The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards are taking place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles in conjunction with the HBO Max series. Pitt And Khaki entering the night as the dominant contenders after leading the 2026 nominations. Pitt came in with 25 nominations, its highest total of the year, after winning Outstanding Drama Series at the 2025 ceremony, while Noah Wyle is seeking his second consecutive Lead Actor Emmy and received three nominations this year in the performance, directing and producing categories. Khaki follows with 24 nominations for its fifth and final season, setting a new record for a comedy in one year after Studio And Bear tied the previous record of 23. Jean Smart is the centerpiece of the campaign, with her fifth consecutive lead actress win potentially making her the first actress to win an acting Emmy in every season of an entire series.
The competition for platforms has intensified since last year. HBO Max leads 2026 with 122 nominations, followed by Netflix with 111 and Apple TV with a record 89. HBO Max leads 2025 with 142 nominations and finished the ceremony with 30 wins, while Netflix collected 120 nominations and six wins and Apple TV posted 81 nominations and 22 wins. Apple’s growth in 2026 is driven by Widow Bayreceived 19 nominations and a Vince Gilligan Award Pluribuscollected 18, while the service also placed three comedies and three dramas in the top races of the program. Last year Apple Studio won Outstanding Comedy Series and became the most awarded comedy in Emmy history with 13 wins, and Severance pay Apple led the way with 27 nominations.
Dramatic race leads Pittalthough Apple Pluribus became his main rival. Rhea Seehorn is seeking her first Emmy for her leading role in Pluribuswhile Gary Oldman, Sterling K. Brown and Rufus Sewell bring Emmy-recognized pedigree to the lead actor field. The comedy race has become significantly less predictable KhakiWith Widow Bay is gaining momentum after an unusually strong performance at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Matthew Rhys is in for a particularly special night: he’ll be nominated for Lead Actor in both a Comedy and Limited Series, while Harrison Ford could become the oldest winner in the Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category at 84 if he wins the nomination Reduction.
The limited series or anthology direction is headed by DTF St. Louis And Beeffrom Netflix Beef having the benefit of eight Emmy Awards in its first season. DTF St. Louis entered the final round with 13 nominations and has already gained significant momentum at the Creative Arts Emmys, where David Harbor and Linda Cardellini won supporting actor awards and Stephen Conrad won directing and writing awards. Beef remains the top acting contender, with Carey Mulligan widely considered the frontrunner for the female lead and Oscar Isaac among the leading names in the respective acting race. The field also includes The beast in me, It’s all her fault And Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessettegiving Netflix four out of five contenders for the limited series.
The Creative Arts Emmy Awards, held Sept. 5 and 6 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, have already changed the face of several races. Widow Bay led all programs with eight wins, while DTF St. Louis six followed, including acting awards for David Harbor and Linda Cardellini. Spider Noir won five while Pitt And Pluribus I collected four pieces. The results give Widow Bay the strongest early momentum in the comedy race, with DTF St. Louis becomes the leader of the limited series.
The ceremony is also facing criticism over the Academy’s decision to pull seven categories from the Primetime broadcast, reducing the number of televised awards from 26 to 19. The DGA, SAG-AFTRA and WGA opposed the change, arguing that it reduced the visibility of writers, directors and performers whose categories were excluded from the primetime broadcast.
For viewers in India, the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will be telecast live on JioHotstar from 5:30 am IST on September 15, with the red carpet and pre-show starting at 4:30 am.
Here is the full list of winners, which will be updated during the ceremony:
Comedy series
Abbott Elementary School
Bear
Khaki
Margot has money problems
Nobody wants this
Only murders in the building
Reduction
Widow Bay
Lead Actor – Comedy
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Miracle Man)
Steve Carell (Rooster)
Matthew Rhys (Widow Bay)
Jason Segel (Abridged)
Martin Short (Building murders only)
Lead Actress – Comedy
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary School)
Ayo Edebiri (Bear)
Elle Fanning (Margot Has Money Problems)
Lisa Kudrow (Return)
Gene Smart (Hacks) WINNER
Directing – Comedy
Abbott Elementary School: “Ball Game” – Randall Einhorn
Bear: “Bears” – Christopher Storer
The Chair Company: “Life goes by so damn fast, it really does.” — Andrew DeYoung
Khaki: “Khaki (final)” – Lucia Agnello
The Miss Pat Show: “Arrest” – Mary Lou Belli
Widow’s Bay: “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!” — Hiro Murai
Writing – Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary School: “Team Building” – Quinta Brunson
The Chair Company: “Life goes by so damn fast, it really does.” – Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin
Return: “Valerie Does It All” – Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow
Khaki: “Khaki (Final)” – Lucia Agnello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky
Jury Duty Presents: Company Speech: “Mergers and Acquisitions” – Anthony King
Widow’s Bay: “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!” — Katie Dippold
Supporting Actor – Comedy
Colman Domingo (“Seasons”)
Paul W. Downes (Hacks)
Harrison Ford (Shortened)
Nick Offerman (Margot Has Money Problems)
Stephen Root (Widow’s Bay)
Michael Urie (Abridged)
Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary School)
Supporting Actress – Comedy
Dale Dickey (Widow’s Bay)
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)
Janelle James (Abbott Elementary School)
Kate O’Flynn (Widow’s Cove) WINNER
Michelle Pfeiffer (Margot Has Money Problems)
Megan Stalter (Hacks)
Jessica Williams (Abridged)
Drama series
Diplomat
Gilded Age
Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Paradise
Pitt
Pluribus
Slow horses
Your friends and neighbors
Lead Actor – Drama
Sterling K. Brown (Paradise)
Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)
Mark Ruffalo (Assignment)
Rufus Sewell (“The Diplomat”)
Noah Wyle (Pitt)
Lead Actress – Drama
Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age)
Chase Infinity (Testaments)
Keri Russell (The Diplomat)
Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus)
Zendaya (Euphoria)
Directing – Drama
The Gilded Age: “My decision is made” – Sally Richardson Whitfield
Paradise: “Exodus” – Hanel M. Culpepper
Pitt: “12:00” – Noah Wyle
Pluribus: “We are we” – Vince Gilligan
Slow Horses: “Scars” – Saul Metzstein
Challenge: “Beyond the ideas of wrongdoing and good deeds there is a river” – Sally Richardson Whitfield
Letter – Drama
The Diplomat: Amagansett – Peter Ackerman and Deborah Kahn
Pitt: “13:00” – Kirsten Pierre-Gaifman and R. Scott Gemmill
Pitt: “12:00” – Valerie Chu
Pluribus: “We are we” – Vince Gilligan
Slow Horses: “Scars” – Will Smith
Challenge: “A Still Small Voice” – Brad Ingelsby
Supporting Actor – Drama
Patrick Ball (Pitt)
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
Sean Hatosy (Pitt)
Gerran Howell (Pitt)
Jack Lowden (Slow Horses)
Tom Pelphrey (Assignment)
Carlos-Manuel Vesga (Pluribus)
Supporting Actress – Drama
Taylor Dearden (Pitt)
Fiona Dourif (Pitt)
Allison Janney (Diplomat)
Katherine Lanasa (Pitt)
Sepideh Moafi (Pitt)
Julianne Nicholson (Rye)
Carolina Otter (Pluribus)
Limited edition
It’s all her fault
The beast in me
Beef
DTF St. Louis
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette
Lead Actor – Limited Film/Film
Riz Ahmed (Beit)
Jason Bateman (Black Rabbit)
Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story)
Oscar Isaac (beef)
Matthew Rhys (The Monster in Me) WINNER
Lead Actress – Limited Film/Movie
Claire Danes (The Monster in Me)
Sally Field (Surprisingly Vivid Creatures)
Carey Mulligan (beef)
Sarah Pidgeon (Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette)
Sarah Snook (All Her Wines)
Directing – limited series or anthology, series or film
Beef: “It will stay that way and you will obey” – Jake Schreier
Beef: “Oh, comfort, unspeakable comfort” – Lee Sung-jin
Black Rabbit: “Black Rabbits” – Jason Bateman
DTF St. Louis – Stephen Conrad
The Letter – Limited Series, Anthology or Movie
“It’s All Her Fault”: “Episode 8” – Megan Gallagher
The Beast in Me: “Sick Puppy” – Gabe Rotter and Daniel Pearl
Beef: “Everything We’ll Never Have” – Lee Sung Jin
Death by Lightning – Mike Makowski
DTF St. Louis – Stephen Conrad
Supporting Actor – Limited
Jason Bateman (DTF St. Louis)
Richard Gadd (Half-Man)
David Harbor (DTF St. Louis)
Richard Jenkins (DTF St. Louis)
Charles Melton (beef)
Nick Offerman (“Death by Lightning”)
Supporting Actress – Limited
Linda Cardellini (DTF St. Louis)
Dakota Fanning (All Her Wine)
Laurie Metcalf (Monster: The Ed Gein Story)
Joy Sunday (DTF St. Louis)
Yeon Yoo-jeong (Beef)
Constance Zimmer (“Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Caroline Bessette”)