The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations were announced on July 8, with The Pitt leading all shows at 25 nods.
The Television Academy revealed this year’s nominees at its Wolf Theatre in North Hollywood. HBO Max led all platforms with 122 total nominations. The medical drama The Pitt topped the field, followed by the final season of Hacks with 24, a record haul for a comedy series in a single year. Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay led all new shows with 19. The ceremony airs live on NBC and Peacock on September 14.
The top series races span three fields, and this year’s lineup mixes returning favorites with breakout freshman shows. Apple TV had a strong morning across both drama and comedy, while HBO Max held its ground with veteran titles.
Emmy Nominations 2026 Drama and Comedy Series
Outstanding Drama Series: The Diplomat, The Gilded Age, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Paradise, The Pitt, Pluribus, Slow Horses, Your Friends & Neighbors.
Outstanding Comedy Series: Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Nobody Wants This, Only Murders in the Building, Shrinking, Widow’s Bay.
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: The Beast in Me, All Her Fault, Beef, DTF St. Louis, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
The lead acting fields feature some of the most watched contests of the year. CNN reports the comedy lead actress race sets up a showdown between two legends, while the limited series categories are packed with high-profile streaming performances.
Emmy Nominations 2026 Lead Acting Categories
Lead Actor, Drama: Noah Wyle (The Pitt), Sterling K. Brown (Paradise), Gary Oldman (Slow Horses), plus fellow nominees across the drama field.
Lead Actress, Comedy: Jean Smart (Hacks) and Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback) lead the pack. Smart has won the category four years running.
Lead Actor, Limited Series or Movie: Riz Ahmed (Bait), Jason Bateman (Black Rabbit), Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story), Oscar Isaac (Beef), Matthew Rhys (The Beast in Me).
Lead Actress, Limited Series or Movie: Claire Danes (The Beast in Me), Sarah Pidgeon (Love Story), Sally Field (Remarkably Bright Creatures), Carey Mulligan (Beef), Sarah Snook (All Her Fault).
The supporting categories were dominated by The Pitt, which secured multiple nominations in both drama fields. The comedy supporting races drew names from Widow’s Bay, Hacks and Shrinking, and the revived variety series field returned this year after a rule change merged talk and scripted variety.
Emmy Nominations 2026 Supporting and Variety Categories
Supporting Actress, Drama: Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, Katherine LaNasa and Sepideh Moafi (all The Pitt), Allison Janney (The Diplomat), Julianne Nicholson (Paradise), Karolina Wydra (Pluribus).
Supporting Actor, Drama: Patrick Ball, Shawn Hatosy and Gerran Howell (all The Pitt), Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), Tom Pelphrey (Task), Carlos-Manuel Vesga (Pluribus).
Supporting Actress, Comedy: Dale Dickey and Kate O’Flynn (both Widow’s Bay), Hannah Einbinder and Megan Stalter (both Hacks), Janelle James (Abbott Elementary), Michelle Pfeiffer (Margo’s Got Money Troubles), Jessica Williams (Shrinking).
Supporting Actor, Comedy: Colman Domingo (The Four Seasons), Paul W. Downs (Hacks), Harrison Ford (Shrinking), Nick Offerman (Margo’s Got Money Troubles), Stephen Root (Widow’s Bay), Michael Urie (Shrinking), Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary).
Outstanding Variety Series: The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Saturday Night Live.
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX Halftime Show earned nine nominations, while Taylor Swift picked up a nod for her concert film The Eras Tour: The Final Show. It is important to note that 28 nominees received their first-ever Emmy recognition. Mariska Hargitay hosts the ceremony, the first woman to do so in 15 years, and is also nominated for her documentary My Mom Jayne.
Euphoria missed the top drama race despite acting nods for Zendaya and Colman Domingo, and the Canadian production Heated Rivalry was ineligible as it was financed outside the United States. The Creative Arts Emmys take place on September 5 and 6.
