2026 Emmy Nominations: Hacks, The Pitt, and Widow’s Bay Earn the Most Nods

At a quick glance, it would appear that the Television Academy got the 2026 Emmy nominations right. HBO Max’s The Pitt leads all shows with 25 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor (Noah Wyle), and a dozen more nominees in other acting categories. In its final season, HBO Max’s Hacks pulled in 24 nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, the most ever in a single year for a comedy (The Studio and “comedy” The Bear grabbed 23 nominations in 2025 and 2024, respectively). And newcomer Widow’s Bay rode a tide of word-of-mouth praise and excellent timing — its season finale aired smack dab in the middle of the Emmy voting period — to summon 19 nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series and multiple acting nominations. Other leaders include Pluribus (18), Beef (16), DTF St. Louis (13), Saturday Night Live (11), and Spider-Noir (11). 

HBO/HBO Max pulled in the most nominations with 122, with almost 50 coming from The Pitt and Hacks, and Netflix came in second with 111. Apple TV, which has been called “the next HBO” in recent months thanks to a red-hot winter and spring that included Widow’s Bay, Pluribus, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, and Shrinking, notched an impressive 87 nominations, beating last year’s tally by six.

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But what’s missing? TV Guide favorite The Lowdown was snubbed entirely, which is unacceptable to anyone who’s actually seen it. Taylor Sheridan’s shows — The Madison and Landman, to name a couple — were some of the biggest of the season, yet only Sheridan’s Tulsa King received a nomination (for stunts), leaving Paramount+ with just one nod. And Richard Gadd’s Half Man received just one Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series (Gadd), just two years after his Netflix series Baby Reindeer got 11 nominations and six wins.  

Below are the 2026 Emmy nominations in the major categories. A full list can be seen at the Emmys website. Winners will be announced at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 14 on NBC and Peacock, and the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sept. 5 and 6. 

Outstanding Drama Series
The Diplomat
The Gilded Age
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Paradise
The Pitt
Pluribus
Slow Horses
Your Friends & Neighbors

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown, Paradise
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Mark Ruffalo, Task
Rufus Sewell, The Diplomat
Noah Wyle, The Pitt

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
Chase Infiniti, The Testaments
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
Zendaya, Euphoria

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Patrick Ball, The Pitt
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
Gerran Howell, The Pitt
Jack Lowden, Slow Horses
Tom Pelphrey, Task
Carlos-Manuel Vesga, Pluribus

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Taylor Dearden, The Pitt
Fiona Dourif, The Pitt
Allison Janney, The Diplomat
Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
Sepideh Moafi, The Pitt
Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
Karolina Wydra, Pluribus

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Colman Domingo, Euphoria
Ernest Harden Jr., The Pitt
Jeff Hiller, Pluribus
Jeff Kober, The Pitt
Jonathan Pryce, Slow Horses
Bradley Whitford, The Diplomat

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Brittany Allen, The Pitt
Tal Anderson, The Pitt
Tina Ivlev, The Pitt
Miriam Shor, Pluribus
Merritt Wever, The Gilded Age
Shailene Woodley, Paradise

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 Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder Man
Steve Carell, Rooster
Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Elle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Jean Smart, Hacks

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
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 Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Dale Dickey, Widow’s Bay
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay
Michelle Pfeiffer, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Megan Stalter, Hacks
Jessica Williams, Shrinking

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Michael J. Fox, Shrinking
Brett Goldstein, Shrinking
Hamish Linklater, Widow’s Bay
Christopher McDonald, Hacks
Rob Reiner, The Bear
Connor Storrie, Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Leslie Bibb, Hacks
Jamie Lee Curtis, The Bear
Betty Gilpin, Widow’s Bay
Cherry Jones, Hacks
Laurie Metcalf, Hacks
Kaitlin Olson, Hacks
Lauren Weedman, Hacks

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
All Her Fault
The Beast in Me
Beef
DTF St. Louis
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology 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

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Claire Danes, The Beast in Me
Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
Carey Mulligan, Beef
Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Sarah Snook, All Her Fault

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Jason Bateman, DTF St. Louis
Richard Gadd, Half Man
David Harbour, DTF St. Louis
Richard Jenkins, DTF St. Louis
Charles Melton, Beef
Nick Offerman, Death by Lightning

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis
Dakota Fanning, All Her Fault
Laurie Metcalf, Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Joy Sunday, DTF St. Louis
Youn Yuh-jung, Beef
Constance Zimmer, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & 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

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program
RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Alan Cumming, The Traitors
Kristen Kish, Top Chef
Ariana Madix, Love Island USA
Jeff Probst, Survivor

Outstanding Structured Reality Program
Antiques Roadshow
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Love Is Blind
Queer Eye
Shark Tank

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Love on the Spectrum
RuPaul’s Drag Race Untucked
Summer House
Welcome to Wrexham

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
83rd Annual Golden Globes
68th Annual Grammy Awards
The Oscars
78th Annual Tony Awards

Outstanding Television Movie
Heads of State
Miss You, Love You
People We Meet on Vacation
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Randall Einhorn; Abbott Elementary, “Ballgame”
Christopher Storer; The Bear, “Bears”
Andrew DeYoung; The Chair Company, “Life Goes By Too F**king Fast, It Really Does.”
Lucia Aniello; Hacks, “Hacks (Finale)”
Mary Lou Belli; The Ms. Pat Show, “Give It Arrest”
Hiro Murai; Widow’s Bay, “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!”

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson; Abbott Elementary, “Team Building”
Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin; The Chair Company, “Life Goes By Too F**king Fast, It Really Does.”
Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow; The Comeback, “Valerie Does It All”
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky; Hacks, “Hacks (Finale)”
Anthony King; Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, “Mergers and Acquisitions”
Katie Dippold; Widow’s Bay, “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!”

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Salli Richardson Whitfield; The Gilded Age, “My Mind Is Made Up”
Hanelle M. Culpepper; Paradise, “Exodus”
Noah Wyle; The Pitt, “12:00 P.M.”
Vince Gilligan; Pluribus, “We Is Us”
Saul Metzstein; Slow Horses, “Scars”
Salli Richardson Whitfield; Task, “Out Beyond Ideas of Wrongdoing and Rightdoing, There Is a River”

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Peter Ackerman & Debora Cahn; The Diplomat, “Amagansett”
Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman & R. Scott Gemmill; The Pitt, “1:00 P.M.”
Valerie Chu; The Pitt, “12:00 P.M.”
Vince Gilligan; Pluribus, “We Is Us”
Will Smith; Slow Horses, “Scars”
Brad Ingelsby; Task, “A Still Small Voice”

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

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

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
Andy Fisher; Jimmy Kimmel Live!, “Guests: Robert De Niro as The New FCC Chair, Glen Powell, and Musical Guest Sarah McLachlan”
Yvonne De Mare; The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, “Series Finale”
Liz Patrick; Saturday Night Live, “Host: Olivia Rodrigo”