YouTube unveiled a major slate of new and returning Creator Shows at Brandcast 2026, featuring high-profile creators, athletes, comedians, and entertainers, including Trevor Noah, Alex Cooper, Quen Blackwell, Dwyane Wade, and Dude Perfect.
The lineup spans a wide range of formats, including variety and talk shows, competition series, travel content, unscripted programming, microdramas, and documentary-style storytelling. The new programming slate is set to premiere throughout 2026 and 2027 exclusively on YouTube.
Among the newly announced variety and talk programming is “Keep the Meter Running,” hosted by creator and comedian Kareem Rahma. The series follows Rahma as he rides with New York City taxi drivers to their favorite destinations while exploring personal stories and themes surrounding the American Dream. The show premiered on May 13.
Creator Julian Shapiro-Barnum is expanding his YouTube presence with the return of “Celebrity Substitute” for a third season and the launch of “Outside Tonight,” a late-night show filmed across New York City streets, parks, and public spaces.
Quen Blackwell is returning with “Feeding Starving Celebrities 2.0,” an interview and cooking series featuring celebrity guests in unscripted and comedic conversations. Meanwhile, comedian and creator Morgan Jay will debut “Music Therapy,” a music-driven celebrity interview series blending humor, improvisation, and live songwriting.
In sports and competition programming, creator Jesser will launch “Jesser’s Summer of Soccer,” an eight-episode soccer-focused event series featuring collaborations with football stars including Gerard Piqué and Céline Dept. Jesser is also set to debut “Pros Vs YouTubers” in 2027, where creators compete against professional athletes in various sports challenges.
Alex Cooper and her Unwell brand are expanding their programming slate with multiple projects, including “Unwell Games,” “Pot Stirrer,” “Holiday Hard Launch,” and the docuseries “Before The Steps,” which explores the preparation behind the Met Gala.
Football star Erling Haaland will headline both “Erling’s Gauntlet,” a challenge-based sports competition series, and “Road to World Cup,” a docuseries chronicling Norway’s return to the FIFA World Cup stage for the first time since 1998.
Trevor Noah will launch “Trevor Noah’s World Tour,” a travel series blending comedy, culture, food, and local experiences from cities around the globe as part of his international tour.
Additional unscripted programming includes “Caddie & The Kid,” starring Ken Griffey Jr. and golf personality Michael Collins, as well as Season 2 of “Fly On The Wall,” featuring Dwyane Wade sharing behind-the-scenes insights into his life and career.
The company is also investing in documentary and educational storytelling. Journalist and creator Cleo Abram is continuing her “HUGE* If True” series with episodes focused on Antarctica and scientific research. Filmmaker Johnny Harris will debut “The Human Element,” a global documentary series exploring major societal issues through personal stories around the world.
Other announced projects include “We Are Osos,” a football docuseries executive produced by athletes including Blake Griffin, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Sam Darnold, as well as “I Acted in a Microdrama,” featuring creator Hope Allen exploring the fast-growing world of vertical short-form drama content.
KEY QUOTES:
“What’s next for your favorite YouTube creators? At Brandcast 2026, YouTube unveiled an ambitious slate of new and returning Creator Shows featuring icons like Jesser, Alex Cooper, Kareem Rahma, Quen Blackwell and Trevor Noah.”
Mary Ellen Coe, Chief Business Officer, YouTube
“From competition series and investigative docuseries to live talk show formats, here is a look at the new shows premiering through 2027 only on YouTube.”
Mary Ellen Coe, Chief Business Officer, YouTube
