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The 2026 Emmy nominations: Breaking down this year's list

NPR | By Linda Holmes
Published July 9, 2026 at 7:04 AM CDT

Updated July 8, 2026 at 12:29 PM CDT

Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller presented the nominees on Wednesday morning. Winners will be announced at the 78th Emmy Awards on September 14. Read analysis below or click here for the list of nominees.

The nominations look familiar — up to a point.

There are plenty of expected names in the list of nominees for the 2026 Emmy Awards: The Pitt led all shows with 25 nominations, followed closely by the final season of Hacks with 24. But not far behind are the 19 nominations for the new, offbeat horror comedy Widow's Bay, including for outstanding comedy series and six actors, including lead actor Matthew Rhys. Just behind that, with 18 nominations, is the first season of Pluribus, creator Vince Gilligan's follow-up to Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, led by nominated lead actress Rhea Seehorn.

The hottest competition isn't where it used to be.

There was a time when the limited or anthology series categories were where the most closely watched races were happening. But this year, the nominees for outstanding program in that category are not the shows of the year.

The second season of Beef was fine, Love Story: John F. Kennedy and Carolyn Bessette was very similar to other work under Ryan Murphy's umbrella, and Sarah Snook was fabulous in All Her Fault. But are these limited series the really interesting shows out there, the way they were in 2021, when The Queen's Gambit beat out Mare of Easttown, I May Destroy You, The Underground Railroad and WandaVision? They are not.

As always, the first-timers are an interesting mix.

Just from The Pitt, Gerran Howell (who plays Whittaker), Taylor Dearden (Mel), Patrick Ball, (Langdon), Fiona Dourif (McKay), Sepideh Moafi (Al-Hashimi), Jeff Kober (Duke), Tal Anderson (Becca) and Ernest Harden Jr. (Louie) got their first Emmy nominations. But so did Carey Mulligan, who's a three-time Oscar nominee, recognized here for Beef.

Leslie Bibb, whose TV work goes all the way back to Popular on the WB in 1999, got her first Emmy nod for a guest spot on Hacks. Heated Rivalry wasn't eligible because it's Canadian, but Connor Storrie still got his first nomination for his guest appearance on Saturday Night Live.

Not all shows seeming to be awards magnets work out that way.

Half Man, Richard Gadd's follow-up to the highly acclaimed series Baby Reindeer, received only a nomination for Gadd's acting. The second season of Apple's Your Friends & Neighbors, starring Mad Men's Jon Hamm (nominated eight times for Mad Men, where he won once) was nominated for outstanding drama series, but that's it.

The Lowdown, the exceptional FX series starring Ethan Hawke as an Oklahoma journalist, was shut out entirely. Sometimes it's a relief and sometimes a disappointment, but things with plenty of energy behind them do miss out.

2026 Emmy nominees

Outstanding comedy series

Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series

Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series

Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series

  • Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons
  • Paul W. Downs, Hacks
  • 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

Outstanding drama series

Outstanding lead actor in a drama series

Outstanding lead actress in a drama series

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

Outstanding limited or anthology series

Outstanding lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie

Outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie

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 supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie

Outstanding reality competition program

Outstanding variety series

See the full list of nominees. Winners will be announced at the 78th Emmy Awards ceremony, hosted by Mariska Hargitay on Monday, Sept. 14 in Los Angeles.

Copyright 2026 NPR
Film & TV
Linda Holmes
Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour. She began her professional life as an attorney. In time, however, her affection for writing, popular culture, and the online universe eclipsed her legal ambitions. She shoved her law degree in the back of the closet, gave its living room space to DVD sets of The Wire, and never looked back.