Emmys 2026: Winners, Nominees, Host, and How to Watch with DISH

The 78th Emmy® Awards are nearly here, and TV’s biggest stars and shows are set to receive their rightful acclaim. Here’s a look at the top Emmy nominees, hosts and presenters, and how to watch the 2026 Emmys on NBC with DISH. Not a DISH subscriber? Follow this link to find the best offer and subscribe to DISH today!

NOTE: This post has been updated with winners in the major categories, find those in the "Nominees and Winners" section below.

Emmys 2026: Quick Facts

Top Shows & Nominations

• The Pitt: Led all programs with 25 total nominations and 13 acting nominations for the cast of season 2.
  

• Hacks: Set the all-time single-year comedy record with 24 nominations.
  

• Breakout Freshmen: Apple TV+'s Widow's Bay (19) and Pluribus (18) led all new series debuts.
  
  

Platform Rankings

• HBO Max: Earned the top spot overall with 122 nominations.
  

• Netflix: Followed in second place with 111 nominations.
  

• Apple TV+: Secured third place with a platform-record 89 nominations.
  
  

Emmy Schedule & Host

• Host: Hosted by Mariska Hargitay, marking the first solo female host of the ceremony in 15 years. Since 1999, Hargitay has been a mainstay of NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, which premieres its 28th season this fall. In addition to hosting the 78th Emmys, Hargitay has already taken home two of them: last weekend, Hargitay won an Emmy for directing My Mom Jayne, a documentary about her mother Jayne Mansfield, which also won Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.
  

• Creative Arts Emmys: That award was given out at the Creative Arts Emmys, which preceded the main event over two nights on September 5–6, 2026. The complete list of Emmy winners can be found on the Television Academy website.
  

• Main Emmy Broadcast: The 3-hour live ceremony is set for September 14, 2026 on NBC. The show is scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET. The broadcast takes place live from the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in Downtown Los Angeles.

   

When are the 2026 Emmys?

You can catch the 2026 Emmys on Monday, September 14, beginning at 5 PM ET / 8 PM ET, live on NBC. The ceremony will take place at the Peacock Theater at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles. 

Who Are the Presenters at the EMMYS?

On Sept. 9, NBC released a star-studded list of presenters for the Emmy Awards. Here’s the list, in alphabetical order:

• Odessa A'zion – I Love LA
• David Boreanaz – SEAL Team/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Linda Cardellini – DTF St. Louis winner
• Macaulay Culkin – The Righteous Gemstones / American Horror Story
• Alan Cumming – The Traitors host
• Sally Field – Nominee for Remarkably Bright Creatures
• Sarah Michelle Gellar – Dexter: Original Sin / Wolf Pack
• Jon Hamm – Your Friends & Neighbors / The Morning Show
• David Harbour – Stranger Things / DTF St. Louis winner
• Marcello Hernández – Saturday Night Live 
• Kate Jackson – Charlie's Angels
• Peter Krause – 9-1-1
• Cheryl Ladd – Charlie's Angels
• Dan Levy – Schitt's Creek / Good Grief
• Julianna Margulies – The Morning Show / The Good Wife
• Annie Murphy – Schitt's Creek / Black Mirror
• Niecy Nash-Betts – Grotesquerie / Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
• Keke Palmer – The Burbs / Nope
• Amanda Peet – Fatal Attraction / The Chair
• Amy Poehler – Inside Out 2 / Parks and Recreation
• Florence Pugh – Star of the upcoming Netflix series East of Eden
• Rachel Sennott – I Love LA / Bottoms
• Jaclyn Smith – Charlie's Angels
• Zendaya – Euphoria

NBC also annout that "the In Memoriam segment will feature two-time Grammy Award-nominated and multi-platinum selling artist Noah Kahan performing 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.'” It was also announced that the show "will feature celebrations of the milestone 30^th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with David Boreanaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar, and the 50^th anniversary of Charlie’s Angels with Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith." 

Who are the 2026 Emmy Nominees and Winners?

Drama Categories

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+) - WINNER

• Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

• Your Friends & Neighbors (Apple TV+)

Despite a strong debut season for the new Game of Thrones series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a breakout season for The Gilded Age, and an impressive first season for the new Vince Gilligan series Pluribus, it would be nothing short of astonishing if The Pitt doesn’t take home its second-straight Outstanding Drama Series Emmy. Expert consensus puts its odds of winning this category between 94-100 percent.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

• Sterling K. Brown – Paradise (Hulu)

• Gary Oldman – Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

• Mark Ruffalo – Task (HBO Max)

• Rufus Sewell – The Diplomat (Netflix)

• Noah Wyle – The Pitt (HBO Max) - WINNER

Similar story here: Perhaps even more than the first season, Noah Wyle is the beating heart of a huge ensemble as Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch. It would be jaw-dropping to hear a different name announced on Monday.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

• Carrie Coon – The Gilded Age (HBO Max)

• Chase Infiniti – The Testaments (Hulu)

• Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)

• Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus (Apple TV+) - WINNER

• Zendaya – Euphoria (HBO Max)

Although Zendaya has already won two Emmys for her role on Euphoria, its third and final season wasn’t well received by critics and was mostly nominated for technical awards. That opens the door for Rhea Seehorn, whose prickly novelist is at the center of nearly every scene in Pluribus. Experts give her better than an 80 percent chance of winning.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

• Patrick Ball – The Pitt (HBO Max)

• Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

• Shawn Hatosy – The Pitt (HBO Max)

• Gerran Howell – The Pitt (HBO Max)

• Jack Lowden – Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

• Tom Pelphrey – Task (HBO Max) - WINNER

• Carlos-Manuel Vesga – Pluribus (Apple TV+)

This is where things get interesting. Patrick Ball of The Pitt is seen as the frontrunner in this category, but with two of his co-stars (Shawn Hatosy and Gerran Howell) also on the ballot, the three actors could end up splitting votes, opening up a lane for Tom Pelphrey, who was outstanding as a complex and desperate criminal in Task. UPDATE: Pelphrey did win, although it's difficult to say if vote-splittling was the reason.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

• Taylor Dearden – The Pitt (HBO Max)

• Fiona Dourif – The Pitt (HBO Max)

• Allison Janney – The Diplomat (Netflix) - WINNER

• Katherine LaNasa – The Pitt (HBO Max)

• Sepideh Moafi – The Pitt (HBO Max)

• Julianne Nicholson – Paradise (Hulu)

• Karolina Wydra – Pluribus (Apple TV+)

Although this category is even more competitive with four nominees from The Pitt, experts are in agreement that Katherine LaNasa will once again win for her role as charge nurse Dana Evans. UPDATE: In one of the night's bigger upsets, Allison Janney nabbed her 8th Emmy win over LaNasa.

Comedy Categories

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+) - WINNER

This might be the single most compelling category at the 2026 Emmys. Frontrunner status leans toward the breakout horror-comedy Widow's Bay following its 8 Creative Arts Emmy victories. However, some pundits and major outlets like AwardsWatch and IndieWire project a win for Hacks on its record-setting 24-nomination farewell tour. UPDATE: Widow's Bay ended up setting the records, not Hacks, as the show took home a record 14 Emmys in the comedy categories, including Outstanding Comedy Series.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II – Wonder Man (Disney+)

• Steve Carell – Rooster (HBO Max)

• Matthew Rhys – Widow's Bay (Apple TV+) - WINNER

• Jason Segel – Shrinking (Apple TV+)

• Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

According to experts, this is another lock and it could be history-making. If Matthew Rhys takes home the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy as expected, and wins for Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me, he would become the first lead actor ever to win the Emmy in all three major categories (Rhys already has an Emmy for his role in the FX drama The Americans). UPDATE: Rhys did indeed win both nominations he was up for, making him the first actor to win lead performance awards in two categories in the same year, plus the first actor to nab lead actor Emmys in three difference categories. Respect. 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

• Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

• Ayo Edebiri – The Bear (FX)

• Elle Fanning – Margo's Got Money Troubles (Apple TV+)

• Lisa Kudrow – The Comeback (HBO Max)

• Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO Max) - WINNER

There should be very little drama in this comedy category: Jean Smart has been tabbed as a 95 percent favorite to win her 8th career acting Emmy for the final season of Hacks.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

• Colman Domingo – The Four Seasons (Netflix)

• Paul W. Downs – Hacks (HBO Max)

• Harrison Ford – Shrinking (Apple TV+)

• Nick Offerman – Margo's Got Money Troubles (Apple TV+)

• Stephen Root – Widow's Bay (Apple TV+) - WINNER

• Michael Urie – Shrinking (Apple TV+)

• Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

This is one of the more difficult races to predict. Harrison Ford is a slight favorite to win in his second nomination for the Apple TV comedy Shrinking, but Widow’s Bay’s early wins are giving momentum to Stephen Root’s campaign. Voters could also honor Hacks co-creator Paul W. Downs for the show’s final season.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

• Dale Dickey – Widow's Bay (Apple TV+)

• Hannah Einbinder – Hacks (HBO Max)

• Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

• Kate O'Flynn – Widow's Bay (Apple TV+) - WINNER

• Michelle Pfeiffer – Margo's Got Money Troubles (Apple TV+)

• Megan Stalter – Hacks (HBO Max)

• Jessica Williams – Shrinking (Apple TV+)

While Kate O’Flynn has grabbed the momentum based on the early wins for Widow’s Bay, she faces solid competition from reigning winner Hannah Einbinder of Hacks, as well as Widow’s Bay co-star Dale Dickey.

Additional Emmy Locks

• "The Traitors" – Outstanding Reality Competition Program: Standing at 94.4% to 100% expert odds on Gold Derby, The Traitors is overwhelmingly favored to win Outstanding Reality Competition Program. UPDATE: As predicted, The Traitors took home the Emmy.

• "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" – Outstanding Variety Series: Given the political drama surrounding the cancellation of this CBS late night staple, experts assign Colbert's show a 93.9% to 94.1% win probability on Gold Derby under the category's new area award format. UPDATE: Colbert did indeed win.

Additional Wide-Open races

• Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: Predictions are divided between DTF St. Louis (56.5% expert odds on Gold Derby and $0.91 market odds) and Beef (43.5% expert odds), with major outlets like Variety projecting Beef while Gold Derby users and Reddit pundits favor DTF St. Louis. UPDATE: DTF St. Louis pulled off the win in this category, with Linda Cardellini and David Harbour also winning supporting actor Emmys.

• Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie: This category features a tight race led by Carey Mulligan (Beef) at 57% expert odds on Gold Derby, alongside strong contention from nominees like Sarah Pidgeon (Love Story), Sally Field (Remarkably Bright Creatures), Claire Danes (The Beast in Me), and Sarah Snook (All Her Fault). UPDATE: They still like Sally Field, as she won for Remarkably Bright Creatures.

• Writing for a Comedy Series: Experts and pundits are split between "Hacks (Finale)" (Hacks), which holds 74.8% to 75% odds on Gold Derby, and "Welcome to Widow's Bay" (Widow's Bay) following its Creative Arts sweep. UPDATE: Katie Dippold won for Widown's Bay, 

Who were the major Emmy winners in 2025?

Last year’s Emmy Awards were dominated by a handful of shows. The Apple TV Hollywood satire The Studio took home 13 awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, and four awards for co-creator and star Seth Rogen (acting, writing, directing, and producing). On the drama side, The Pitt took home five Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series, and acting nods for Wyle and LaNasa. And in Limited Series, the Netflix original Adolescence won 8 of the 13 categories in which it was nominated, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, Outstanding Lead Actor for series star and co-creator Stephen Graham, and an Outstanding Supporting Actor for Owen Cooper, who at 15-years-old became the youngest male acting winner in Emmy history.

Watch the 2026 Emmy Awards live Monday, September 14 at 8 PM ET on NBC!