In its 11th annual Primetime program, the Toronto International Film Festival is bringing audiences together — to scare the bejesus out of them. The 2026 lineup, which spotlights “episodic storytelling and auteur-driven television,” kicks off with the Canadian-set creature-thriller “Below,” closes with Mike Flanagan’s series adaptation of “Carrie,” and even squeezes in Brad Kane’s origin story of “Friday the 13th” killer Jason Voorhees, “Crystal Lake.”
Plus, if you consider bad smells and worse manners horrific, there’s also the Season 6 premiere of “Slow Horses.”
So far, TIFF has already announced lineups for its 2026 Gala entries and Special Presentations, as well as the competitive Platform section and Discovery program. Last year’s Primetime lineup marked the debut of future Emmy-nominee “Black Rabbit” along with Sterlin Harjo’s critical darling “The Lowdown” and Mae Martin’s Netflix hit, “Wayward.”
This year’s offerings should have no trouble competing in star power, with Josh Hartnett, Charlie Heaton, and Mackenzie Davis starring in the opening night series, “Below”: Jon Hamm headlining Shawn Ryan’s MGM+ series, “American Hostage”; Emmy nominee Linda Cardellini leading Peacock’s “Crystal Lake“; Carrie Anne-Moss for the AMC+ series, “YAGA”; and whatever stars want to turn out for “Slow Horses,” from Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden to Kristen Scott Thomas and Jonathan Pryce.
“Carrie” marks the first series adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel, as well as Flanagan’s first limited series with Amazon Prime Video. (He signed a multi-year TV deal with Amazon earlier this year.) The synopsis reads: “Misfit high‑schooler Carrie White (Summer Howell) has spent her life hidden away inside the walls of her home with her fiercely protective mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan). After her father’s sudden, untimely death thrusts her into the unforgiving ecosystem of public high school, Carrie is forced to navigate a viral bullying scandal that tears through her community, the relentless pressure and casual cruelty of the social‑media age, and the awakening of mysterious telekinetic powers that rise alongside her adolescence.” The series is slated for a fall release.
“Crystal Lake,” produced by A24, is a prequel to the “Friday the 13th” franchise that “follows single mother Pam Voorhees who has been unable to shake her grief after her young, sickly son Jason tragically drowned in the town lake almost a year before. When two strangers arrive at Pam’s door digging into her past, a disturbing chain of events is set into motion, leaving the townspeople of Crystal Lake wondering: Just who is Pam Voorhees?” Peacock will release all eight episodes October 15.
“Below,” from creator Jesse McKeown, follows “Calvin Penney (Josh Hartnett), a big‑hearted but stubborn fisherman living in a small Newfoundland town who’s still haunted by his father’s mysterious death from decades ago. When an unidentified sea creature begins terrorizing his hometown, Calvin must fight to hold his close-knit community together.” The six-episode limited series hits Netflix October 8.
Per TIFF’s press release, the “Primetime [program] spotlights the best in international and North American series, bringing new shows to the big screen. Featuring one or two episodes and conversations with cast and creators, this program treats TIFF audiences to a first look at upcoming series before they hit TV, alongside the people who made them.”
The 51st edition of TIFF will take place September 10-20. Take a look at the Primetime series below, and check IndieWire for updates before, during, and after the festival.
TIFF 2026 Primetime Lineup (in alphabetical order):
“2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback” | Darren Dale | Australia
World Premiere
“Alice” | Virginie Verrier, Guillaume Lonergan | France, Canada
World Premiere
“American Hostage” | Shawn Ryan, Eileen Myers, Adam Arkin | USA
World Premiere
“Below” | Jesse McKeown | Canada
World Premiere – Opening series
“Blindspot Berlin” | David Nawrath | Germany
World Premiere
“Carrie” | Mike Flanagan | Canada, USA
World Premiere – Closing series
“Crystal Lake” | Brad Caleb Kane, Michael Lennox | USA
World Premiere
“Oxygen Masks Will (Not) Drop Automatically” | Marcelo Gomes, Carol Minêm | Brazil
North American Premiere
“Slow Horses” | Will Smith, Adam Randall | United Kingdom, USA
International Premiere
“YAGA” | Kat Sandler, Rachel Talalay, David Frazee | Canada
World Premiere
