Top contenders revealed for the 2026 Emmys
The nominations for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced Wednesday morning by Emmy winners Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller, officially kicking off the countdown to television’s biggest night.
The 2026 Emmy Awards will take place on Monday, Sept. 14, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremony will air on NBC and stream live on Peacock. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards are scheduled for Sept. 5 and Sept. 6.
This year’s ceremony will be hosted by Mariska Hargitay, making her the first woman to host the Emmy Awards in 15 years.
New Changes for the 2026 Emmys
The Television Academy introduced several category updates ahead of this year’s awards. The Outstanding Scripted Variety Series and Outstanding Talk Series categories have been merged into a single Outstanding Variety Series category due to a decline in submissions.
Additionally, the Outstanding Television Movie category has been renamed Outstanding Movie to better reflect the growing number of films produced for broadcast and streaming platforms. The Academy also announced updates to the short-form, sound mixing and music categories, while expanding recognition in casting, costume, lighting, camera and technical arts.
Major 2026 Emmy Nominees
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”
Outstanding Variety Series
- “The Daily Show”
- “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
- “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
- “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
- “Saturday Night Live”
Outstanding Reality Competition Program
- “Dancing with the Stars”
- “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
- “Survivor”
- “Top Chef”
- “The Traitors”
Lead Acting Nominees
Drama Series – Lead Actor
- Sterling K. Brown – “Paradise”
- Gary Oldman – “Slow Horses”
- Mark Ruffalo – “Task”
- Rufus Sewell – “The Diplomat”
- Noah Wyle – “The Pitt”
Drama Series – Lead Actress
- Carrie Coon – “The Gilded Age”
- Chase Infiniti – “The Testaments”
- Keri Russell – “The Diplomat”
- Rhea Seehorn – “Pluribus”
- Zendaya – “Euphoria”
Comedy Series – Lead Actor
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II – “Wonder Man”
- Matthew Rhys – “Widow’s Bay”
- Steve Carell – “Rooster”
- Jason Segel – “Shrinking”
- Martin Short – “Only Murders in the Building”
Comedy Series – Lead Actress
- Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary”
- Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear”
- Elle Fanning – “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
- Lisa Kudrow – “The Comeback”
- Jean Smart – “Hacks”
Limited or Anthology Series/Movie – Lead Actor
- Oscar Isaac – “Beef”
- Matthew Rhys – “The Beast in Me”
- Charlie Hunnam – “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
- Jason Bateman – “Black Rabbit”
- Riz Ahmed – “Bait”
Limited or Anthology Series/Movie – Lead Actress
- Carey Mulligan – “Beef”
- Claire Danes – “The Beast in Me”
- Sally Field – “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
- Sarah Pidgeon – “Love Story”
- Sarah Snook – “All Her Fault”
The winners of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will be revealed during the live ceremony on Sept. 14, celebrating the year’s most outstanding achievements in television across drama, comedy, limited series and reality programming.
