TV’s biggest night is approaching.
The 2026 Emmys will be hosted by Mariska Hargitay, with several big races to watch out for.
“The Pitt” leads the pack with 25 nominations, while “Hacks” is in second with 24. However, as the latter show ended and is making its final bid for trophies, it could find itself upset by Apple TV’s summer hit, “Widow’s Bay.” For its freshman year, the horror/comedy rounds out the top three with 19 nominations.
Other big shows include “Pluribus” with 18 nominations, “Beef” with 16 and “DTF St. Louis” with 13.
To be eligible for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, shows needed to have aired between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026.
Here are Page Six’s predictions for who will win in the major categories.
Outstanding Drama Series
“The Diplomat”
“The Gilded Age”
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”
“Paradise”
“The Pitt”
“Pluribus”
“Slow Horses”
“Your Friends & Neighbors”
Who will win: “The Pitt.” It’s “The Pitt’s” world, and we’re all just living in it. The HBO Max medical drama cleaned up at last year’s Emmys and this year’s Golden Globes. At the Creative Arts Emmys this year, Ernest Harden Jr. won for “guest actor,” indicating that “The Pitt” still has plenty of momentum. This show is the dominant drama — and while “Game of Thrones” spinoff show “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” got a warm reception and “The Diplomat” has supporters, they’re unlikely to dethrone “The Pitt.”
Outstanding Comedy Series
“Abbott Elementary”
“The Bear”
“Hacks”
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
“Nobody Wants This”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Shrinking”
“Widow’s Bay”
Who will win: “Widow’s Bay.” It’s possible that reigning champ “Hacks” will once again take the trophy for its swan song, but Apple TV’s freshman hit seems poised to take home a slew of trophies. There have been early signs of an impending “Widow’s Bay” sweep. At the Creative Arts Emmys, the show scored 8 wins, including Betty Gilpin for the “guest actress in a comedy” category. It will be a big deal for “Widow’s Bay” to beat long-running comedy mainstays like “Only Murders in the Building,” “Abbott Elementary” and even (non-comedy) “The Bear.”
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”
Who will win: Noah Wyle. Everybody loves a comeback, and the former “ER” star, 55, has an appealing narrative, as he wasn’t in anything notable for two decades between his stints playing doctors. He’s also the face of “The Pitt,” and it’s currently an industry darling. While there’s always a minor chance Ruffalo or Brown could be a dark horse, chances are low that Wyle won’t triumph.
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”
Who will win: Zendaya. “Euphoria” had a dreadful third and final season. The Emmys clearly know that; it didn’t score a “drama series” nod, or any acting nods outside of the “Dune” actress and Colman Domingo. However, Hollywood loves the superstar right now. The HBO show disgraced itself in the end, but the first two seasons were buzzy and made a lasting impact on the industry as a star-maker for the current Gen-Z A-listers. So, if the Emmys want to give a hat-tip to a once-influential show as it departs, they might award Zendaya. There’s a precedent, as she won Emmys for the previous two seasons.
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”
Who will win: Matthew Rhys. If there is a “Widow’s Bay” sweep, Rhys is the face of the hit horror comedy. There’s no way he won’t win. He’s also been turning in widely respected work for decades without getting his flowers. He’s been nominated several times in the past, but only won once (in 2018 for “The Americans”). The industry is paying more attention to him than ever before, and “Widow’s Bay” is the role that brings him to the next level.
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”
Who will win: Jean Smart. This category is a bloodbath this year, as it’s the last time for both Smart and Kudrow to win for their respective shows, which each had their final seasons. Both actresses (and their characters) are beloved. Nevertheless, the Emmys has historically showered “Hacks” and Smart with adulation. She also won in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025. As Smart’s iconic “Hacks” character Deborah Vance departs, her position as reigning queen is unlikely to change. We think she’ll go five for five here.
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”
Who will win: Shawn Hatosy. This category is a tough one, since Hatosy and his “The Pitt” co-star, Patrick Ball, could end up splitting the vote and cancelling each other out. Lowden has also gotten buzz as the possible contender to be the next James Bond, and the Emmys historically love awarding Crudup. Pelphrey could even be a dark horse upset. Nevertheless, “The Pitt” is poised to sweep, and Hatosy already took home a “guest actor” trophy for the role last year. He’s positioned to continue.
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”
Who will win: Katherine LaNasa. If “The Pitt” dominates, this award is LaNasa’s to lose. The actress won the prize last year for her role as Charge Nurse Dana Evans. She faces competition from three co-stars, but she has the edge. It’s possible that the Emmys will show “Pluribus” some love and give this one to Karolina Wydra, but that would be unexpected.
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”
Who will win: Stephen Root. “Widow’s Bay” is heading for a big night, and that will include the supporting actor category. Root, 74, is also long past due for his time in the spotlight. The “Office Space” actor’s career spans four decades, and this is only his second Emmy nomination (after a 2019 nomination for HBO’s “Barry”). It would be his first win.
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”
Who will win: Kate O’Flynn. There’s a chance that she and Dickey will cancel each other out, but O’Flynn has already earned buzz for her work as the lonely oddball Patricia in the Apple TV show. When “Widow’s Bay” became a phenomenon over the summer, she was one of its stand-outs. Going into the night, she has all the momentum. Even Dickey told Variety, “I will gladly carry Kate O’Flynn’s dress train up the steps when she wins her award.”
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
“All Her Fault”
“The Beast in Me”
“Beef”
“DTF St. Louis”
“Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette”
Who will win: “DTF St. Louis.” Amid the Television Academy’s controversial choice to move several acting categories to the Creative Arts Emmys — which take place the week before the main ceremony — “DTF St. Louis” had a strong showing. At the ceremony on Sept. 6, co-stars David Harbour and Linda Cardellini both took home respective supporting actor trophies for the show. That indicates the wind is blowing in the direction of “DTF St. Louis.”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Riz Ahmed, “Bait”
Jason Bateman, “Black Rabbit”
Charlie Hunnam, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
Oscar Isaac, “Beef”
Matthew Rhys, “The Beast in Me”
Who will win: Matthew Rhys. Thanks to “Widow’s Bay,” Hollywood is finally lauding “The Americans” alum. It’s rare for an actor to win two awards for two different shows in a single year. In fact, Rhys would follow James Earl Jones, the only other male star to manage it (for the drama series “Gabriel’s Fire” and in the telefilm “Heat Wave” in 1991). But if anyone can pull it off, Rhys can.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Claire Danes, “The Beast in Me”
Sally Fields, “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
Carey Mulligan, “Beef”
Sarah Pidgeon, “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette”
Sarah Snook, “All Her Fault”
Who will win: Sarah Pidgeon. This category is a toss-up, as it could easily go to Fields (“Remarkably Bright Creatures” already won Outstanding Movie at the Creative Arts Emmys). Sarah Snook still has a lot of goodwill from “Succession.” The industry loves crowning new young stars, however, and with “The Pitt” as the dominant show, this category is one of the only opportunities for Emmys voters to award a fresh, new face — and Pigeon made a splash when “Love Story” aired.
The 2026 Emmys will be held live at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, airing Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
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