TV’s biggest night is nearly here: the 2026 Emmy Awards are set to celebrate another standout year on the small screen.
Television has delivered once again, with returning favorites including Hacks, The Pitt, The Traitors, and Beef joined by ambitious new arrivals such as Widow’s Bay and Pluribus, shows that have helped shape an entirely fresh kind of TV. On a side note, does Emmy winner Jeff Hiller have an uncanny instinct for picking award-worthy projects?
With new series arriving on streaming platforms seemingly every day, it is remarkable that so many exceptional shows and performances managed to rise above the noise. Of course, the season has also brought its share of omissions — Industry fans, perhaps your moment is still ahead. Still, there is plenty to celebrate as television’s top ceremony approaches, from potential individual milestones to major accomplishments for networks. Here are a few of the storylines that could make this year’s Emmys especially memorable.
These are some of the biggest developments to watch at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards — and why they could be worth tuning in for.
HBO’s Hopeful Hat Trick Across the Major Categories
HBO enters the 2026 Emmy Awards in a commanding position after collecting 16 honors across the program’s first two nights, formerly known as the Creative Arts Emmys. Ten of those awards went to DTF St. Louis and The Pitt, which are competing as frontrunners for Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Drama Series, respectively.
Current Emmy forecasts favor Widow’s Bay for Best Comedy Series on Monday. The Apple TV original won eight awards during the first two Emmy nights, though many observers are still unwilling to rule out Hacks, a former winner in the category and longtime Emmy favorite. With Hacks concluding its run, some believe Television Academy voters could reward the series with one final Best Comedy Series victory. That prospect appears less likely, however, after Widow’s Bay made such a strong showing in below-the-line categories last weekend.
If Hacks, The Pitt, and DTF St. Louis claim Best Comedy, Best Drama, and Best Limited Series, HBO would pull off the rare feat of sweeping the ceremony’s top awards across all three major categories. Hacks may be the most vulnerable of the trio, while some believe Beef Season 2 could give Netflix a path to taking the limited-series prize from DTF. But, as the Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder comedy proved in its finale, Deborah Vance should never be counted out.
Jean Smart Could Make History With Another Win
That brings us to Jean Smart, who is once again nominated for her portrayal of the incomparable stand-up comic and short-lived late-night host. The Designing Women alum, a seven-time Emmy winner and 15-time nominee, could make history Monday if she wins Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. No woman has ever won the category for portraying the same character in every season of a show’s run. Julia Louis-Dreyfus nearly achieved the feat with her landmark performance as Selina Meyer in Veep, but the Seinfeld star lost the final award to Phoebe Waller-Bridge for Fleabag.
The field remains formidable, with Smart competing against performers including Lisa Kudrow for The Comeback and Elle Fanning for Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Yet most awards forecasters expect Smart to take home the trophy once more. As Hacks reaches its final season — one that, by all accounts, stuck the landing thanks in no small part to Smart and Einbinder’s performances — the category that once looked fiercely competitive now appears increasingly secure for the television legend. Fittingly, she was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame only last month.
There is another milestone at stake, too: a win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series would put Smart level with Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most wins by an actor or actress. The stakes are high, but few performers seem better equipped for the occasion than Smart.
The Traitors vs. Dancing With the Stars Is a Ballroom Bloodshed Showdown
By all indications, Peacock is primed to win another award for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, even as they face off against shows like Top Chef, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and the landmark 50th Season of Survivor. Realistically, however, their biggest competition comes from a show that has been absent from the category for the last 10 years: Dancing With the Stars.
Heading into Monday night’s show, the Peacock series has already taken home six statues for Outstanding Host (Alan Cumming), Outstanding Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costumes, Best Directing, and Best Picture Editing, making it the clear frontrunner in the category. That said, ABC is not giving up the fight just quite yet, especially after experiencing its highest-rated season in years. So much of the argument behind The Traitors‘ Emmy campaign deals with the show’s culture-defining moments — i.e. the hilarious reveals, backstabs, and memes that come out of each episode — but DWTS has certainly crept up on The Traitors in that department.
In Season 34, Dancing With The Stars experienced a cultural resurgence unlike any other show currently on television. The show is so popular that Disney gave the fans a spin-off, Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, which yielded a new competitor to take the ballroom dance floor for Season 35. It’s safe to say that this show has a massive and devoted audience and could end up surprising everyone come Monday.
If we had to put money on it, we’re still putting it on The Traitors for now, but if Dancing With The Stars just so happens to quickstep up to the stage come Emmy night, our jaws would remain firmly in place.
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards air live on NBC and Peacock on Monday, September 14, at 8 p.m. EST.
Peacock currently offers two subscription types: Premium with ads and Premium Plus ad-free. Peacock Premium costs $12.99/month, while Premium Plus costs $19.99/month.
You can save a bit by subscribing to one of Peacock’s annual plans, which give you 12 months for the price of 10. These cost either $129.99 with ads or $199.99 without ads.
Peacock Premium Plus is also available to subscribe to via Prime Video with a seven-day free trial that you can’t get by subscribing directly on Peacock.