The Pitt leads 2026 Emmy nominations

“The Pitt” topped the 2026 Emmy nominations Wednesday with 25 nods, putting the HBO Max medical drama at the front of a crowded field that also includes a record-setting final season of “Hacks.”

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations were announced in Los Angeles by recent winners Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller. Winners will be named Sept. 14 at a ceremony in Los Angeles, with Mariska Hargitay hosting. CBS reported the ceremony will air live on NBC and stream on Peacock.

“Hacks” earned 24 nominations, the most ever in a single year for a comedy series, CBS reported. The total topped the previous record of 23, set last year by “The Bear” and “The Studio.” “The Pitt” led all shows overall and was nominated for outstanding drama series, while star Noah Wyle was nominated for lead actor in a drama and several cast members landed supporting and guest acting nominations.

The most-nominated programs after “The Pitt” and “Hacks” included “Widow’s Bay” with 19 nominations, “Pluribus” with 18, “Beef” with 16 and “DTF St. Louis” with 13. “Widow’s Bay,” a new horror comedy, made the outstanding comedy series lineup and earned an acting nomination for Matthew Rhys, who was also nominated for lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for “The Beast in Me.” The BBC described Rhys as the only person nominated in two lead acting categories.

The drama series nominees are “The Diplomat,” “The Gilded Age,” “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” “Paradise,” “The Pitt,” “Pluribus,” “Slow Horses” and “Your Friends & 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.”

The limited or anthology series field includes “All Her Fault,” “The Beast in Me,” “Beef,” “DTF St. Louis” and “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.”

Several major shows and stars missed out in prominent categories. The final seasons of “Stranger Things” and “Euphoria” were not nominated for outstanding drama series, the BBC reported. “Stranger Things” received seven nominations, all in technical categories, while Zendaya was the only “Euphoria” cast member listed in the main acting categories. “The Bear” made the comedy series field, but Jeremy Allen White was not nominated after winning lead comedy actor Emmys in 2024 and 2025.

British nominees include Rhys, Riz Ahmed for “Bait,” Carey Mulligan for “Beef,” Gary Oldman for “Slow Horses” and Rufus Sewell for “The Diplomat.” Other lead acting nominees include Sterling K. Brown for “Paradise,” Mark Ruffalo for “Task,” Carrie Coon for “The Gilded Age,” Keri Russell for “The Diplomat,” Rhea Seehorn for “Pluribus,” Quinta Brunson for “Abbott Elementary,” Ayo Edebiri for “The Bear,” Jean Smart for “Hacks,” Jason Segel for “Shrinking” and Martin Short for “Only Murders in the Building.”

CBS reported Jason Bateman received four nominations across multiple productions, while Brunson, Paul W. Downs, Rhys, Segel, Short and Wyle each received three. Rob Reiner received a posthumous nomination for a guest role on “The Bear.”

“Heated Rivalry,” described by CBS as a breakout hit, was ineligible because it was financed outside the United States. NPR also reported the show was not eligible because it is Canadian. Connor Storrie, one of its leads, received a nomination for a guest appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”