The Emmy Awards are television’s biggest night, handed out every year by the Television Academy to honor the best in American primetime programming. This year’s edition, the 78th, covers everything that aired between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026.
The nominations landed on July 8, 2026, and they set up a crowded fight. HBO Max’s medical drama The Pitt led the field with 25 nods, with the final season of Hacks right behind at 24. Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay (19) and Pluribus (18), along with Netflix’s Beef (16), all made serious noise.
A big chunk of the trophies is already gone, handed out across two Creative Arts nights earlier this month. What’s left is the televised main event. Here is everything you need to know about the 2026 Emmys.
Emmy Awards 2026 Date and Time
Noah Wyle wins an Emmy for The Pitt last year | Credits:- NBC (Image via Youtube/@televisionacad)
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on Monday, September 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles. The ceremony starts at 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time (ET) and airs live coast to coast. If you are tuning in from another region, here are your local times.
RegionAiring TimePacific Time (PT)5:00 P.M.Mountain Time (MT)6:00 P.M.Central Time (CT)7:00 P.M.Eastern Time (ET)8:00 P.M.Brazil (BRT)9:00 P.M.United Kingdom (BST)1:00 A.M. (September 15)Central Europe (CEST)2:00 A.M. (September 15)South Africa (SAST)2:00 A.M. (September 15)UAE (GST)4:00 A.M. (September 15)India (IST)5:30 A.M. (September 15)Singapore (SGT)8:00 A.M. (September 15)Philippines (PHT)8:00 A.M. (September 15)Japan (JST)9:00 A.M. (September 15)Australia (AEST)10:00 A.M. (September 15)New Zealand (NZST)12:00 P.M. (September 15)
Red carpet coverage begins two hours before the show, at 6:00 P.M. ET. That works out to 3:00 P.M. PT and 5:00 P.M. CT. If you are from any other region, you can tune in two hours before your local airing time for the coverage.
Emmy Awards 2026 Broadcast and Streaming Details
Jean Smart as Deborah and Hannah Einbinder as Ava in Hacks | Credits: HBO Max
The ceremony will be broadcast live on NBC and simulcast on Peacock, so there is no waiting for a delayed stream this year. Peacock will also carry the show on demand afterwards, though live streaming requires a Premium or Premium Plus subscription. If you get NBC through a live TV service, the broadcast is also available on YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Fubo.
The Television Academy is running its own free Backstage Live stream starting at 5:00 P.M. PT, which you can watch at Emmys.com or on the Academy’s YouTube channel. It covers the winners’ room and press interviews rather than the main show.
For additional streams and clips, you can visit the Academy’s official hub at televisionacademy.com/watch. For the red carpet, Live From E! begins at 6:00 P.M. ET, with Erin Lim Rhodes hosting alongside Ciara Miller and Lance Bass.
If you missed the Creative Arts ceremonies from last week, an edited television special, which aired on FXX on September 12, started streaming on Hulu on September 13.
Emmy Awards 2026 Host and Presenters
Stephen Root, Matthew Rhys, and Kate O’Flynn in Widow’s Bay | Credits: Apple TV
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay is hosting the Emmys this year, and she comes in with momentum. She picked up two Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month for My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay, her documentary about her mother, Jayne Mansfield.
She won both Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary / Nonfiction Program. It is her first time hosting an awards show, and she is also the first woman to host the Primetime Emmys solo since Jane Lynch in 2011, which is a 15-year gap. She is executive producing the telecast too, alongside Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay.
The presenter lineup is also stacked. According to THR, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Sally Field, Jon Hamm, Amy Poehler, Keke Palmer, Dan Levy, Macaulay Culkin, and Sarah Michelle Gellar are all confirmed as presenters.
They will also be joined by Odessa A’zion, David Boreanaz, Linda Cardellini, Alan Cumming, Marcello Hernández, Kate Jackson, Peter Krause, Cheryl Ladd, Julianna Margulies, Annie Murphy, Niecy Nash-Betts, Amanda Peet, Rachel Sennott, and Jaclyn Smith.
Emmy Awards 2026 Nominees and Fan-Favorites
Jason Bateman and David Harbour in DTF St. Louis | Credits: HBO
Only 19 categories are left for Monday. The Creative Arts weekend on September 5 and 6 cleared out 102 statuettes, and Widow’s Bay walked away the biggest winner with eight. DTF St. Louis took six, including supporting acting wins for David Harbour and Linda Cardellini, plus a directing and writing sweep for creator Steven Conrad.
The night’s most emotional moment came when the late Rob Reiner received a posthumous award for his guest turn on The Bear. All these shows are also contending for awards Monday night.
The Pitt is the most favored show of the night. It is likely to become the first medical show in Emmy history to win the top drama prize twice. Moreover, Noah Wyle is a heavy favorite for Lead Actor, while Katherine LaNasa and Patrick Ball are leading the supporting races.
Pluribus is another major contender in the drama section and is likely to carry home the directing and writing Emmys in the category.
Widow’s Bay is the most favored show in the comedy category. Some even predict that the show will break records by winning more Emmys than any comedy ever. However, it won’t be easy for the show, as the farewell season of Hacks is an equally strong contender. It set an all-time comedy nomination record with 24 nods.
Jean Smart is chasing a fifth straight win, while Matthew Rhys leads for Widow’s Bay. There are a few categories where a prediction has proven to be tough. For instance, the lead actress in the drama section is highly competitive, with the likes of Rhea Seehorn, Zendaya, and Keri Russell going against each other. Another tough competition is the limited series, where both DTF St. Louis and Beef are favorites.
Who are you rooting for? Let us know in the comments below!
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