2026 Emmy Nominations: “Widow’s Bay,” “Pluribus,” & “DTF: St. Louis” Highlight New Nominees (Updating Live)
The 2026 Emmy nominations are pouring in. Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress and Actor categories, and more have been announced. Among the Outstanding Drama Series nominees are HBO’s returning champions The Pitt and their new Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and The Gilded Age, while Apple TV’s new hit series Pluribus joins their beloved caper Slow Horses. Rounding out the category are Paradise, The Diplomat, and Your Friends and Neighbors.
On the comedy side of the equation are returning favorites like Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, Only Murders in the Building, and Shrinking, while one of the year’s biggest surprises, the delightful Widow’s Bay, surprises no one by making the cut. The series’ star, Matthew Rhys, is also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, a mid-career pivot for a performer who’d already proven he was aces in serious roles. The category also includes Margo’s Got Money Troubles and Nobody Wants This.
In the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series category, HBO’s new hit series DTF St. Louis joined Netflix’s second season of Beef. Love Story, All Her Fault, and The Beast in Me round out the category.
The 78th Emmy Awards, hosted by Law & Order: SVU executive producer and star Mariska Hargitay, will air live from L. A Live’s Peacock Theater on Monday, September 14, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
This year’s awards will feature some significant rule changes. The TV Academy merged talk and scripted variety into a single category, “Outstanding Variety Series,” with nominations from both fields determined by submissions for each format.
Under the new rules, the Outstanding Variety Series category will be an “area” award. This means that nominees in “area” award categories don’t compete against each other. Instead, they’re independently trying to reach a 90% threshold from Emmy Voters who say “yes” to the question, “Does this nominee merit an Emmy?” Under the new system, any nominated show will win an Emmy if 90% of voters agree. This could lead to multiple winners from this year’s roster.
The Pitt leads the pack for total nominations, with 25, followed by 24 for Hacks (a record for a comedy series in a single year) and 19 for Widow’s Bay.
Here are the nominees announced thus far:
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
The Diplomat
The Gilded Age
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Paradise
The Pitt
Pluribus
Slow Horses
Your Friends and Neighbors
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Carrie Coon
Chase Infiniti
Keri Russell
Rhea Seahorn
Zendaya
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sterling K. Brown
Gary Oldman
Mark Ruffalo
Rufus Sewell
Noah Wyle
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 ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Quinta Brunson
Ayo Edebiri
Elle Fanning
Lisa Kudrow
Jean Smart
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Yahya Abdul Mateen II
Steve Carell
Matthew Rhys
Jason Segel
Martin Short
OUTSTANDING LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES
All Her Fault
The Beast In Me
Beef
DTF St. Louis
Love Story
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Claire Danes
Sally Field
Carey Mulligan
Sarah Pidgeon
Sarah Snook
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Riz Ahmed
Jason Bateman
Charlie Hunnam
Oscar Isaac
Matthew Rhys
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 REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV)
Survivor (CBS)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Traitors (Peacock)
For the full list of Emmy nominees, click here.
Featured image: Kate O’Flynn, Stephen Root and Matthew Rhys in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
