Emmy Awards 2026: What To Know And How To Watch

LOS ANGELES, CA — Television’s biggest night arrives Monday, Sept. 14, as the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards return to the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Mariska Hargitay, the Emmy-winning star of “Law & Order: SVU,” takes the helm this year, becoming the first solo female host in 15 years.

The drama series “The Pitt” leads all nominees with 25 nods, followed closely by “Hacks,” which scored 24 and broke the all-time Emmys record for a comedy series. Fellow drama contenders “Widow’s Bay” and “Pluribus” also made strong showings with 19 and 18 nominations.

The presenter slate spans eras and energy: Sally Field, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Jon Hamm, Niecy Nash-Betts, Annie Murphy and Alan Cumming lead the lineup, joined by a “Charlie’s Angels” reunion featuring Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd, plus a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” pairing of Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz.

Matthew Rhys enters the night with historic momentum, becoming the first performer since 1995 to earn dual lead-actor nominations for his work in “The Beast in Me” and “Task.”

The night is poised for genuine surprises and heartfelt wins. Whether you’re here for fashion, reunions or speeches, this guide has you covered as you pop the bubbly from the comfort of your couch.

Where And When To Watch the 2026 Emmys

E! Preshows

E! returns with two live red carpet specials ahead of the 78th Emmy Awards. “Live From E!: Countdown to The Emmys” airs from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM PT, hosted by Erin Lim Rhodes with Lance Bass and Ciara Miller.

The network follows with “Live From E!: The Emmys” from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM PT, featuring hosts Justin Sylvester, Keltie Knight and Will Marfuggi. Both broadcasts deliver nominee arrivals, fashion spotlights and real‑time interviews from the red carpet.

NBC Pre-show

NBC’s official Emmys pre-show is a TikTok livestream titled “NBC’s Pre-Show TikTok Live From the Red Carpet,” running from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM PT on September 14. Streaming exclusively on tiktok.com/@nbc, the pre-show brings fans directly to the red carpet with live arrivals, interviews and can’t‑miss moments before the 78th Emmy Awards begin.

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards — NBC at 8 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

The main event, hosted by Mariska Hargitay, kicks off live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Viewers can watch on NBC or stream the ceremony in real time on Peacock, which will also offer the full broadcast on-demand after the show.

Presenters

This year’s presenters span eras and genres, with a lineup that includes Odessa A’zion, Macaulay Culkin, Alan Cumming, Sally Field, Jon Hamm, Marcello Hernández, Peter Krause, Dan Levy, Julianna Margulies, Annie Murphy, Niecy Nash-Betts, Keke Palmer, Amanda Peet, Amy Poehler, Florence Pugh, Rachel Sennott, Zendaya and more.

The 2026 Emmy Awards Nominees

Outstanding Drama Series

• “The Diplomat” (Netflix)
• “The Gilded Age” (HBO Max)
• “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” (HBO Max)
• “Paradise” (Hulu)
• “The Pitt” (HBO Max)
• “Pluribus” (Apple TV+)
• “Slow Horses” (Apple TV+)
• “Your Friends & Neighbors” (Apple TV+)

Outstanding Comedy Series

• “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+)
• “Widow’s Bay” (Apple TV+)

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

• “All Her Fault” (Peacock)
• “The Beast in Me” (Netflix)
• “Beef” (Netflix)
• “DTF St. Louis” (HBO Max)
• “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette” (Hulu)

Outstanding Television Movie

• “Heads of State” (Prime Video)
• “Miss You, Love You” (HBO Max)
• “People We Meet on Vacation” (Netflix)
• “Remarkably Bright Creatures” (Netflix)
• “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War” (Prime Video)

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

• “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC)
• “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (MTV)
• “Survivor” (CBS)
• “Top Chef” (Bravo)
• “The Traitors” (Peacock)

Outstanding Variety Series

• “The Daily Show” (Comedy Central)
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC)
• “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (HBO Max)
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS)
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)

• “The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny” (NBC)
• “The 83rd Annual Golden Globes” (CBS)
• “The 68th Annual Grammy Awards” (CBS)
• “The Oscars” (ABC)
• “The 78th Annual Tony Awards” (CBS)

Outstanding Variety Special (Prerecorded)

• “Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable…” (Netflix)
• “The Muppet Show” (Disney+)
• “Nikki Glaser: Good Girl” (Hulu)
• “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | Final Show” (Disney+)
• “Wicked: One Wonderful Night” (NBC)

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 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 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 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 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. and Carolyn Bessette”
• Sarah Snook, “All Her Fault”

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 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 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 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 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 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. and Carolyn Bessette”

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 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 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 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 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 Directing for a Drama Series

• “The Gilded Age,” Salli Richardson Whitfield (“My Mind is Made Up”)
• “Paradise,” Hanelle M. Culpepper (“Exodus”)
• “The Pitt,” Noah Wyle (“12 P.M.”)
• “Pluribus,” Vince Gilligan (“We Is Us”)
• “Slow Horses,” Saul Metzstein (“Scars”)
• “Task,” Salli Richardson Whitfield (“Out Beyond Ideas of Wrongdoing and Rightdoing, There is a River”)

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

• “Abbott Elementary,” Randall Einhorn (“Ballgame”)
• “The Bear,” Christopher Storer (“Bears”)
• “The Chair Company,” Andrew DeYoung (“Life Goes By Too F***ing Fast, It Really Does.”)
• “Hacks,” Lucia Aniello (“Hacks”)
• “The Ms. Pat Show,” Mary Lou Belli (“Give It Arrest”)
• “Widow’s Bay,” Hiro Murai (“Welcome To Widow’s Bay!”)

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

• “Beef,” Jack Schreier (“It Will Stay This Way and You Will Obey”)
• “Beef,” Lee Sung Jin (“Oh, the Comfort, the Inexpressible Comfort”)
• “Black Rabbit,” Jason Bateman (“The Black Rabbits”)
• “DTF St. Louis,” Steven Conrad

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

• “The Diplomat,” Peter Ackerman and Debora Cahn (“Amagansett”)
• “The Pitt,” Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman and R. Scott Gemmill (“1 P.M.”)
• “The Pitt,” Valerie Chu (“12 P.M.”)
• “Pluribus,” Vince Gilligan (“We Is Us”)
• “Slow Horses,” Will Smith (“Scars”)

• “Task,” Brad Ingelsby (“A Still Small Voice”)

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

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

Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

• “All Her Fault,” Megan Gallagher (“Episode 8”)
• “The Beast in Me,” Gabe Rotter and Daniel Pearle (“Sick Puppy”)
• “Beef,” Lee Sung Jin (“All the Things We’re Never Going to Have”)
• “Death By Lightning,” Mike Makowsky
• “DTF St. Louis,” Steven Conrad

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series

• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
• “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”