These are the most important series of 2026, according to the Emmys

BarcelonaThe 78th edition of the Emmy Awards, presented by the US Television Academy, announced its nominations today, and the medical drama The Pitt (HBO Max) has once again proven to be the darling of the academics. The series starring Noah Wyle will fight to retain its title of best drama, an award it won last year. Furthermore, a good portion of the cast is nominated in the acting categories. The drama will compete, among others, against Pluribus (AppleTV), which debuts at the awards with its first season. Vince Gilligan's series is not the only notable newcomer to these Emmys: another AppleTV production, The Widow's Bay Curse, one of the season's word-of-mouth phenomena, has managed to sneak into the comedy categories.

Apple TV is one of the platforms most favored by this year's Emmy edition. Besides securing Pluribus and The Widow's Bay Curse to compete in drama and comedy respectively, it has also brought Hidden Vices, starring Jon Hamm, and Margo Has Money Problems, with Elle Fanning, into the contender circle. The former is vying for the best drama award, and the latter for best comedy. Additionally, Fanning has been nominated for best comedy actress, a category in which she will face heavyweights like Lisa Kudrow and Jean Smart, who has won four consecutive Emmys for Hacks. If she wins this year as well, she would have been recognized for all seasons of the HBO Max comedy, which has concluded this season. In fact, in its latest installment, Hacks received 24 nominations, the most a comedy has ever received in a single year.

The categories with the most unexpected names are the acting ones. In comedy, the predictions did not include Yahya Abdul - Mateen II, from Wonder Man, who has been nominated alongside Jason Segel, Martin Short, Steve Carrell, and Matthew Rhys. Mateen II's inclusion leaves Jeremy Allen White, from The Bear, out of the competition. In the best drama actress category, there's also new blood: Chase Infiniti is vying for an award for The Testaments and has left Kathy Bates, who was expected to be on the list for Matlock (she was nominated last year), available on Movistar, without a nomination.

Miniseries without surprises

In the miniseries categories, there were some productions for which nominations were already taken for granted. One is Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, one of the productions that has generated the most serious and controversial conversations and that has boosted Disney. Besides competing in the miniseries section, it has also placed its protagonist, Sarah Pidgeon, who is already a star category thanks to this romantic drama that recalls the tragic love story of John John Kennedy and Carolyn Bessette.

Nominations for The Beast in Me (Netflix) and DTF St. Louis (HBO Max) were also predictable. On the other hand, the nomination for Her Worst Nightmare has been more surprising, a thriller about a missing son that has gone more unnoticed here because it is available on SkyShowtime, a platform with little presence in Spain.

Among the big losers in the miniseries categories is Half Man, by Richard Gadd, which has not convinced the academics, something that Baby Reindeer did. Although it sounded like a nominee for best miniseries and a nomination for Jamie Bell as protagonist was also expected, in the end only Gadd has been nominated as best supporting actor in a miniseries.

The nominations for the 2026 Emmy Awards

Comedy series

• Abbott Elementary (Disney+)
• The bear (Disney+)
• Hacks (HBO Max)
• Only Murders in the Building (Disney+)
• Unfiltered Therapy (AppleTV+)
• The curse of Widow's Bay (AppleTV)
• Margo has money problems (AppleTV)
• Nobody wants this (Netflix)

Drama series

• Paradise (Disney+)
• The pitt (HBO Max)
• Pluribus (AppleTV)
• The Diplomat (Netflix)
• The Gilded Age (HBO Max)
• The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO Max)
• Slow horses (AppleTV)
• Hidden defects (Apple TV)

Miniseries

• Love story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette (Disney+)
• DTF St. Louis (HBO Max)
• The beast in me (Netflix)
• Your worst nightmare (Skyshowtime)
• Argument (Netflix)

Comedy actor

• Jason Segel, by Shrinking (AppleTV+)
• Martin Short, for Only Murders in the Building (Disney+)
• Yahya Abdul - Mateen II, by Wonder Man
• Steve Carell, by Rooster
• Matthew Rhys, for The Curse of Widow's Bay (AppleTV)

Comedy actress

• Quinta Brunson, by Abbott Elementary (Disney+)
• Ayo Edebiri, for The bear (Disney+)
• Jean Smart, for Hacks (HBO Max)
• Lisa Kudrow, for The comeback (HBO Max)
• Elle Fanning, Margo has money problems (AppleTV)

Drama actor

• Noah Wyle, for The pitt (HBO Max)
• Gary Oldman, by Slow horses (AppleTV+)
• Sterling K. Brown, by Paradise (Disney+)
• Mark Ruffalo, for Task (HBO Max)
• Rufus Sewell, for The Diplomat (Netflix)

Drama actress

• Keri Russell, for The Diplomat (Netflix)
• Rhea Seehorn, by Pluribus (AppleTV)
• Carrie Coon, for The Gilded Age
• Zendaya, for Euphoria
• Chase Infiniti, for The Testaments

Miniseries actor

• Riz Ahmed, by Bait
• Jason Bateman, by Black Rabbit
• Oscar Isaac, by Bronca
• Charlie Hunnam, for Monster: The Ed Gein Story
• Matthew Rhys, for The Beast in Me

Actress in a miniseries or TV movie

• Sarah Pidgeon, by Love Story
• Claire Danes, by The Beast in Me
• Sally Field, for Remarkably bright creatures
• Carey Mulligan, by Bronca
• Sarah Snook, by Her Worst Nightmare