2026 Emmy nominations: 'The Pitt' leads with 25 nods as 'Hacks' follows close behind

'The Pitt; emerged as the biggest contender after receiving 25 nominations, narrowly ahead of comedy 'Hacks' with 24

The nominees for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced, with medical drama The Pitt emerging as the biggest contender after receiving 25 nominations, narrowly ahead of comedy Hacks with 24. The nominations were unveiled on Wednesday by Emmy winners Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller ahead of the ceremony on September 14.

The Pitt will compete for Outstanding Drama Series alongside The Diplomat, The Gilded Age, Pluribus, Slow Horses, The Testaments, The White Lotus and Andor. Noah Wyle also earned a Lead Actor nomination for his acclaimed performance in the Max hospital drama.

In the comedy categories, Hacks and The Bear once again proved to be awards favourites, while Abbott Elementary, Shrinking and newcomer Widow's Bay also secured nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series. Jean Smart received another Lead Actress nomination for Hacks, with Quinta Brunson and Ayo Edebiri also returning to the race.

The limited series field includes Beef, All Her Fault, The Beast in Me, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette and Dying for Sex. Acting nominations in the category went to stars including Oscar Isaac, Claire Danes, Sarah Pidgeon and Jason Bateman.

Among this year's biggest talking points was the strong performance of Apple TV+'s sci-fi drama Pluribus, which emerged as one of the breakout newcomers with nominations across several major categories. Meanwhile, returning favourites such as The White Lotus and Slow Horses continued their impressive awards runs.

This year's ceremony will be hosted by Mariska Hargitay, making the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star the first woman to host the Primetime Emmys in 15 years. The awards will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and air live on NBC while streaming on Peacock.

The nominations reflect another highly competitive year for television, with streaming platforms continuing to dominate the field while network and cable series maintained a strong presence. As voting enters its final stage, The Pitt heads into awards season as the programme to beat, though Hacks, Pluribus and The Bear are expected to provide fierce competition across the night's biggest categories.