Emmy Nominees Gather in Los Angeles for Deadline's Contenders Television Studio
Harrison Ford, Jason Segel, Octavia Spencer and Matthew Rhys walked the same carpet on August 17, 2026, as Deadline held its Contenders Television: The Nominees Studio at the JW Marriott Los Angeles LA Live Deadline.
The annual event celebrates the stars and creatives behind Emmy-nominated shows, giving them a stage to talk about their work ahead of the television industry's biggest night. Photographer Anthony Avellano captured the arrivals and panel sessions for Deadline's gallery Deadline.
Fifteen shows sent talent to the studio. The lineup spanned scripted drama, comedy, animation, reality and unscripted — a cross-section of what the Television Academy recognised this year. Represented titles included Lost Women of Alaska, Love Story, Pluribus, Ricky & Morty, RuPaul's Drag Race, Shrinking, Subway Takes, Summer House, Survivor, Top Chef, The Traitors, Widow's Bay, Your Friends & Neighbors and Smiling Friends Deadline.
Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, attended alongside cast members Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, Carlos-Manuel Vesga and Jeff Hiller to represent Pluribus. The series picked up 18 Emmy nominations, including a Best Drama Actress nod for Seehorn Gold Derby. Gilligan discussed the show's mysteries in a related Deadline interview published alongside the event coverage.
Jason Segel, who stars in and co-created Shrinking, appeared with co-stars Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams and Michael Urie. Segel told Deadline that the show's fourth season will move past acute grief and described it as "a rom-com about trying again at 45 years old" Deadline.
Katie Dippold, creator of Widow's Bay, brought her team — Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root, Dale Dickey, Hiro Murai, Kate O'Flynn and Jeff Hiller. Dippold said Season 2 is "feeling great" and recounted why Rhys's Welsh hometown feels exactly like the show's island setting Deadline.
Octavia Spencer represented Lost Women of Alaska, which airs on Investigation Discovery. Variety's 2026 Emmys predictions place Spencer in a Best Actress category for the role Variety.
The unscripted side drew its own crowd. The Traitors sent Monét X Change, Rob Rausch, Tara Lipinski, Maura Higgins, Lisa Rinna, Rob Cesternino and Eric Nam. Survivor brought executive producers Matt Van Wagenen and Brian Barefoot with contestants Tiffany Nicole Ervin and Jesse Tannenbaum. Top Chef host Kristen Kish attended solo. RuPaul's Drag Race was represented by John Polly, Natalia James, Jen Chu, Myki Meeks and Jamal Sims Deadline.
Kareem Rahma, whose Subway Takes began as a YouTube series before earning an Emmy nomination, was among the attendees. Deadline published a separate Contenders interview with Rahma on August 17 Deadline.
The Contenders Television franchise runs across multiple events through the Emmy season. Deadline held its main two-day Contenders Television gathering on April 25–26, 2026, featuring talent including Glen Powell, Monica Lewinsky and Billy Bob Thornton. A separate Documentary + Unscripted hub followed in June Deadline.
For the nominees, the Nominees Studio is a chance to make their case to voters and viewers alike — one panel, one carpet, one photograph at a time.
