Everything to Know About the 2026 Emmys, From How to Watch to the Nominees

Fall is here, which means it's time for television's biggest night. The Emmys are a week away, and Hollywood is getting ready to celebrate the past year in TV.

This year's awards show will have some exciting changes, from a new network hosting the festivities, to one of televisions' biggest icons as a first-time host. The top nominees range from pop culture's buzziest hits, to beloved comedies in their final season, to debut shows that became word-of-mouth sensations. Read on for everything you need to know about the 2025 Emmys, including how to tune into the ceremony, which A-listers are set to walk the red carpet, and which must-see TV shows are expected to win big.

Everything to Know About the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards

When are the 2026 Emmys?

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will air live on NBC on Monday, September 14 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. This year's ceremony will be held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in downtown L.A.

How can I watch the 2026 Emmys?

Viewers with cable can tune into their local NBC channel or use their cable login to watch from a computer or phone via CBS website or app.

The Emmys will also be available to stream on Peacock. However, the ceremony will only stream live for subscribers to one of Peacock's two premium tiers The app's standard Premium tier with ads starts at $13/month, while the ad-free Premium Plus tier starts at $20/month. (Since the Emmys are a live event, it will still air with ads for Premium Plus subscribers.)

The full ceremony will be available to stream on demand the following day for subscribers in the U.S. only, including those at the Peacock Select tier (at $9/month). Though Peacock's official website doesn't offer free trials, Prime Video subscribers can get a seven-day free trial by signing up to the Premium Plus plan through Amazon's streamer.

If you neither have cable nor a Peacock premium subscription, there are still ways to watch the Emmys. Live streaming TV services like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV Stream, Fubo, and Sling TV provide access to NBC (and most of them offer free trials).

And viewers who are not in the U.S. can watch the Emmys live through their regional networks, or catch it on-demand on Peacock. If you don't have a VPN, you can use one like Nord VPN.

How can I watch the 2026 Emmys red carpet?

Fashion fans will have multiple options to follow the Emmys red carpet. E!'s annual coverage will start at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, with the hosts and commentators to be announced. Meanwhile, CNN and Variety will co-host red-carpet coverage, available to watch on the CNN website and streaming app for subscribers.

Who is hosting the 2026 Emmys?

Actress, producer, director, activist, and national treasure Mariska Hargitay will host this year's Emmy awards. The television icon and Emmy winner will be making her awards-hosting debut, ahead of her 28th season playing Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU.

"I’m at a place in my life where I am excited about doing new things. And if not now, when?" she told Deadline in August. "It’s such an extraordinary opportunity and I am excited about it. I’m excited to see all the people. I’m excited to celebrate people’s work. I guess I don’t really see it as about me. I see it about being part of something so historic."

Who is presenting at the 2026 Emmys?

The Television Academy has yet to announce presenters for this year's Primetime Emmys, but we do know one of the stars set to grace the stage. Michael J. Fox is set to receive this year's Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, in honor of his "transformative contributions to Parkinson’s disease research and advocacy," per the Academy. Fox is also a nominee this year, for his guest performance in Shrinking season 3.

Who is nominated at the 2026 Emmys?

We can expect some exciting races this year. The Pitt's second season is both the most-recognized show of the year and the top nominee in the drama category, with 25 nominations overall. Other top drama nominees include Pluribus, with 18 nominations, followed by Fallout (9), A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (9), Slow Horses (9), and The Gilded Age (8).

Meanwhile, the comedy categories are expected to be a showdown between Hacks, which racked up 24 nominations for its final season, and Widow's Bay, the most successful debut series of the year with 19 noms. The rest of the notable comedy nominees include Spider-Noir (11), Shrinking (9), The Bear (8), Margo's Got Money Troubles (8), and Abbott Elementary (7).

In the limited or anthology series category, the second season of Beef leads the pack with 16 noms, followed closely by DTF St. Louis (13), with The Beast in Me (9). Other notable shows include All Her Fault (7), Black Rabbit (7) and Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette (6).

Finally, notable unscripted specials and reality shows include Saturday Night Live (11), The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (9), RuPaul’s Drag Race (9), Jimmy Kimmel Live! (6), The Muppet Show (6), and The Traitors (6).