Murder mysteries, romances, and crime dramas. 2026 promises to have some exciting Telugu and Tamil tales on Netflix. Here's all about the original stories lined up in the new year.
Films releasing in 2026
Stephen
Cast: Gomathi Shankar, Michael Thangadurai, Smruthi Venkat
Synopsis: A psychiatrist evaluating a self-confessed serial killer unravels a twisted web of trauma, deceit, and psychological manipulation — only to question if the killer is truly guilty or just another victim in a larger, darker game.
Directed by first-time filmmaker Mithun Balaji, Gomathi Shankar steps into play the title role of a calm and calculated serial killer with plenty of hidden secrets in this Tamil film. Writer-actor Gomathi Shankar shared, "Stephen is a film that looks beyond the crime to the man behind it. Portraying him meant finding the nuances that make him vulnerable, even endearing, while his darkness always remained intact. For me, the challenge was to bring out the shades of a serial killer without turning them into absolutes."
Made in Korea
Cast: Priyanka Mohan, Park Hye-Jin
Synopsis: when Shenba’s dream of visiting Korea with her boyfriend shatters in betrayal, she finds herself alone in Seoul,grappling with loneliness and cultural challenges. As she transforms through life's harsh lessons, Shenba discovers resilience and forms a bond for life with her newfound friends.
Written and directed by Ra Karthik, this Tamil film will tell a Korean-Indian slice-of-life story, highlighted with hope and joy. Priyanka Mohan, who plays Shenba, stated, "As someone who has always appreciated Korean dramas, the opportunity to be part of an Indo-Korean collaboration was both exciting and meaningful. I found a deep personal connection with the character I portray, which made the decision even more natural. When Karthik sir narrated the script, I knew right then that I wanted to be a part of it."
Takshakudu
Cast: Anand Devarakonda, Nitanshi Goel
Synopsis: After a cursed night reduces his village to ashes, bringing a folklore to life. A blind tribal man and his loyal dogjourney through an unforgiving world to confront the man, and the darkness, that destroyed everything he loved.
Directed by Vinod Anantoju, the film sees
Laapataa Ladies actress Nitanshi Goel make her Telugu debut. Speaking about the action thriller, Anand Devarakonda said, "What truly caught my imagination was how the director, Vinod, drew from the ancient folklore and reimagined it for our times. At its heart, this story isn’t about heroes or villains. It’s about what greed can do, how it pulls people to the edge, and sometimes makes them lose everything without even realizing it. Playing Suri gave me a chance to step into a world where every action has consequences, and every character faces their own demons."
Series releasing in 2026
Super Subbu
Cast: Sandeep Kishan, Mithila Palkar, Murali Sharma
Synopsis: A totally unlucky teacher, desperate to escape his dad's tyranny, gets stuck teaching sex education in a remote and virile village! The hilarious twist? He's a virgin himself! Thus ensues a wild ride where love, laughs, and awkward moments collide.
Director Mallik Ram's Telugu comedy series stars Sandeep Kishan as Subbu, who has the dismal task of teaching sex education to members of a remote village called Maakhipur, despite being the least qualified for the job! The filmmaker added, "Super Subbu was born from a simple observation that even today, anything about sex education is still spoken about in whispers. Parents avoid it, schools skip it, and children grow up with myths. I wanted to turn this silence into a story that feels familiar, set in a village that could be anyone’s own. Through Subramanyam, we see how innocence meets awareness, and how humour can open doors to difficult conversations, making the uncomfortable easier to talk about."
#LOVE
Cast: Arjun Das, Aishwarya Lekshmi
Synopsis: Sparks fly when the paths of Tara, a young and driven startup founder, cross with Matthew, a suave, flamboyant investor. While Tara believes and bases her dating app on the ideology of compatibility, Matthew backs a dating app that endorses chemistry. They end up in a situation where they challenge each other to settle this debate of chemistry versus compatibility once and for all.
The modern Tamil rom-com directed by Balaji Mohan stars Arjun Das and Aishwarya Lekshmi in a story about the old trope of opposites attract, updated with technology. Actor Arjun Das, who plays Matthew, said, "Set against the vibrant backdrop of an IT startup built around a dating app, it dives into the complexities of finding a genuine connection in the digital age. The character I got to play was interesting, and I believe audiences will find the show's themes and characters relatable."
Legacy
Cast: R. Madhavan, Nimisha Sajayan, Gautham Karthik, Gulshan Deviah, Abhishek Banerjee
Synopsis: Periyavar, an aging patriarch of a powerful crime family, races against time to anoint a successor to protect hismighty empire from an inevitable siege. He will have to fight to save the family, his empire, and most importantly - his Legacy.
The Tamil series, which takes place in a criminal world, is created, written, and directed by Charukesh Sekar. After headlining the Tamil film Test last year, R Madhavan stated, "Ever so rarely, as an actor, you come across a story that touches and excites you from within, and when you get a story like that, you grab it with all that you have... therefore, I'm so incredibly thrilled to be part of Legacy, a series that has all the makings of becoming its own title. It's a story that is cleverly written, with great hooks and twists that truly make it unlike anything that's been done in the Indian OTT space."
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