The Pitt and Hacks lead 78th Emmy nominations with 25 and 24 nods ahead of September ceremony
Medical drama The Pitt scored a field-leading 25 nominations for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, followed closely by the comedy Hacks with 24. The winners will be revealed at a live NBC telecast from Los Angeles on 14 September.
The Television Academy revealed the nominees for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on 8 July 2026, setting up a race dominated by two returning favourites and a crop of ambitious newcomers. The medical series The Pitt garnered 25 total nominations, the most of any programme, and is the frontrunner for Outstanding Drama Series. Hacks, which follows an ageing comedian, earned 24 nominations and leads the comedy field. Both shows were widely expected to perform well, but their combined tally underscored the strength of the ongoing season.
Drama and comedy fields
Eight series will compete for Outstanding Drama Series: The Diplomat, The Gilded Age, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Paradise, The Pitt, Pluribus, Slow Horses, and Your Friends and Neighbors. In comedy, the 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. Acting categories feature familiar faces: Noah Wyle (The Pitt) and Jean Smart (Hacks) are nominated in lead acting races, alongside Gary Oldman (Slow Horses), Keri Russell (The Diplomat), and Zendaya (Euphoria).
Behind the announcement
Emmy winners Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller presented the nomination list, marking the official countdown to television's biggest night. The announcement immediately sparked debate over snubs and surprises. Among the most talked-about outcomes was the return of Dancing with the Stars to the nominations after a decade-long absence, which was seen as a symbolic nod to the format's resilience. Conversely, the omission of The Amazing Race from the list registered as one of the year's most conspicuous absences.
Variety and talk categories
The competition in variety and talk categories is led by The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Saturday Night Live. Their presence comes at a time when traditional linear viewing increasingly coexists with streaming and social media consumption. Netflix's Beef, which had a previous awards run, earned 16 nominations, while DTF St. Louis received 13.
Looking ahead to September
The awards ceremony is scheduled for Monday, 14 September 2026, at Los Angeles. NBC will broadcast the event live, with Mariska Hargitay, best known for her long-running role on Law & Order: SVU, serving as host. The date launches a season of intense campaigning and speculation as the industry watches how the final votes tip in an era when the line between cinema and television has never been blurrier.
