NBC mid-season premiere dates: Here’s when your favorite shows are returning in 2026

What a lineup! The NBC mid-season calendar has been set, and fans can finally highlight their dates. The Hunting Party's highly anticipated comeback, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, featuring a brand new actor and The Voice, the most sought-after reality show, are all slated to return! The 2026 season will be full of premieres, live events, and some well-timed surprises.

Starting from five well-known series, the first "wave" (the releases of Winter/Spring) of the 2026 prime time rearrangement is coming. The complete list of the network’s shows, which also includes sporting events such as Super Bowl LX and Winter Olympics 2026, seems set to deliver on expectations.

NBC mid-season premiere dates: Here’s when your favorite shows are returning in 2026

1. The Hunting Party (Season 2): January 8, 2026

Premiere date: Thursday, January 8, at 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT

It will all kick off with The Hunting Party, a crime thriller full of tension, which is about a high-level task force tracing and capturing dangerous fugitives in various jurisdictions. NBC Insider reports that the show will air on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET, immediately following Law & Order: SVU, thus giving fans a full night of procedural drama.

The second season is likely to delve deeper into the internal struggles of the team, as well as the consequences of the shocking first-season finale. Although the network has not provided any episode breakdowns so far, NBC has mentioned that the show will still focus on moral dilemmas and loyalty during tough times.

The returning cast, including Melissa Roxburgh, Damian Young, and others, will reprise their roles as the maverick investigators who operate outside the usual rulebook.

2. The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins: February 23, 2026

Premiere date: Monday, February 23 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT

Through the mid-season comedy-drama The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, the channel positions itself with a new half-hour show featuring Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe. The series will launch with double episodes throughout its premiere week, which begins on February 23. A major Monday night launch strategy will put it directly before The Voice.

The plan of premiering with two episodes, followed by a move to a fixed weekly time slot, is similar to its mid-season strategy in previous years. It enables the network to engage viewers early and gives new series time to build its hype before other networks’ returning dramas have their viewers back from the break.

3. The Voice (Season 29 “Battle of Champions”): February 23, 2026

Premiere week: Monday, February 23 at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT; extra episodes on February 25 and 26

The Voice remains one of the most-watched shows on American television to this date. It will feature a battle between past winners and newcomers, which is termed The Battle of Champions. NBC has confirmed that the season will feature both returning and new coaches, a revamped format, and an expanded "Champions" stage where past winners will compete against new talents.

During the premiere week, The Voice will be broadcast for three days, February 23, 25, and 26, before it gradually moves to its regular time of 9 p.m. on Mondays in early March. The network’s plan to host a multi-night competition is aimed at capitalizing on the high ratings the network achieved in mid-February.

For the NBC network, The Voice will still be the major show on Monday nights, and it will be a trustworthy lead-in for the new comedies and late-night shows. This will be a midseason edition, which means it won't have to compete with the big hit series of the fall season, such as Law & Order and One Chicago, for huge audience numbers.

4. Super Bowl LX: February 8, 2026

Start date: Sunday, February 8, at 6:30 p.m. ET

One of the biggest live events of 2026, Super Bowl LX, is scheduled for early February. The game will be part of the “Legendary February” lineup and will be live-streamed from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports announce that the start is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, with complete coverage all day on both NBC and Peacock. The event also claims to be the only occasion with not just pre-game football match analysis but also half-time entertainment and post-game interviews that are unique.

5. 2026 Winter Olympics - Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo - February 6–22, 2026

Ceremony: Opening on Friday, Feb. 6; Closing on Sunday, Feb. 22. NBC and Peacock are the networks/platforms.

The list of significant events for February is topped by the thrilling Winter Olympics 2026, to be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. NBCUniversal announced that NBC and Peacock will be the primary sites for the company’s coverage, featuring daily primetime broadcasts, highlight segments, and digital streams available in various time zones.

According to NBC Insider and NBC Los Angeles, coverage will begin on February 6 with the Opening Ceremony and continue until the Closing Ceremony on February 22. This will be the 19th consecutive Olympic broadcast for NBC, thus confirming its long-term association with the International Olympic Committee.

Considering that the Olympic Games coincide with a significant portion of NBC's mid-season programming, the network has devised a clever strategy to premiere its scripted series either before or after the event. It is a win-win situation for NBC as it has complete control over its programming and still gets the lion's share of viewership in a period when competing for audiences is very stiff.

NBC's midseason lineup for 2026 will definitely not disappoint, with the first half of the season consisting entirely of returning faves and new narratives, timed quite nicely with the world's biggest television events like the Winter Olympics and Super Bowl LX.