The Television Academy announced nominations for the 78th Emmy Awards on Wednesday, with HBO's "The Pitt" leading all series with 25 nominations and its companion series "Hacks" earning 24 The Guardian. Former Emmy winners Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller announced the selections in a ceremony streamed live on Emmys.com Emmys.com.

Apple TV+ placed two shows in the upper tier: "Widow's Bay" with 19 nominations and "Pluribus" with 18 The Guardian. The concentration of major nomination counts among these four series—two from HBO and two from Apple TV+—reflects how Emmy recognition now clusters around a smaller set of prestige programs rather than spreading across a wider range. This pattern has held steady across recent awards seasons, even as competition between legacy cable networks and newer streaming platforms continues to shift.

"Hacks" set a new Emmy record by becoming the comedy series with the most nominations in a single year The Guardian. The show's lead, Jean Smart, has won the award for best actress in a comedy series for four years running. Her nomination this year could mean a fifth consecutive win. Smart was also named for induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame at Televerse 26, alongside Ted Danson, Sheila Nevins, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Ted Sarandos, and Ed Bradley, per a June 30 announcement Emmys.com.

The best drama series nominees are "The Pitt," "Pluribus," "The Diplomat," "The Gilded Age," "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," "Paradise," "Slow Horses," and "Your Friends & Neighbors" The Guardian. "The Pitt" arrives as the defending champion, having won best drama last year, with these nominations recognizing its second season Sun-Sentinel; ABC7.

On the comedy side, nominees include "Hacks," "Widow's Bay," "Abbott Elementary," "Shrinking," "Nobody Wants This," "Margo's Got Money Troubles," "Only Murders in the Building," and "The Bear" (season four) The Guardian. The field mixes repeat contenders with new entries. Most of the nomination volume, though, goes to "Hacks" and "Widow's Bay."

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards begin at 5:00 PM on September 14 Emmys.com. Nominations-round voting closed June 11; final-round voting is set for August 17 Television Academy. NBC and Peacock will broadcast the ceremony live, produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment Emmys.com. The Creative Arts Emmys, which honor technical and behind-the-scenes achievements, occur September 5 and 6 Emmys.com.

The Television Academy has published downloadable PDFs with the "Complete Nominations List" and an "Emmy Nominations Per Program" breakdown for voters and press Emmys.com.

A separate regional ceremony, the Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, announced 122 nominations across 33 categories on June 2 Television Academy. That event takes place July 25 Emmys.com. ABC7's David Ono received the 2026 LA Area Emmy Governors Award, announced June 4 Emmys.com.

The dual dominance of HBO and Apple TV+ deserves a closer look. HBO's continued strength through "The Pitt" and "Hacks" suggests that the network's strategy of producing fewer, more expensive prestige series still resonates with Academy voters, despite corporate turmoil and rebranding at its parent company in recent years. Apple TV+ is extending a longer pattern: a platform with a smaller subscriber base punching above its weight in awards recognition. This owes as much to carefully built relationships with top talent and awards-campaign spending as to raw viewership—figures Apple, unlike competitors, still keeps largely under wraps.

Nomination numbers do not always predict wins. Whether "The Pitt" keeps its drama title against a genuinely diverse field—one that spans fantasy ("A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms"), diplomatic thriller ("The Diplomat," whose real-world subject matter sits close to actual foreign-service experience), and prestige period drama ("The Gilded Age")—will depend on final-round voting in August. Jean Smart's bid for a fifth consecutive comedy actress win will unfold within a category now built almost entirely around "Hacks'" record-setting nomination total.