Emmy nominations 2026: 'The Pitt' hits 25, 'Hacks' sets comedy record with 24; big snubs for 'Euphoria'

Nominations for the 78th Emmy Awards (2026) were announced Wednesday morning in Los Angeles. The Pitt led the way with 25 nominations. Hacks followed with 24 nods in its final season, a record for a comedy series. Newcomers Widow’s Bay earned 19 nominations, Pluribus got 18, Beef received 16, and DTF St. Louis picked up 13.

HBO’s medical drama The Pitt scored 25 total nods for its second season. This made it the most nominated show of the year. Hacks earned 24 nominations for its fifth season, the most ever for a comedy. The show beat the previous record holders. The Bear and The Studio had both earned 23 nominations in prior years.

Jean Smart chases history

Star Jean Smart is now in line to win her fifth Emmy for Hacks and her eighth overall. That would put her in a tie for the actress with the most Emmy acting wins in history.

Apple TV’s strong showing

Widow’s Bay, the Apple TV horror comedy, saw a surge of interest toward the end of Emmy campaign season. The show’s freshman run earned 19 nominations. Its season finale aired in the middle of the Emmy voting period, which helped its momentum.

Pluribus, the twisty Apple TV drama, earned 18 nominations in its first year. Apple TV has been described as a rising rival to HBO after a strong winter and spring. That stretch included Widow’s Bay, Pluribus, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, and Shrinking. The platform notched 87 nominations total, six more than last year.

Limited series and broadcast leaders

The top limited series in nomination count was Netflix’s second season of Beef, with 16 nominations. On the broadcast side, NBC’s Saturday Night Live led with 11 nominations. Spider-Noir also picked up 11 nominations.

Network totals

HBO Max led all networks with 122 nominations. Netflix followed with 111. Apple TV came in third with 87. ABC topped the broadcast networks with 40.

Drama series field

The Best Drama nominees are The Diplomat, The Gilded Age, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Paradise, The Pitt, Pluribus, Slow Horses, and Your Friends & Neighbors.

Noah Wyle earned a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor for The Pitt. He is joined in that category by Sterling K. Brown for Paradise, Gary Oldman for Slow Horses, Mark Ruffalo for Task, and Rufus Sewell for The Diplomat.

The Lead Actress in a Drama field includes Carrie Coon for The Gilded Age, Chase Infiniti for The Testaments, Keri Russell for The Diplomat, Rhea Seehorn for Pluribus, and Zendaya for Euphoria.

Comedy series field

The Best Comedy nominees are Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Nobody Wants This, Only Murders in the Building, Shrinking, and Widow’s Bay.

Quinta Brunson picked up three nominations for Abbott Elementary, for performing, writing, and producing.

Multiple nominees

Jason Bateman, star of DTF St. Louis, received two nominations for that HBO dark comedy, one as a performer and one as a producer. He also earned two nominations for the Netflix drama Black Rabbit, where he starred and directed. Matthew Rhys picked up two nominations for Widow’s Bay, as a performer and producer, plus one for The Beast in Me as a performer.

Notable snubs

Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, both nominated last year for the first season of Nobody Wants This, were left out for season two. Sydney Sweeney of Euphoria also missed a nomination in the show’s third and final season, after being nominated previously. Jeremy Allen White of The Bear was also snubbed, along with Paul Anthony Kelly, who played John F. Kennedy Jr. in the FX series Love Story.

The Lowdown received no nominations at all. Taylor Sheridan’s Tulsa King got just one nomination, for stunts, leaving Paramount+ with a single nod despite Sheridan’s other large shows this season.

Ineligible shows

Heated Rivalry, one of the year’s breakout hits, was not eligible for the Emmys because it was financed outside the United States. It qualifies instead for the International Emmy Awards and already won 16 awards at the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards. Dutton Ranch also missed full eligibility. Only its first four episodes qualified, since the remaining five aired after the May cutoff.

Rule changes this year

The Television Academy changed the outstanding variety series category into an “area” award this year. Nominees in that category do not compete directly against each other. Instead, each needs at least 90 percent of Emmy voters to say the show merits an award. That means more than one winner could emerge from the category. The Academy also renamed the TV movie category to “outstanding movie” and made changes to short form, sound mixing, and music categories, along with new AI guidelines.

Host and Ceremony Date

Mariska Hargitay, the Emmy-winning star of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, will host the show. She is the first woman to do so in 15 years. The 2026 Emmy Awards will air Sunday, September 14, at 8 pm on NBC and stream on Peacock. Winners will also be recognized at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 5 and 6. Final round voting will run from August 17 through August 26.