Emmy host Mariska Hargitay poses for photographs on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026 in L.A.Caroline Brehman/The Associated Press
The 78th Emmy Awards are here. The Pitt will look to find its place in the television pantheon and Widow’s Bay will ride a storm of buzz into the ceremony Monday night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Mariska Hargitay, the longtime Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star and a three-time Emmy winner, will host the show on NBC, which has rolled out a peacock blue carpet for the occasion, a nod to the network’s 100th anniversary.
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The ceremony will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the 50th anniversary of Charlie’s Angels, with cast members among the presenters.
Noah Wyle in a scene from The Pitt.Warrick Page/The Associated Press
HBO Max’s real-time emergency room drama The Pitt was a rookie upstart a year ago when it won best drama, best actor for star Noah Wyle and best supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa. Now an esteemed veteran, the show is expected to repeat in all three categories and could win three more, with Wyle himself up for three trophies. The show’s ensemble got four nominations in the supporting actress category and three more for supporting actor.
Hacks got the most nominations of any comedy for its fifth and final season on HBO Max, and star Jean Smart is a virtual lock to make it 5-for-5 with yet another win for best actress in a comedy.
Jean Smart in a scene from Hacks.Uncredited/The Associated Press
But the Apple TV horror comedy Widow’s Bay may spoil the Hacks send-off. It comes into the evening with eight wins at earlier ceremonies where most of the well over 100 Emmys categories are awarded.
The show can add up to six more Monday. If it does, it will break the record of 13 Emmys for a comedy in a season set last year by The Studio.
Widow’s Bay star Matthew Rhys is a favourite to win best actor in a comedy, and the show’s breakout star Kate O’Flynn is a strong candidate for best supporting actress.
Rhea Seehorn, Harrison Ford and Zendaya are also in the mix
Seehorn plays the lone central character on Apple TV’s Pluribus, and she could ride the role to her first Emmy for best actress in a drama.
Seehorn’s competition includes Zendaya, who won for the first two seasons of Euphoria in 2020 and 2022, and is nominated for its third and final season.
The night could also bring the first Emmy – and first major competitive Hollywood award of any kind – to 84-year-old Harrison Ford, who is among the favourites for best supporting actor in a comedy for playing a therapist coping with Parkinson’s disease on Shrinking.