaky Blinders) doubles down on the criminal underworld of Whitechapel and the rivalry between Jamaican boxer Hezekiah Moscow and Sugar Goodson. Built a steady audience through Season 1 word-of-mouth.

Paradise Season 2 (Hulu, Feb 23, 2026)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkVepshZhGc

[[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkVepshZhGc]]

Dan Fogelman’s twist-heavy thriller (yes, the This Is Us creator) returns. Sterling K. Brown’s Secret Service agent has now left the underground bunker city, and Season 2 explores what’s actually left of the surface world. Marketing has stayed unusually quiet, which is half the appeal.

Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord (Disney+, April 6, 2026)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43R9l7EkJwE

[[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43R9l7EkJwE]]

Sam Witwer voices Maul in a Lucasfilm Animation series picking up after his appearances in The Clone Wars and Solo. Maul builds a criminal empire in the Outer Rim during the early Empire years. For the dedicated Clone Wars/Rebels audience this is one of the most-anticipated Star Wars projects since Filoni was promoted.

Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair (Disney+, April 10, 2026)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-kSWdet1BE

[[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-kSWdet1BE]]

A four-episode reunion event 25 years after the finale. Bryan Cranston, Frankie Muniz, Jane Kaczmarek and Justin Berfield all return. Pitched as a one-off rather than a permanent revival, which is probably the right call.

The Punisher: One Last Kill (Disney+, May 12, 2026)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSeqs_xeqv4

[[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSeqs_xeqv4]]

Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle gets a 90-minute special bridging his appearances in Daredevil: Born Again. TV-MA, lean runtime, and Bernthal remains the definitive live-action Punisher.

Family & Animation: Bluey, Percy Jackson S2, Moana 2

Bluey Minisodes (May 20) drops 10 new shorts — ideal for the under-7s when you can’t commit to a full episode. Percy Jackson Season 2 adapts Sea of Monsters with Walker Scobell back as Percy. Moana 2 hits Disney+ in November after its theatrical run, and the streaming arrival of Mandalorian & Grogu is expected late 2026.

Disney+ Bundle Pricing in the US (2026)

The pricing math has shifted in your favor for 2026. Here’s where the dollars line up:

• Disney+ Basic (with ads): $9.99/month standalone — not the right tier if you’re here for prestige drama.
• Disney+ Premium (no ads): $15.99/month or $159.99/year. Includes 4K, Dolby Atmos, downloads.
• Duo Basic Bundle (Disney+ + Hulu, with ads): $10.99/month — the value pick if you can tolerate ads.
• Duo Premium (Disney+ + Hulu, no ads): $19.99/month.
• Trio Basic (Disney+ + Hulu + ESPN+, with ads): $16.99/month — the play if you actually use ESPN+.
• Trio Premium: $26.99/month, ad-free across all three.

For the 2026 release calendar, Trio Basic is the most defensible buy. The prestige drama lives on Hulu (The Bear, Alien: Earth, Testaments, Paradise, A Thousand Blows) and the Marvel/Star Wars heavy hitters live on the Disney+ tile. Subscribing to Disney+ alone costs you Hulu’s back half of the year.

Worth knowing: if you have Verizon Unlimited Plus or Spectrum Mobile Unlimited Plus, the Disney Bundle is included or heavily discounted. Check your wireless bill before paying separately.

What to Watch First: A 2026 Priority Order

If you can only commit to a handful, this is the ranked priority for US viewers:

1. Andor S2 — finishes Tony Gilroy’s Star Wars prestige run.
2. Daredevil: Born Again — the most adult Marvel project since Netflix.
3. Alien: Earth — if Hawley sticks the landing, the year’s genre television.
4. The Bear S5 — series finale, Emmy-locked.
5. The Testaments — final-chapter Atwood adaptation.

For families: Bluey Minisodes, Percy Jackson S2 and Moana 2 cover the streaming year. Mandalorian & Grogu is theatrical-first in May, with Disney+ likely landing the file in Q4.

We’ll update this guide each quarter as Disney confirms additional 2026 release dates and the rumored ad-supported Hulu tier rollout.