Co-created by Peter McKenna and Ciaran Donnelly, KIN debuted on RTÉ One in September 2021 and followed the activities of the Kinsellas, a fictional Dublin crime family embroiled in gangland war, with Aidan Gillen, Clare Dunne, and Ciarán Hinds among the cast.

A huge ratings and critical hit, it was seen as a successor to RTÉ drama LOVE/HATE. A second series of KIN followed in 2023, and the show was acquired by the BBC and Netflix.

However, the series was put on hold at the end of season two after BRON Studios, who co-produced the drama with Headline Pictures in association with RTÉ, AMC, and Nordic Entertainment Group, went bankrupt and threw the future of the show into doubt.

Season two of KIN, which also starred Emmett J Scanlan, Yasmine Seky and Charlie Cox, ended with Amanda Kinsella (Dunne) taking over the family operation and there has been much speculation about the its return ever since.

The third season is already in production and is being produced by Irish company Metropolitan Pictures, who worked on the first two seasons, and House of Juno, whose co-founders include Charlie Cox.

The synopsis for the new series says: “KIN Season three reunites the nation with the Kinsella crime family. As they consolidate power, buried betrayals and festering rivalries turn inward, and the greatest threat to the family empire becomes the family itself.”

RTÉ has not released any further details of casting or plot lines but has said season three is likely to air next year.

The much anticipated return of KIN is part of RTÉ’s new television drama schedule, which includes 160 hours – an increase on 142 hours last year – of Irish drama either currently in production or scheduled to air throughout 2026.

The new schedule will also feature a new series with the working title of The Yank, a six-part drama starring Star Trek: Voyager actress Kate Mulgrew. Set in the west coast of Ireland, it sees NYPD detective Nora Savage take a career break following a traumatic event and moving to her family home.

A new show from LOVE/HATE creator Stuart Carolan

Co-commissioned by RTÉ and BBC Northern Ireland, Tall Tales & Murder, based on the eight-book Dublin Trilogy by Caimh McDonnell, was written by LOVE/HATE creator Stuart Carolan and stars Ella Lily Hyland, Aidan Gillen, Philippa Dunne and Packy Lee.

The new season of The Walsh Sisters, which is based on books by Marian Keyes, will “follow Rachel, Claire, Helen, Maggie, and Anna as their lives evolve after the twin dramas of Rachel’s spiral and a life-altering tragedy for Anna.”

The new series synopsis adds: “Helen is struggling behind silent psychological walls, confronting crippling anxiety, Maggie is preparing to become a mother while desperately pursuing a ‘perfect’ family life, and Anna is left to find a way to heal from the profound shadow of her grief”.

New and returning dramas for children

RTÉ has also unveiled a slate of new and returning children’s dramas, including season three of The Unreal, and Do Not Watch Alone, a fantastical series featuring “killer cyborg teachers, brain-sucking aliens, toxic laundry monsters and freaky forest creatures”.

New drama on RTÉ radio

RTÉ Drama On One returns with a new season of Irish writing, audio fictions, memoir and radio features in its Autumn 2026 Season, Speak The Speech, which airs on Sunday nights at 8pm across October and November.

Among the shows in this new season are: Wake by Irene Kelleher. Directed by Conall Morrison, it follows the thoughts of a young woman at her mother’s wake in “a darkly humorous and touching play”.

Horace by John O’Donnell centres on Fidelma, who has a special gift, though other dark secrets are revealed as she joins a bereavement counselling group.

What’s The Bars is a Derry audio memoir by Gorretti Slavin, reflecting on growing up in a time of conflict.

Saving Marnie is a new play by Philip Davison, focusing on “the isolation of an elderly man due to be released from hospital into an uncertain future.”

There will also be a radio adaptation of Mary Lavin’s story In The Middle of The Fields, directed by Joan Sheehy.

“Biggest ever year for new Irish drama on RTÉ”

In a statement, RTÉ said the new schedule is its “biggest ever drama offering and underlines RTÉ’s stronger-than-ever commitment to Ireland’s creative sector and to homegrown storytelling for Irish audiences in Ireland”.

Director of Video at RTÉ, Steve Carson, said: “We’re heading into our biggest ever year for new Irish drama on RTÉ. Numerous productions are currently filming across the country, delivering significant economic and cultural impact to communities nationwide whilst showcasing Ireland’s exceptional talents to audiences at home and internationally.