{"id":4854,"date":"2026-07-24T20:09:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T20:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854"},"modified":"2026-07-24T20:09:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T20:09:19","slug":"emmys-2026-voters-guide-breaking-down-the-early-frontrunners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854","title":{"rendered":"Emmys 2026 Voters\u2019 Guide: Breaking Down the Early Frontrunners"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n

\n\t\u00a0While down-the-line voting has often scored huge, the 2026 Emmys may shake up the usual tradition. Some of the biggest shows of the year are only recognized in the acting categories but miss in series nods. Below, Variety<\/em> breaks down the contenders in a few major categories. (And here\u2019s a full list of the nominations, in case it helps!)<\/p>\n

Read more Chuck Russell, Director of \u2018The Mask,\u2019 Dies at 74<\/a><\/p>\n

\nDrama<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIn the drama category, last year\u2019s winner, \u201cThe Pitt,\u201d which also took home lead actor, supporting actress and guest actress trophies, is back with its second season. It leads the pack in overall nominations with 25 \u2014 13 of which are for actors. This time, \u201cThe Pitt\u201d faces two other HBO Max series in the category: \u201cThe Gilded Age\u201d and \u201cA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.\u201d Netflix\u2019s \u201cThe Diplomat\u201d and Hulu\u2019s \u201cParadise\u201d landed series nods, one of the seven total noms for each show. Apple TV also scored three noms in the category; \u201cSlow Horses\u201d earned its third nomination in the category while new series \u201cPluribus\u201d and \u201cYour Friends & Neighbors\u201d both broke into the race. While \u201cPluribus\u201d garnered a whopping 18 nominations for its first season (and Rhea Seehorn is the front-runner for lead actress), the recognition in this category is the sole nom for \u201cYour Friends & Neighbors.\u201d Meanwhile, Brad Ingelsby\u2019s \u201cTask\u201d didn\u2019t earn a series nod, but did get recognition for writing, directing, cinematography and editing, as well as acting noms for Mark Ruffalo (lead actor) and Tom Pelphrey (supporting).<\/p>\n

\nGuest actor\/actress, drama<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tLast year, \u201cThe Pitt\u201d racked up 13 nominations; this year, that\u2019s the number of actors from the show that received their kudos, with five in the guest actor and guest actress categories. Ernest Harden Jr., Jeff Kober, Brittany Allen, Tal Anderson and Tina Ivlev all landed recognition for the medical drama, despite some not even being submitted by HBO; instead, they self-submitted. But will they cancel each other out? It\u2019s always a possibility with multiple nods in one show. The guest actor category includes other heavy hitters too: Colman Domingo for the final season of \u201cEuphoria,\u201d Jeff Hiller for \u201cPluribus,\u201d Bradley Whitford for \u201cThe Diplomat\u201d and Jonathan Pryce for \u201cSlow Horses.\u201d On the guest actress side is early front-runner Shailene Woodley for \u201cParadise,\u201d Miriam Shor for \u201cPluribus\u201d and Merritt Wever for \u201cThe Gilded Age.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nComedy series<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tWith \u201cHacks\u201d breaking the record for most-nominated comedy series (24), and it being the final season of the beloved HBO Max comedy, it seems like an easy front-runner. That being said, it\u2019s not an easy category, with mostly returning shows filling the category \u2014 FX\u2019s \u201cThe Bear,\u201d ABC\u2019s \u201cAbbott Elementary,\u201d Netflix\u2019s \u201cNobody Wants This,\u201d Hulu\u2019s \u201cOnly Murders in the Building\u201d and Apple TV\u2019s \u201cShrinking.\u201d But the two new series in the batch are serious contenders: Apple TV\u2019s \u201cMargo\u2019s Got Money Troubles,\u201d which racked up eight nods, and, even more so, the spoiler of the race, Apple TV\u2019s \u201cWidow\u2019s Bay.\u201d The horror-comedy scored 19 nominations, including six acting noms \u2014 Matthew Rhys earned lead actor noms for both this and limited series \u201cThe Beast in Me\u201d \u2014 and nods for writing, directing and casting.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Rings of Power\u2019 Debuts Season 3 Trailer; Simon Pegg Joins Cast as the Balrog<\/a><\/p>\n

\nGuest actor\/actress, comedy<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tSome of the biggest stars landed in the guest actor and actress in a comedy categories this year. Two-time Emmy winner Rob Reiner earned a posthumous nomination for his role in \u201cThe Bear,\u201d one that will be hard to beat. But if anyone could do it, it\u2019d likely be the beloved Michael J. Fox, who landed a nomination for \u201cShrinking.\u201d Elsewhere in the stacked category is Christopher McDonald for \u201cHacks,\u201d Hamish Linklater for \u201cWidow\u2019s Bay,\u201d Brett Goldstein for \u201cShrinking\u201d and \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d star Connor Storrie for his hosting role on \u201cSaturday Night Live.\u201d For guest actress, Jamie Lee Curtis (\u201cThe Bear\u201d) and Betty Gilpin (\u201cWidow\u2019s Bay\u201d) are the only two not from \u201cHacks,\u201d as Cherry Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Leslie Bibb, Lauren Weedman and Kaitlin Olson account for the remainder of the group. Once again, canceling out could happen, but the odds are good that \u201cHacks\u201d could do very well on Emmy night.<\/p>\n

\nLimited or anthology series<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tFor its first season, Netflix\u2019s \u201cBeef\u201d won the trophy for best limited\/anthology series. This time around, the show hasn\u2019t generated quite as much buzz, but it still earned 16 nominations, including for lead actor and actress and supporting actor and actress. Elsewhere in the category is Netflix\u2019s \u201cThe Beast in Me,\u201d FX\u2019s \u201cLove Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,\u201d Peacock\u2019s \u201cAll Her Fault\u201d and HBO Max\u2019s \u201cDTF St. Louis.\u201d The latter also landed a slew of acting noms with Linda Cardellini, Joy Sunday, Jason Bateman, David Harbour and Richard Jenkins filling up the supporting categories. Although \u201cAll Her Fault\u201d was an early drop, released in November, star Sarah Snook took home a Critics\u2019 Choice trophy and the show snagged two Golden Globe nominations and an Actor nod. Although \u201cMonster: The Ed Gein Story\u201d came up short in the series nomination, star Charlie Hunnam still snagged a lead actor nom, and Laurie Metcalf earned her second nom of the year for her supporting role in the Netflix horror drama. Netflix\u2019s \u201cDeath by Lightning\u201d and Prime Video\u2019s \u201cBait\u201d failed to land series noms, but the actors were recognized; Nick Offerman landed a supporting nod (his second of the year alongside a supporting comedy actor nod for \u201cMargo\u2019s Got Money Troubles\u201d) and Riz Ahmed earned a limited lead actor nomination.<\/p>\n

\nReality<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tAs we seem to write over and over again, one of the most difficult categories to break into has always been reality competition, with years of the same winners. At one point, \u201cThe Amazing Race\u201d won in seven consecutive years, then \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u201d won four years in a row. For the last two years, \u201cThe Traitors\u201d has taken the trophy. This year, \u201cThe Amazing Race\u201d is out of the running and ABC\u2019s \u201cDancing With the Stars\u201d is back for the first time in 10 years, which shouldn\u2019t come as much of a surprise after its massive 34th season. \u201cTop Chef\u201d and \u201cSurvivor,\u201d which also had a huge season with its 50th, round out the category with four of the five nominees also recognized in host: RuPaul, Jeff Probst, Kristen Kish and Alan Cumming. Ariana Madix was the surprise fifth spot for her hosting of Peacock\u2019s \u201cLove Island USA.\u201d Who becomes a front-runner may come down to who campaigns best during phase two.<\/p>\n

Read more Netflix Executives Considered Pulling \u2018Michael Jackson: The Verdict\u2019 Docuseries a Week Before Its Release (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Hacks,” “Widow’s Bay” and “The Pitt” lead the Emmy categories, but who will win the main categories?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[833],"tags":[220,1013,1967,3128],"class_list":["post-4854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-awards","tag-emmys","tag-hacks","tag-the-pitt-2","tag-widows-bay-3"],"yoast_head":"\nEmmys 2026 Voters\u2019 Guide: Breaking Down the Early Frontrunners - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Emmys 2026 Voters\u2019 Guide: Breaking Down the Early Frontrunners - Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\""Hacks," "Widow's Bay" and "The Pitt" lead the Emmy categories, but who will win the main categories?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-24T20:09:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"headline\":\"Emmys 2026 Voters\u2019 Guide: Breaking Down the Early Frontrunners\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-24T20:09:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854\"},\"wordCount\":1131,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/e758792543b62e6c15fae28a559c2822.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Emmys,\",\"Hacks,\",\"The Pitt,\",\"Widow's Bay\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Awards\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854\",\"name\":\"Emmys 2026 Voters\u2019 Guide: Breaking Down the Early Frontrunners - Relocation Observer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/e758792543b62e6c15fae28a559c2822.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-24T20:09:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/e758792543b62e6c15fae28a559c2822.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/e758792543b62e6c15fae28a559c2822.webp\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":563},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=4854#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Emmys 2026 Voters\u2019 Guide: Breaking Down the Early Frontrunners\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Relocation Observer\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Emmys 2026 Voters\u2019 Guide: Breaking Down the Early Frontrunners - Relocation Observer","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Emmys 2026 Voters\u2019 Guide: Breaking Down the Early Frontrunners - Relocation Observer","og_description":"\"Hacks,\" \"Widow's Bay\" and \"The Pitt\" lead the Emmy categories, but who will win the main categories?","og_url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854","og_site_name":"Relocation Observer","article_published_time":"2026-07-24T20:09:19+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e"},"headline":"Emmys 2026 Voters\u2019 Guide: Breaking Down the Early Frontrunners","datePublished":"2026-07-24T20:09:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854"},"wordCount":1131,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e758792543b62e6c15fae28a559c2822.webp","keywords":["Emmys,","Hacks,","The Pitt,","Widow's Bay"],"articleSection":["Awards"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854","name":"Emmys 2026 Voters\u2019 Guide: Breaking Down the Early Frontrunners - Relocation Observer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e758792543b62e6c15fae28a559c2822.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-24T20:09:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e758792543b62e6c15fae28a559c2822.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e758792543b62e6c15fae28a559c2822.webp","width":1000,"height":563},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4854#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Emmys 2026 Voters\u2019 Guide: Breaking Down the Early Frontrunners"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/","name":"Relocation Observer","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/relocationobserver.com"],"url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}