As the 2026 Emmy Awards approach, the nominations reflect a blend of established contenders and breakout series. The ceremony will air on NBC Monday at 8 p.m. Following a strong showing at last weekend’s artistic and technical honors, Widow’s Bay enters the ceremony as a leading contender. The Pitt remains a major favorite, while sentiment around The Late Show with Stephen Colbert points to a final Emmy despite the program’s cancellation last spring.
2026 Emmy Awards Predictions
These projections are based on current critical response and more than 25 years of observing the television industry.
2026 Emmy predictions: “The Pitt” will win Best Drama Series.
MAX
Best Drama Series
The Diplomat
The Gilded Age
Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Paradise
The Pitt
Pluribus
Slow Horses
Your Friends & Neighbors
Winner: The Pitt. Building on the strength of its first season, the medical drama delivered another acclaimed year while confronting the pressures and inequities of modern health care. Few nominees match its combination of timely subject matter and broad appeal among critics and viewers.
2026 Emmy predictions: “Widow’s Bay” will win Best Comedy Series.
Apple TV
Best Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Nobody Wants This
Only Murders in the Building
Shrinking
Widow’s Bay
Winner: Widow’s Bay. The Academy has frequently rewarded breakout series in this category, and this year’s most prominent newcomer is the clear favorite. Its acclaim has continued to grow throughout the summer, although the acclaimed final season of Hacks could inspire a sentimental vote.
2026 Emmy predictions: Noah Wyle will repeat as Best Actor in a Drama Series.
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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
Winner: Noah Wyle, The Pitt. The competition is effectively settled. Although every nominee delivered a distinguished performance, Wyle’s portrayal of Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch is a career-defining turn. He makes Robby sympathetic while revealing the character’s vulnerabilities and inner conflicts with exceptional skill.
2026 Emmy predictions: Rhea Seehorn will win for “Pluribus.”
Apple TV
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
Chase Infiniti, The Testaments
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
Zendaya, Euphoria
Winner: Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus. The series received 18 nominations and has emerged as a clear Academy favorite. Seehorn won a Golden Globe for the role earlier this year, and unless Russell delivers a surprise, Seehorn appears poised to take the Emmy.
2026 Emmy predictions: Katherine LaNasa will win again for “The Pitt.”
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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
Winner: Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt. As the formidable charge nurse, LaNasa brings discipline and humanity to the chaotic Pittsburgh emergency room. Having won the category last year, she is well positioned to repeat despite the usual risk of vote-splitting among multiple nominees from the same series.
2026 Emmy predictions: Tom Pelphrey will win for “Task.”
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Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Patrick Ball, The Pitt
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Gerran Howell, The Pitt
Jack Lowden, Slow Horses
Tom Pelphrey, Task
Carlos-Manuel Vesga, Pluribus
Winner: Tom Pelphrey, Task. Vote-splitting among The Pitt’s nominees could work in Pelphrey’s favor. He gives a nuanced performance as a single father determined to protect his family but repeatedly mishandling the effort. Task may not have connected as powerfully as other HBO dramas, but Pelphrey’s acting is exceptional.
2026 Emmy predictions: Matthew Rhys will win for “Widow’s Bay.”
Apple TV
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
Winner: Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay. Rhys is poised to benefit from the series’ momentum as the bewildered mayor struggling to give his fading small town a new purpose. The role demanded considerable range, moving from comedy to horror and pathos, although Jason Segel and Steve Carell also delivered performances with real depth.
2026 Emmy predictions: Jean Smart will win (again) for “Hacks.”
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Lead Actress in Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Elle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Jean Smart, Hacks
The winner: Jean Smart, Hacks. Smart’s precise and emotionally layered portrayal of a declining television star has been widely admired. Her victory in this final nomination for the role appears all but certain.
2026 Emmy predictions: Stephen Root will win for “Widow’s Bay.”
Apple TV
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
Winner: Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay. Root will benefit from the series’ dominant season with a memorable performance as the town’s curmudgeonly conspiracy theorist. It would be a notable triumph in a deep field, although Harrison Ford remains a possible upset after his consistently compelling work on Shrinking.
2026 Emmy predictions: Kate O’Flynn will win for “Widow’s Bay.”
Apple TV
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
Megan Stalter, Hacks
Jessica Williams, Shrinking
Winner: Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay. Widow’s Bay continues its strong Emmy run. O’Flynn gives a character who might otherwise have seemed merely eccentric or irritating genuine warmth, intelligence and emotional weight.
2026 Emmy predictions: David Harbour and actress Linda Cardellini, winners of Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for “DTF St. Louis,” which will win Best Limited or Anthology Series.
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Limited or Anthology Series
All Her Fault
The Beast in Me
Beef
DTF St. Louis
Love Story
Winner: DTF St. Louis. The series received significant recognition at the artistic and technical ceremony, suggesting strong support within the Academy. Beef remains capable of pulling an upset, but DTF St. Louis is the projected winner.
2026 Emmy predictions: Carey Mulligan will win for “Beef.”
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Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Claire Danes, The Beast in Me
Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
Carey Mulligan, Beef
Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story
Sarah Snook, All Her Fault
Winner: Carey Mulligan, Beef. Playing a woman whose mounting resentment of her husband is tested by a shared crisis, Mulligan delivers a layered performance that elevates the material.
2026 Emmy predictions: Oscar Isaac will win for “Beef.”
Courtesy of Netflix
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
Winner: Oscar Isaac, Beef. Isaac demonstrates broader range than most of the other contenders, making him the category’s strongest favorite. Charlie Hunnam remains a plausible surprise winner.
2026 Emmy predictions: “Traitors” will win for the third straight year.
Peacock
Reality Competition Program
Dancing With the Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
The Traitors
Winner: The Traitors. The popular series is projected to secure its third consecutive victory after collecting six awards at the artistic and technical ceremony.
2026 Emmy predictions: Stephen Colbert will win for his final season of “The Late Show.”
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Variety Series
The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Saturday Night Live
Winner: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The final season’s writing became increasingly pointed as Colbert used his platform with a renewed sense of freedom and urgency.
