Emmy Nominations 2026: "The Pitt" and "Hacks" Rule the Roost, "DTF St. Louis" Shines Bright on HBO Max

Emmy nomination day has officially crowned "The Pitt" as the reigning king of television drama! The critically acclaimed HBO Max medical series swept this year's nominations with an impressive 25 nods, including outstanding drama and a staggering 13 acting nominations. Lead actor Noah Wyle is poised to take home his second Emmy for his gripping performance in the hit show, up from just 13 nominations last year. Close on "The Pitt's" heels is another HBO Max sensation, "Hacks," which scored an impressive 24 nominations for its fifth season – breaking the record previously held by "The Bear" and "The Studio." Star Jean Smart is set to claim her fifth Emmy win for the show, bringing her total to eight and tying her with the actress with the most Emmy acting wins in history. NBC's "Saturday Night Live" took the top spot among broadcast networks, earning 11 nominations this year. In a dominating display of power, HBO Max secured a whopping 122 nominations – down slightly from last year's record-breaking 142. With standout performances by "The Pitt," "Hacks," and "DTF St. Louis" (which garnered 13 nominations), it's clear that HBO Max is the streaming platform to beat this year. This year's Emmys will air live from L.A. Live's Peacock Theatre on Monday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, with "Law & Order: SVU" executive producer and star Mariska Hargitay set to host the show – marking the first time a woman has hosted in 15 years. Among the major rule changes for this year's Emmys, talk and scripted variety shows have been merged into one "outstanding variety series" field, with nominations now based on the number of submissions for each format. The Academy has also declared that the outstanding variety series category will be an "area" award, meaning multiple winners could potentially take home an Emmy this year if 90% of voters agree they deserve it. Other rule changes announced by the TV Academy in January include a new name for the TV movie category ("outstanding movie"), AI guidelines, modifications to the short form, sound mixing and music categories, and expanded eligibility in the casting, costume, and lighting, camera & technical arts categories. A total of 555 programs were submitted across the 14 program categories, marking a slight decrease from last year's 600 entrants. This included 110 dramas, 71 comedies, 31 limited/anthology series, 34 movies, 18 variety series, and 45 reality competition shows. Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment are executive producers of the Emmy primetime telecast. The two Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies will take place on Saturday, Sept. 5, and Sunday, Sept. 6. Here are the nominees in major categories for the 78th Emmy Awards, covering shows that ran from June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026: * "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette" (FX) * Sarah Pidgeon, "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette" * Constance Zimmer, "Love Story: John F. Kennedy & Carolyn Bessette"