Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Emmy Nominations

Just some of the Emmy nominations to pay attention to for 2026:

The 2026 Emmy Nominations: A Reality Check and a Reading List

Oh, the Emmys. Can you think of anything better? A night built entirely around television and the people that make it all possible. September 14th cannot come soon enough.

The nominations this year made me feel two things at once. First, that I have my finger on the pulse. I have watched a lot of Emmy-nominated shows this cycle and have strong opinions about most of them. Second, that I have so much homework to do before the ceremony airs. There are shows nominated that I have barely heard of, and that is both humbling and exciting. This is what the Emmys are supposed to do — remind you that there is always more worth watching.

One thing worth noting before getting into the individual shows: the comedy field this year has no clear frontrunner.¹ The traditional HBO versus streaming dynamic has shifted, and several surprise inclusions are reshaping how each category will be contested heading into September. That makes this one of the more interesting Emmy races in recent memory. The full nominations chart is above. Here is what I actually think.

Abbott Elementary

Abbott Elementary is in its fifth season for Emmy purposes, with Season 6 already renewed and premiering October 7, 2026 on ABC. The show has received 30 Emmy nominations to date, with four wins.² It deserves every single one of them.

This is one of the best feel-good sitcoms on television right now. I genuinely believe people will go back and watch Abbott Elementary ten years from now the way they go back to The Office. It has that same quality of making you feel like you are part of something without even trying.

That said, I do not expect Abbott to win Best Comedy Series, and I want to be clear that this is not a criticism. A sitcom is not the same animal as Hacks or The Bear in terms of production scale and writing ambition. That does not take away from the storytelling at all. It just puts it in a different category in my mind. Abbott Elementary belongs in the conversation. I just think the scale of what it is up against makes a Best Comedy Series win unlikely. Everything else is fair game.

The Bear

I have officially given up on the comedy versus drama debate when it comes to The Bear. I have accepted that the Television Academy classifies it as a comedy, and I am moving on. But for the record, it feels like a cop-out. The Bear is nominated for its drama storytelling, not its comedy bits or funny quips. There is nothing wrong with what it is. It just is not competing in the right category, in my opinion.

With that out of the way, here is the context. The Bear earned 13 nominations and 10 wins in its first season. Season 2 set a new comedy series record with 23 nominations and 11 wins. Season 3 earned 13 nominations and zero wins, the biggest single-year drop for any comedy series in Emmy history.³ Now in its fourth and penultimate season, The Bear has 8 nominations. That trajectory is worth paying attention to.

The most significant nomination this cycle is the posthumous nod for Rob Reiner, who passed away alongside his wife Michele Singer Reiner in December 2025. He appeared as a restaurant adviser in Season 4 and is nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. That is a meaningful moment, and the Television Academy handled it with the respect it deserved. He is just one of many impressive actors The Bear has been able to attract over its run, which says everything about the reputation the show has built.

For more thoughts on the final season, check out The Deep Dive from August 4th.

Hacks

Hacks leads all comedies with a record 24 nominations for its fifth and final season.⁴ I wish I had discovered this show sooner. I have only been a fan for about a year, and in that time I have realized what a genuinely great series it is from top to bottom.

Honestly, I think a large part of the 24 nominations is the Emmy voters rewarding a farewell. That is not a bad thing. When a show ends well and has been as consistently strong as Hacks has, the send-off deserves recognition. But beyond the farewell factor, this cast is extraordinary, and the nominations show it. Industry analysts are currently predicting Jean Smart to win Best Actress in a Comedy Series and Hannah Einbinder for Best Supporting Actress.⁵ Both would be well deserved. Megan Stalter has quickly become someone whose other projects I will seek out because everything she does is entertaining. And finding out that Hannah Einbinder is the daughter of SNL legend Laraine Newman only made me more interested in following her career. The apple does not fall far from the tree.

If you have not watched Hacks yet, this is your sign. If you want to know more about why it belongs in the HBO conversation, that piece is already up on Layered.

SNL — 11 Nominations for Season 51

My love for Saturday Night Live is officially vindicated.

After a historic 50th season, the Season 51 cast earned 11 nominations. The five new cast members this season were Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska.⁶ For so many new faces in one season, 11 nominations is genuinely impressive and says something about the quality of the year they had.

Veronika Slowikowska deserves specific recognition here. She is the first Canadian-born SNL cast member since Norm MacDonald⁷, and she came into the season with a legitimate comedy resume, including a recurring role in What We Do in the Shadows and a role in Tires Season 2. Andrew Dismukes, Kenan Thompson, Kam Patterson, Michael Che, and plenty of others also deserve credit for what was clearly a strong season.

And then there is Kam Patterson getting to attend the Emmys because of it. If you have been following what has been happening with Kam this year, this is just the latest chapter. I wrote about him at length in the Kill Tony piece — go read that if you want the full picture. I am so jealous I cannot go.

Rick and Morty — Outstanding Animated Program

I do not watch much animated television, but I always come back to Rick and Morty when I need a change of pace. This show is a breath of fresh air. The writing, the production, the thought that goes into each season is immaculate, largely due to the creative powerhouses behind it. Even with some controversy surrounding previous creators, they were still able to achieve a nomination for Season 9 for the episode "There's Something About Morty." That speaks to the quality of the work itself regardless of everything else surrounding it.

South Park is the frontrunner in this category,⁸ nominated for its long awaited return season. But Rick and Morty earning a nomination at all given the circumstances is a win worth acknowledging.

The Shows I Have Not Seen — The Apple TV Problem

All of the shows I have yet to see are on Apple TV. The last streaming service I have yet to get, purely out of fear of falling into a months-long binge session I cannot escape from. But researching these nominations has made that binge session feel increasingly inevitable.

Shrinking is nominated for multiple categories, including Jason Segel for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. I have been wanting to watch this one for a while. A show with Jason Segel and Harrison Ford does not need to be good to capture an audience because of the star power alone, but from what I have heard, it is genuinely worth the time.

Margo's Got Money Troubles is the one that genuinely caught me off guard, and the more I have learned about it, the more I understand why. Andrew Santino mentioned this show on a recent episode of Bad Friends, and before that I had not heard anyone talking about it or seen a single ad for it. Now I find out it is created by David E. Kelley, based on a 2024 novel by Rufi Thorpe, and stars Elle Fanning as a college dropout who turns to OnlyFans to support herself and her baby after her married professor disappears when she gets pregnant. Her mother is played by Michelle Pfeiffer as a former Hooters waitress. Her father is Nick Offerman as a former professional wrestler. Nicole Kidman is also in it.⁹ This cast is absurd, and I had no idea. Nick Offerman has emerged as a frontrunner for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.¹⁰ Elle Fanning being nominated for Best Actress is a big surprise as well. She has had quite a career resurgence. This show has been on Apple TV since April 15th and has already been renewed for a second season. Apple TV is clearly willing to greenlight projects involving people who already have a following in some form — this cast speaks for itself. I have clearly been missing out.

Widow's Bay has 19 nominations and I had genuinely not heard much about it until now. Here is what I know after digging in: it is a comedy horror series created by Katie Dippold and directed by Hiro Murai, starring Matthew Rhys as a skeptical New England mayor trying to turn a cursed island into a tourist destination. It premiered on Apple TV on April 29th, holds a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 102 reviews,¹¹ and has already been renewed for a second season. British actress Kate O'Flynn is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in what is her first Emmy nomination. Matthew Rhys is projected to win Best Actor in a Comedy Series.¹²

The mixed genre of comedy and horror is not surprising when you look at what is getting nominated these days — that combination is showing up more and more in the Emmy conversation, and the shows doing it well are standing out. What makes Widow's Bay particularly interesting is the creative team behind it. Hiro Murai directing is a massive signal. He directed Atlanta for Donald Glover, which if you have read the piece on this site you already know is one of the most creatively ambitious shows made in the last decade. When Murai attaches himself to something, it is worth paying attention.¹³ And Bobby Lee mentioned on a recent podcast that creator Katie Dippold got her start writing on MadTV — which tracks completely given her background. She went from MadTV to Parks and Recreation to writing The Heat and Ghostbusters before creating Widow's Bay.¹⁴ This is a show with a strong, experienced creative team behind it that did not need famous names in the lead roles to get the work done. The 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and 19 Emmy nominations prove that. That is not a problem with the show. That is a problem with Apple TV's marketing and honestly with whatever podcasts I have been listening to.

A Note on The Studio

The Studio is not eligible this year because Season 2 did not air within the Emmy eligibility window. But it is worth mentioning because context matters. At the 2025 Emmys, The Studio tied The Bear's all-time record with 23 nominations and went on to win multiple awards including Outstanding Comedy Series, Lead Actor, Directing, and Writing for Seth Rogen.¹⁵ If it had been eligible this year, the comedy category would look very different.

I have not watched The Studio yet, and I am saving it for when I finally get Apple TV. Knowing it swept the Emmys last year only adds to the anticipation.

Other Notable Nominations

The Pitt leads all nominees with 25 nominations. Apple TV's Pluribus follows with 18 nominations in the drama category. Pluribus is Vince Gilligan's critically acclaimed drama starring Rhea Seehorn and is being discussed as a potential contender in the same breath as Succession and White Lotus in terms of scale and ambition.¹⁶ That is a strong endorsement and another Apple TV show I need to get to. Netflix's Beef has 16 nominations. Stranger Things in its final season and Euphoria each have 7.

And one worth mentioning specifically for Layered readers — Tires received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series for the episode "The Tri-State Mid Market Tire Expo."¹⁷ A technical nomination, but a nomination is a nomination, and for a show that deserves far more recognition than it gets, this one counts.

Reality TV Gets Its Due

Summer House earned its first-ever Emmy nomination this cycle for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, following a scandal-filled and viral 10th season.¹⁸ If you have been reading Layered, you already know how I feel about this season and the editors who made it possible. Go read those pieces for the full breakdown. This nomination is well deserved.

What makes this even more interesting is what the nomination has apparently stirred up behind the scenes. The recognition has reportedly created tension, with some Real Housewives stars feeling their crown is slipping after years of watching the franchise dominate Bravo's awards presence.¹⁹ Bravo has pushed back on that characterization, but the fact that it is being discussed at all says everything about how significant Summer House's first nomination actually is. It is also worth noting that after the Scandoval on Vanderpump Rules, that show earned Emmy nominations in 2023 and 2024. Summer House is following the same pattern — a real-life scandal translating into awards recognition. The Television Academy rewards authentic storytelling, and Bravo keeps delivering it.

The other Bravo moment worth noting is Ariana Madix being nominated for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program for Love Island USA on Peacock. She went from Vanderpump Rules Scandoval to Emmy-nominated host. That is a full-circle moment if I have ever seen one, and it says everything about how quickly things can change in this industry when you handle a difficult situation with grace and keep working. I always thought she got a little too much hype after the whole problem happened, but that's a story for another blog.

Top Chef continues its consistent Emmy presence in the Outstanding Reality Competition Program category, as it has since 2007.²⁰ The Traitors is considered the frontrunner in that category,²¹ though Survivor has been campaigning hard. It is hard to see Survivor not winning the category for their 50th season, but anyone who is a fan of The Traitors knows that they consistently get the best of the best from all shows to compete.

Honorable Mention: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Year after year, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia gets snubbed at the Emmys. The show has never been nominated in any main Primetime category across 16 seasons and counting — not for series, acting, writing, or directing.²² The only three nominations it has ever received were for Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series, losing to Nickelodeon's Supah Ninjas in 2013 and Brooklyn Nine-Nine in 2014 and 2015.²³ Let that sink in.

The gang showed up at the 2023 Emmy ceremony and roasted the Academy for it on live television. Danny DeVito calmly pointed out he had won an Emmy for Taxi. Kaitlin Olson noted that 34 nominations in five years versus zero in 16 years is "bad math."²⁴ There is an entire episode from Season 9 — "The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award" — dedicated entirely to this exact feeling. They turned their own snub into comedy, which is the most It's Always Sunny thing they could possibly have done.

The most interesting explanation for why it keeps happening comes from author Kimberly Potts, who wrote a behind the scenes book on the show. Her take is that Rob McElhenney simply never understood how the awards game is played.²⁵ The show never campaigned, never worked the room the way Hollywood expects, and paid the price for it. That actually makes the snub feel more like a badge of honor than a slight. It's Always Sunny has always operated outside the system, and the Emmy record reflects that.

The show does something no other comedy on television does — it has its finger on the pulse of culture in a way that feels completely its own. But it is not being recognized for high-scale production, a revolving door of famous guest stars, or sweeping life-changing writing that pulls in mainstream viewers. It still feels very much like a passion project, and that is part of what makes it great. The people who love It's Always Sunny really love it.

I think it is a stretch to expect the same voters who celebrate Hacks and Widow's Bay to put It's Always Sunny in the same category. You can appreciate both without requiring them to compete on the same terms. Season 17 aired on FX in 2025 and is not eligible in this cycle. But when the new season comes, the nomination they deserve should (but probably won't) come with it.

No matter your TV genre of choice, this year's Emmy nominations have something worth watching. But 2026 feels like a genuinely pivotal year for comedy — these shows have dominated pop culture conversations all season, and I can't wait to see whether my picks match up with the winners.

Sources

1. Comedy field has no clear frontrunner — IndieWire
2. Abbott Elementary Emmy nominations history — Variety
3. The Bear Emmy history — The Hollywood Reporter
4. Hacks leads comedy nominations — TVLine
5. 2026 Emmy Award predictions — ReadPundit
6. SNL Season 51 cast members — NBC
7. Veronika Slowikowska first Canadian cast member since Norm MacDonald — Wikipedia
8. South Park frontrunner for animated — IndieWire
9. Margo's Got Money Troubles cast and plot — Apple TV Press
10. Nick Offerman emerging frontrunner — Yahoo Entertainment
11. Widow's Bay 98% Rotten Tomatoes and renewal — Wikipedia
12. Matthew Rhys projected to win Best Actor in Comedy — ReadPundit
13. Hiro Murai directs and executive produces Widow's Bay — IMDb
14. Katie Dippold's MadTV and Parks and Recreation background — Wikipedia
15. The Studio sweeps 2025 Emmys — Gold Derby
16. Pluribus compared to Succession and White Lotus — Rotten Tomatoes
17. Tires Emmy nomination for sound mixing — What's on Netflix
18. Summer House first Emmy nomination — The Hollywood Reporter
19. Summer House Emmy nod shakes up Bravo hierarchy — Yahoo Entertainment
20. Top Chef consistent Emmy presence since 2007 — The Hollywood Reporter
21. The Traitors frontrunner for reality competition — IndieWire
22. It's Always Sunny never nominated in main categories — Gold Derby
23. It's Always Sunny three stunt coordination nominations — Gold Derby
24. The gang roasts the Emmys — Uproxx
25. Rob McElhenney didn't know how the game is played — Screen Rant