Emmy Nominations 2026: Biggest Surprises And Snubs

The 2026 Emmy nominations were released on Wednesday, delivering several surprise nominees alongside a handful of notable snubs. 

“The Pitt” led all series with 25 nominations. The comedy-drama “Hacks” followed with 24 total noms in its final season, while HBO Max dominated all other outlets with 122 nominations overall, including three shows up for both Best Overall Drama and Best Overall Comedy.

One of the surprise hits was “Widow’s Bay,” a buzzy, unique horror-comedy on Apple TV starring Matthew Rhys, which earned 19 nominations. It gained traction several weeks after its debut thanks to word of mouth and rave reviews from critics.

The New York Times reviewer said of the Apple TV offering, “A laugh and a scare are different outcomes of the same achievement, a good surprise, and ‘Widow’s Bay’ has more of those than there are fish in the sea.”

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro called the series “one of the most mesmerizing acts of narrative prestidigitation in horror” and even, “the best streaming series in a long time.”

“Pluribus,” a hit from famed creator Vince Gilligan, got 18 total nominations, including a Best Actress in a Drama nomination for “Better Call Saul” alum Rhea Seahorn. 

Apple TV also landed Best Comedy Series nominations for “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” and “Shrinking.”

Stephen Colbert has made a lot of noise after his “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” got canceled, but the show ended up with the most nominations ever in its 11-year run, scoring 9 total. 

Notable snubs this year include “The Bear,” which earned a few nominations but fewer than in prior years, and no Best Actor recognition for Jeremy Allen White.

Here is a list of the major nominations:

Outstanding Drama Series

• “The Diplomat”
• “The Gilded Age”
• “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”
• “Paradise”
• “The Pitt”
• “Slow Horses”
• “Your Friends & Neighbors”

Outstanding Comedy Series

• “Abbott Elementary”
• “The Bear”
• “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
• “Nobody Wants This”
• “Only Murders in the Building”
• “Shrinking”
• “Widow’s Bay”
• “Hacks”

Outstanding Limited Series

• “All Her Fault”
• “The Beast In Me”
• “Beef”
• “DTF St. Louis”
• “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

• Sterling K. Brown – “Paradise”
• Gary Oldman – “Slow Horses”
• Mark Ruffalo – “Task”
• Rufus Sewell – “The Diplomat”
• Noah Wyle – “The Pitt”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

• Carrie Coon – “The Gilded Age”
• Chase Infiniti – “The Testaments”
• Keri Russell – “The Diplomat”
• Rhea Seehorn – “Pluribus”
• Zendaya – “Euphoria”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

• Patrick Ball – “The Pitt”
• Billy Crudup – “The Morning Show”
• Shawn Hatosy – “The Pitt”
• Gerran Howell – “The Pitt”
• Jack Lowden – “Slow Horses”
• Tom Pelphrey – “Task”
• Carlos-Manuel Vesga – “Pluribus”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series 

• Taylor Dearden – “The Pitt”
• Fiona Dourif – “The Pitt”
• Allison Janney – “The Diplomat”
• Katherine LaNasa – “The Pitt”
• Sepideh Moafi – “The Pitt”
• Julianne Nicholson – “Paradise”
• Karolina Wydra – “Pluribus”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

• Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary”
• Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear”
• Elle Fanning – “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
• Lisa Kudrow – “The Comeback”
• Jean Smart – “Hacks”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II – “Wonder Man”
• Steve Carell – “Rooster”
• Matthew Rhys – “Widow’s Bay”
• Jason Segel – “Shrinking”
• Martin Short – “Only Murders in the Building”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

• Dale Dickey – “Widow’s Bay”
• Hannah Einbinder – “Hacks”
• Janelle James – “Abbott Elementary”
• Kate O’Flynn – “Widow’s Bay”
• Michelle Pfeiffer – “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
• Megan Stalter – “Hacks”
• Jessica Williams – “Shrinking”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

• Colman Domingo – “The Four Seasons”
• Paul W. Downs – “Hacks”
• Harrison Ford – “Shrinking”
• Nick Offerman – “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
• Stephen Root – “Widow’s Bay”
• Michael Urie – “Shrinking”
• Tyler James Williams – “Abbott Elementary”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

• Riz Ahmed – “Fate”
• Jason Bateman – “Black Rabbit”
• Charlie Hunnam – “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
• Oscar Isaac – “Beef”
• Matthew Rhys – “The Beast In Me”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie

• Claire Danes – “The Beast In Me”
• Sally Field – “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
• Carey Mulligan – “Beef”
• Sarah Pidgeon – “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette”
• Sarah Snook – “All Her Fault”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

• Jason Bateman – “DTF St. Louis”
• Richard Gadd – “Half Man”
• David Harbour – “DTF St. Louis”
• Richard Jenkins – “DTF St. Louis”
• Charles Melton – “Beef”
• Nick Offerman – “Death By Lightning”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie

• Linda Cardellini – “DTF St. Louis”
• Dakota Fanning – “All Her Fault”
• Laurie Metcalf – “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
• Joy Sunday – “DTF St. Louis”
• Youn Yuh-jung – “Beef”
• Constance Zimmer – “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette”

Outstanding Reality/Competition Series

• “Dancing with the Stars”
• “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
• “Survivor”
• “Top Chef”
• “The Traitors”

Outstanding Variety Series

• “The Daily Show”
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
• “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
• “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
• “Saturday Night Live”

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)

• The Super Bowl LX Halftime Show starring Bad Bunny
• The Golden Globes
• The Grammys
• The Oscars
• The Tonys