The 2026 Emmy Awards

This year's Emmy nominations were dominated, critics noted, by ordinary characters simply trying to get by, from "The Pitt's" overworked emergency-room staff to "Abbott Elementary's" underfunded teachers to "Pluribus's" survivors clinging to a lost world, reflecting what one critic called the anxiety of a generation figuring out that old systems "are really not quite there anymore." HBO Max's real-time medical drama "The Pitt" led all nominees with 25, followed by comedy "Hacks" with a record 24 for its genre; "The Pitt" had won best drama, lead actor (Noah Wyle) and supporting actress in its rookie year and was favored to repeat. Mariska Hargitay hosted the September 15 ceremony in Los Angeles, which also marked the 30th anniversary of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and the 50th of "Charlie's Angels."

Welsh actor Matthew Rhys made history as the first person to win two lead acting Emmys in the same night, for "The Beast in Me" and "Widow's Bay," telling the crowd "we are a small but mighty nation" in a speech partly delivered in Welsh. "Hacks" star Jean Smart also made history winning lead comedy actress. The night included tributes to Dolly Parton and a humanitarian award for Michael J. Fox.