Disney+ UK 2026: Best New Shows, Movies and Pricing Guide

Disney+ in the UK has had a strangely quiet couple of years. The original launch wave of Marvel and Star Wars series tailed off, the Star tile filled the gap with FX dramas and back-catalogue Hulu shows, and most of us went back to iPlayer. 2026 changes that. Across both Disney+ and the Star tile, the next twelve months bring the long-awaited Handmaid’s Tale sequel The Testaments, the second season of Steven Knight’s Whitechapel boxing drama A Thousand Blows, the final season of Andor, the final season of The Bear, Charlie Cox back as Daredevil, and Noah Hawley’s much-discussed Alien: Earth.

For UK subscribers paying £4.99 for the new ad-supported tier, £8.99 for Standard or £12.99 for Premium, that’s a year that finally justifies the monthly outlay. This guide covers every major 2026 Disney+ UK release with confirmed dates, official trailers, and an honest read on which titles are worth your evening — particularly relevant given Sky’s ongoing pricing pressure and the BBC iPlayer/Channel 4 free-to-air alternatives.

2026 Disney+ UK Release Calendar

Dates reflect global Disney+ schedules confirmed through April 2026. UK availability is generally same-day or +1 day for series; theatrical-then-streaming windows vary.

The British Connection: A Thousand Blows & the Steven Knight Run

A Thousand Blows Season 2 (9 January 2026)

Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, SAS Rogue Heroes) returns to the late-Victorian East End for round two. The first season landed on Disney+ UK with quiet confidence and built a steady audience on the back of its bare-knuckle fight choreography and the rivalry between Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby) and Sugar Goodson (Stephen Graham). Season two doubles down on the criminal underworld and the Forty Elephants gang. For viewers who came up on Peaky Blinders, this is a natural follow-on.

Daredevil: Born Again (4 March 2026)

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

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

Charlie Cox is back as Matt Murdock and the show is rated 18 in the UK, which is the right call — Marvel has finally let a Disney+ series breathe at the level the original Netflix run did. Vincent D’Onofrio is back as Wilson Fisk, this time as Mayor of New York. The first three episodes screened at SXSW 2026 and reviewers leaned hard into the courtroom-thriller framing, which makes a refreshing change from the standard Marvel formula.

Andor Season 2 (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 season, with each three-episode arc covering one year, ending the day before Rogue One begins. Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård and the late Fiona Shaw all return. UK reviewers (with reasonable BBC-trained scepticism for franchise IP) put Season 1 in the same prestige bracket as Slow Horses and The Crown — rare praise, and Season 2 is the closer.

Alien: Earth (12 August 2026)

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

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

Noah Hawley sets the franchise on Earth two years before Ridley Scott’s 1979 original, in a near-future ruled by mega-corporations. Sydney Chandler leads, Timothy Olyphant supports. Eight episodes on the Star tile. The first two have already screened to UK trade press and the early read is that this is the most ambitious horror television since The Last of Us. The most singular sci-fi swing on Disney+ UK in 2026.

The Testaments (8 April 2026)

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

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

Margaret Atwood’s Booker Prize-winning sequel, finally adapted, set 15 years after the close of the original series. Ann Dowd reprises Aunt Lydia. UK audiences who followed the original on Channel 4 and Now will recognise the tone immediately — this is positioned as Gilead’s ending, not another middle chapter.

The Bear Season 5 (June 2026, anticipated)

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

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

FX has confirmed Season 5 will close out Christopher Storer’s Chicago restaurant drama. Disney+ UK has carried every season day-and-date with the US Hulu drop, so expect Season 5 here in late June or early July. If you missed the run, all four seasons remain on the Star tile and they sit firmly in the “UK reviewer consensus best of decade” bracket.

Other Notable 2026 Premieres

Wonder Man (27 January 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 turned reluctant superhero. Eight half-hour episodes with a comedy register closer to Hawkeye than the heavier MCU titles. Ben Kingsley is back as Trevor Slattery. A solid Sunday-evening watch.

Paradise Season 2 (23 February 2026)

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

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

Dan Fogelman’s twisty post-apocalyptic thriller (yes, the This Is Us creator) returns with Sterling K. Brown’s Secret Service agent now out of the underground bunker city. Marketing has stayed unusually tight-lipped, which is half the appeal.

Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord (6 April 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. Set during the early Empire years as Maul builds a criminal empire in the Outer Rim. For the dedicated Clone Wars/Rebels audience this is a major event.

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

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

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

A four-episode reunion event, set 25 years after the finale, with Bryan Cranston, Frankie Muniz and Jane Kaczmarek returning. Pitched as a one-off rather than an ongoing revival, which feels right.

The Punisher: One Last Kill (12 May 2026)

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

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

Jon Bernthal returns as Frank Castle for a 90-minute special bridging his appearances in Daredevil: Born Again. 18-rated in the UK and lean enough to actually deliver on the premise.

Predator: Badlands (Cinema 7 November 2026)

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

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

Dan Trachtenberg follows up Prey (still the best Predator film) with a story told from the Yautja perspective. Theatrical-first in the UK on 7 November, with Disney+ likely landing the file in Q1 2027.

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

Bluey Minisodes (20 May) drops 10 new Heeler-family shorts — ideal for the under-7s. Percy Jackson Season 2 adapts Sea of Monsters. Moana 2 hits Disney+ UK in November after its theatrical run, and Mandalorian & Grogu (theatrical May 2026) is the first Star Wars cinema release since Rise of Skywalker; Disney+ UK arrival is expected in Q4.

Disney+ UK Pricing & How to Save in 2026

Disney+ UK now runs on a three-tier pricing model since the ad-supported plan rolled out in late 2024:

• Standard with Adverts: £4.99/month. Two concurrent streams, Full HD, 5.1 audio. Roughly four minutes of ads per hour.
• Standard: £8.99/month or £89.90/year. Two concurrent streams, Full HD, 5.1 audio. No ads.
• Premium: £12.99/month or £129.90/year. Four concurrent streams, 4K UHD, Dolby Atmos.

For prestige drama (Andor, The Bear, Alien: Earth, The Testaments), Standard or Premium is the right buy — the ads on the cheap tier interrupt long-form drama and 4K matters for the genre material. The annual plans save you roughly £15 a year if you commit.

• Sky/Now bundles: Some Sky Stream and Sky Q packages now bundle Disney+ at a discount. Worth ringing Sky retentions before paying separately.
• O2 Priority: Has occasionally offered six-month Disney+ deals. Check the app.
• EE Stream & BT TV: Both retail Disney+ as part of broadband bundles — not always cheaper but consolidates billing.

Disney+ UK supports offline downloads on iOS and Android (up to 25 titles per device on Standard, more on Premium). The Star tile parental controls hide TV-MA / 18-rated content like Alien: Earth, Daredevil and The Punisher behind a separate PIN if you have under-16s on the account.

Our 2026 Watch Order for UK Subscribers

If you can only commit to a few, this is the priority for British viewers:

1. A Thousand Blows S2 — Steven Knight at his most assured.
2. Andor S2 — Tony Gilroy closes the best Star Wars project to date.
3. Daredevil: Born Again — properly adult Marvel.
4. Alien: Earth — Hawley’s most ambitious project since Fargo.
5. The Bear S5 — series finale, awards-locked.
6. The Testaments — Atwood’s Gilead ending.

For families, Bluey Minisodes, Percy Jackson S2 and Moana 2 cover the year, with the streaming arrival of Mandalorian & Grogu expected in Q4.

We’ll update this guide each quarter as Disney confirms additional 2026 release dates and as Sky/Now bundle deals shift.