Emmy Awards 2026: Nominees and Winners

On Monday 14 September 2026, the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, the most prestigious honours in American television, are presented at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony is broadcast live by NBC and streamed on Peacock. The awards cover programmes aired between 1 June 2025 and 31 May 2026.

The nominations were announced on 8 July 2026 at the Television Academy's Wolf Theatre in North Hollywood. They were read by actor Jeff Hiller and actress Liza Colón-Zayas, both fresh Emmy winners, together with Academy chairman Cris Abrego. The winners will be marked in this article once announced.

A non-comedian hosts the Emmys for the first time in thirty years
The evening is hosted by Mariska Hargitay, star of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. NBC and the Television Academy considered names both inside and outside NBCUniversal, but in the end chose a face from their own network, to mark NBC's hundredth anniversary. Hargitay is the first woman to host the Primetime Emmys since Jane Lynch in 2011, and the first non-comedy host since Angela Lansbury in 1993.

This year the ceremony exceptionally takes place on a Monday rather than the traditional Sunday. The reason is prosaic: NBC airs Sunday Night Football on Sundays and did not want to compete with itself.

The Creative Arts Emmys have already been handed out
The main evening was preceded by the two-day Creative Arts Emmys gala on 5 and 6 September, where more than a hundred statuettes were awarded in technical and artistic categories. The most successful title was Widow's Bay with eight awards, seven went to the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show with Bad Bunny, and DTF St. Louis and The Traitors took six each. The final season of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert won five awards, as did the animated Spider-Noir with Nicolas Cage, the series Prime Video had cancelled two days earlier. A posthumous award went to the guest role of the late actor and director Rob Reiner in The Bear.

The dispute over the dropped categories
This year's ceremony is accompanied by sharp criticism. In July the Television Academy moved five categories from the main broadcast to the weekend Creative Arts ceremony: supporting actor and supporting actress in a limited series, directing and writing for a limited series, and writing for a variety series. Together with the move of the Outstanding Variety Special (Live) category, nineteen categories remained in the live broadcast, compared with twenty-six last year. Academy chairman Cris Abrego defended the change as an effort to free up airtime for musical performances and comedy segments.

The guilds responded with a joint statement. According to the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, removing these categories from the main broadcast “devalues the contributions of the very people the Academy is meant to honour”.

One awards strategist interviewed by Variety was even more direct. In his view the move makes no sense, the Academy has alienated precisely the stars it is trying to attract to its ceremony, and the whole affair will come back to bite it.

In January the Academy also announced its first new major award in almost twenty years, the so-called Legacy Award, to be presented annually to programmes with a “profound and lasting impact” on audiences and culture. The Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Variety Series categories have also been merged into a single Outstanding Variety Series category, which works as a so-called area award and can therefore have more than one winner at a time.

Michael J. Fox to receive the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award
The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award goes to actor and activist Michael J. Fox for his work supporting Parkinson's disease research and raising awareness of the illness.

Who led the nominations
The outright leader is the hospital drama The Pitt with twenty-five nominations, twelve of them in major categories. It is followed by the final season of the comedy Hacks with twenty-four nominations, a record for a comedy series in a single season. The most successful newcomer of the year is Widow's Bay with nineteen nominations, followed by Pluribus with eighteen, the second season of Beef with sixteen and DTF St. Louis with thirteen. Among networks, HBO and HBO Max lead with 123 nominations, Netflix has 109 and Apple TV 85.

NOMINATIONS AND WINNERS OF THE 78TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS

Who collected the most awards
The outright winner of the 78th ceremony is Widow's Bay from Apple TV, which collected fourteen Emmys across all three evenings. In the live broadcast it swept the entire comedy section, taking Outstanding Comedy Series, lead actor for Matthew Rhys, both supporting roles for Stephen Root and Kate O'Flynn, directing for Hiro Murai and writing for Katie Dippold. Next with seven awards each are the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show with Bad Bunny, the limited series DTF St. Louis and the reality show The Traitors, while The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Pitt and Pluribus took six each. The most successful individual of the night is Matthew Rhys with three statuettes. He won two acting awards at once, for his lead role in the comedy Widow's Bay and his lead role in the limited series The Beast In Me, and added a third as executive producer of Widow's Bay. Stephen Colbert and Steven Conrad, creator of DTF St. Louis, also have three awards each.

Outstanding Comedy Series
Winner: Widow's Bay (Apple TV)
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (FX)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Margo's Got Money Troubles (Apple TV)
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Shrinking (Apple TV)

Outstanding Drama Series
Winner: The Pitt (HBO Max)
The Diplomat (Netflix)
The Gilded Age (HBO)
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO)
Paradise (Hulu)
Pluribus (Apple TV)
Slow Horses (Apple TV)
Your Friends & Neighbors (Apple TV)

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Winner: DTF St. Louis (HBO)
All Her Fault (Peacock)
The Beast in Me (Netflix)
Beef, season 2 (Netflix)
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette (FX)

Outstanding Reality Competition Program
Winner: The Traitors (Peacock)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV)
Survivor (CBS)
Top Chef (Bravo)

Outstanding Variety Series
A newly merged category that can have more than one winner.
Winner: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Winner: Matthew Rhys as Tom Loftis (Widow's Bay, Apple TV)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams (Wonder Man, Disney+)
Steve Carell as Greg Russo (Rooster, HBO)
Jason Segel as Jimmy Laird (Shrinking, Apple TV)
Martin Short as Oliver Putnam (Only Murders in the Building, Hulu)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Winner: Jean Smart as Deborah Vance (Hacks, HBO Max)
Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues (Abbott Elementary, ABC)
Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu (The Bear, FX)
Elle Fanning as Margo Millet (Margo's Got Money Troubles, Apple TV)
Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish (The Comeback, HBO)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Winner: Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (The Pitt, HBO Max)
Sterling K. Brown as Xavier Collins (Paradise, Hulu)
Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb (Slow Horses, Apple TV)
Mark Ruffalo as Tom Brandis (Task, HBO)
Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler (The Diplomat, Netflix)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Winner: Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka (Pluribus, Apple TV)
Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell (The Gilded Age, HBO)
Chase Infiniti as Agnes MacKenzie (The Testaments, Hulu)
Keri Russell as Katherine “Kate” Wyler (The Diplomat, Netflix)
Zendaya as Rue Bennett (Euphoria, HBO)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Winner: Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis (The Beast in Me, Netflix)
Riz Ahmed as Shah Latif (Bait, Prime Video)
Jason Bateman as Vince Friedken (Black Rabbit, Netflix)
Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein (Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Netflix)
Oscar Isaac as Joshua Martín (Beef, Netflix)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Winner: Sally Field as Tova Sullivan (Remarkably Bright Creatures, Netflix)
Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs (The Beast in Me, Netflix)
Carey Mulligan as Lindsay Crane-Martín (Beef, Netflix)
Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette (Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, FX)
Sarah Snook as Marissa Irvine (All Her Fault, Peacock)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Winner: Stephen Root as Wyck Crawford (Widow's Bay, Apple TV)
Colman Domingo as Danny (The Four Seasons, Netflix)
Paul W. Downs as Jimmy LuSaque Jr. (Hacks, HBO Max)
Harrison Ford as Dr. Paul Rhoades (Shrinking, Apple TV)
Nick Offerman as James “Jinx” Millet (Margo's Got Money Troubles, Apple TV)
Michael Urie as Brian (Shrinking, Apple TV)
Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie (Abbott Elementary, ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Winner: Kate O'Flynn as Patricia Moyer (Widow's Bay, Apple TV)
Dale Dickey as Rosemary (Widow's Bay, Apple TV)
Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels (Hacks, HBO Max)
Janelle James as Ava Coleman (Abbott Elementary, ABC)
Michelle Pfeiffer as Shyanne (Margo's Got Money Troubles, Apple TV)
Megan Stalter as Kayla Schaefer (Hacks, HBO Max)
Jessica Williams as Gaby Evans (Shrinking, Apple TV)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Winner: Tom Pelphrey as Robbie Prendergrast (Task, HBO)
Patrick Ball as Dr. Frank Langdon (The Pitt, HBO Max)
Billy Crudup as Cory Ellison (The Morning Show, Apple TV)
Shawn Hatosy as Dr. Jack Abbot (The Pitt, HBO Max)
Gerran Howell as Dr. Dennis Whitaker (The Pitt, HBO Max)
Jack Lowden as River Cartwright (Slow Horses, Apple TV)
Carlos Manuel Vesga as Manousos Oviedo (Pluribus, Apple TV)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Winner: Allison Janney as President Grace Penn (The Diplomat, Netflix)
Taylor Dearden as Dr. Mel King (The Pitt, HBO Max)
Fiona Dourif as Dr. Cassie McKay (The Pitt, HBO Max)
Katherine LaNasa as Dana Evans (The Pitt, HBO Max)
Sepideh Moafi as Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (The Pitt, HBO Max)
Julianne Nicholson as Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond (Paradise, Hulu)
Karolina Wydra as Zosia (Pluribus, Apple TV)

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Winner: Hiro Murai, Widow's Bay: “Welcome to Widow's Bay!” (Apple TV)
Randall Einhorn, Abbott Elementary: “Ballgame” (ABC)
Christopher Storer, The Bear: “Bears” (FX)
Andrew DeYoung, The Chair Company: “Life goes by too f**king fast, it really does.” (HBO)
Lucia Aniello, Hacks: “Hacks” (HBO Max)
Mary Lou Belli, The Ms. Pat Show: “Give It Arrest” (BET+)

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Winner: Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses: “Scars” (Apple TV)
Salli Richardson-Whitfield, The Gilded Age: “My Mind Is Made Up” (HBO)
Hanelle Culpepper, Paradise: “Exodus” (Hulu)
Noah Wyle, The Pitt: “12:00 P.M.” (HBO Max)
Vince Gilligan, Pluribus: “We Is Us” (Apple TV)
Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Task: “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river.” (HBO)

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Winner: Katie Dippold, Widow's Bay: “Welcome to Widow's Bay!” (Apple TV)
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary: “Team Building” (ABC)
Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin, The Chair Company: “Life goes by too f**king fast, it really does.” (HBO)
Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback: “Valerie Does It All” (HBO)
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, Hacks: “Hacks” (HBO Max)
Anthony King, Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat: “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Prime Video)

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Winner: Vince Gilligan, Pluribus: “We Is Us” (Apple TV)
Peter Akerman and Debora Cahn, The Diplomat: “Amagansett” (Netflix)
Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman and R. Scott Gemmill, The Pitt: “1:00 P.M.” (HBO Max)
Valerie Chu, The Pitt: “12:00 P.M.” (HBO Max)
Will Smith, Slow Horses: “Scars” (Apple TV)
Brad Ingelsby, Task: “A Still Small Voice” (HBO)

FIVE CATEGORIES MOVED TO THE CREATIVE ARTS CEREMONY

This year the Television Academy removed five categories from the live broadcast and presented them at the Creative Arts Emmys on 5 and 6 September. Here are their winners.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Winner: David Harbour as Floyd Smernitch (DTF St. Louis, HBO)
Jason Bateman as Clark Forrest (DTF St. Louis, HBO)
Richard Gadd as Ruben Pallister (Half Man, HBO)
Richard Jenkins as Detective Donoghue Homer (DTF St. Louis, HBO)
Charles Melton as Austin Davis (Beef, Netflix)
Nick Offerman as Chester A. Arthur (Death by Lightning, Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Winner: Linda Cardellini as Carol Love-Smernitch (DTF St. Louis, HBO)
Dakota Fanning as Jenny Kaminski (All Her Fault, Peacock)
Laurie Metcalf as Augusta Gein (Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Netflix)
Joy Sunday as Jodie Plumb (DTF St. Louis, HBO)
Youn Yuh-jung as Chairwoman Park (Beef, Netflix)
Constance Zimmer as Ann Messina Freeman (Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, FX)

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Winner: Steven Conrad, DTF St. Louis (HBO)
Jake Schreier, Beef: “It Will Stay This Way and You Will Obey” (Netflix)
Lee Sung Jin, Beef: “Oh, the Comfort, the Inexpressible Comfort” (Netflix)
Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit: “The Black Rabbits” (Netflix)

Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Winner: Steven Conrad, DTF St. Louis (HBO)
Megan Gallagher, All Her Fault: “Episode 8” (Peacock)
Gabe Rotter and Daniel Pearle, The Beast in Me: “Sick Puppy” (Netflix)
Lee Sung Jin, Beef: “All the Things We're Never Going to Have” (Netflix)
Mike Makowsky, Death by Lightning (Netflix)

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
Winner: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Steven Conrad's double triumph for directing and writing, together with both acting statuettes for David Harbour and Linda Cardellini, means DTF St. Louis left the weekend with six awards. Harbour and Cardellini both won their first Emmys, and by coincidence both appeared in supporting roles in Brokeback Mountain twenty years ago. The writing win for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert also ended the ten-year dominance of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in this category, in the very season the show came to a definitive end after its cancellation by CBS.

WHERE TO WATCH THESE TITLES IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
HBO and HBO Max titles are available on HBO Max, Apple TV series on Apple TV+ and Netflix titles on Netflix. Programmes listed under Hulu and FX usually arrive in the Czech Republic on Disney+. Peacock does not operate in the Czech Republic and its titles generally reach Czech viewers via SkyShowtime. The traditional American networks ABC, CBS, NBC, MTV, Bravo, Comedy Central and BET+ are not available in the Czech Republic. Their programmes arrive there through the streaming services of their respective media groups.

Sources: Television Academy, Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, TheWrap, NBC, Writers Guild of America West