Every Can't-Miss Moment From the 2026 Emmys

You’ve spent the past year penciling in your appointment viewing, binge-watching your nights away, and helping turn your new favorite series into a word-of-mouth hit; now it’s time to tune into the 2026 Emmys to honor the best of the best in TV. Tonight, the awards show is being held at the Peacock Theater in downtown L.A., where it’s airing live on NBC and Peacock for the TV fans at home.

Whether you love a rich drama that keeps you hungry for the next episode, a comedy that doubles as comfort food, or you’re a reality devotee, half the fun of television is discussing, dissecting, referencing, and memeing it with fellow fans. At Marie Claire, you can trust that our Culture team loves the small screen just as much as the big screen, has watched countless hours of series this year, and is excited to be sat on our couches and following along with the Emmys. Here, you can find our live breakdown of the best bits, wins, performances, and takeaways all night.

Tonight, Law & Order: SVU star, activist, and all-around TV’s golden gal Mariska Hargitay takes over hosting duties for the first time. Olivia Benson herself is about to take to the stage now that the red carpet’s closed. (Thanks to Zendaya, Selena Gomez, Chase Infiniti, and Meg Stalter turning heads with their looks, it’s safe to say the fashion has already brought some of the night’s buzziest moments.)

In case you need a refresher before the ceremony begins, the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards recognize shows that aired between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026. (If you’re wondering why Heated Rivalry didn’t sweep nominations, well, that’s because the Emmys are for U.S. productions and co-productions, and Canada’s Crave funded season 1.) A handful of titles lead the nominations: The Pitt’s sophomore season garnered a whopping 25, with Hacks’ final installment right behind it at 24—setting a record for a comedy series—and new hit Widow’s Bay comes in at 19. Pluribus (18), Beef season 2 (16), and the limited series DTF St. Louis (13) also earned a fair share of noms. (They all already took home trophies at the 78th Creative Arts Emmy Awards last week.)

As the Marie Claire Culture team watches the star-studded event, we’ll share updates on everything you need to know so you don’t miss a thing.

So, what’s on the entertainment industry’s mind before the ceremony kicks off? The biggest things you need to know are that this could be another major year for the acclaimed HBO Max medical drama The Pitt—it could be the first show to win Best Drama Series for its first two seasons since Mad Men—and comedy is contentious.

The Bear sparked many debates in recent years about what kind of shows should really qualify in the comedy categories—and it is up for many awards this year—but critics largely agree that Best Comedy Series is split between Widow’s Bay and Hacks. Widow’s Bay is technically a horror-comedy (and a very funny one at that!), but could the wunderkind Apple TV word-of-mouth success unseat Hacks, a longtime Academy favorite? We’ll have to see! Even if Widow’s Bay wins in the overall category, Jean Smart seems poised to take home Best Actress in a Comedy Series, making her the first performer to win for every year of a show’s run.

Other awards to keep an eye on? Whether voters finally show Harrison Ford love at 84 for his work on Shrinking (and making him the oldest Best Actor in a Comedy winner); if newcomer Sarah Pidgeon can beat out industry titans for her breakout performance as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy on Love Story; and if Matthew Rhys can make history by pulling two lead acting wins (for Widow’s Bay and the limited series The Beast in Me).

Oh, and if you’re wondering why it seems so few awards are airing live? That’s because even more categories were moved to the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. If you still need to fill out a ballot card and want to look at the recent wins to inform your picks, here are some standouts: DTF St. Louis stars David Harbour and Linda Cardellini won for their supporting limited-series performances, and guest actor wins include the late Rob Reiner (The Bear), Betty Gilpin (Widow’s Bay), Shailene Woodley (Paradise), and Ernest Harden Jr. (The Pitt). –Sadie Bell, Senior Culture Editor

To be completely honest, my heart isn’t totally in it this Emmys season! I was disappointed from the get-go that, yet again, the Academy shunned the delicious, sexy financial drama Industry and didn’t give Task and The Comeback the love they should have.

I will say, I was pleased to see how much appreciation the heartfelt Margo’s Got Money Trouble got; was glad Chase Infiniti earned a nod for the moving Handmaid’s Tale spinoff The Testaments; thought Sarah Pidgeon had the most quintessential starmaking turn in Love Story; and am overjoyed that Widow’s Bay charmed the industry with all of its quirks. (May we all have the same ascension as showrunner Katie Dippold, from being the "Babadook at a wine party" meme to helming one of the best series on TV.) So that being said, I am curious how the showdown between the Apple TV breakout and Hacks will play out. I love them both, but as a lover of witty, genre-defying horror, I would be thrilled to see Widow’s Bay take the crown.

I think part of what excites me about the moment Widow’s Bay is having is that it’s a rare newcomer amid crowded categories of longtime series or spinoffs. And (even as a Stephen King homage) it feels original. Plus, who doesn’t love seeing a hapless yet adorable Matthew Rhys fumble through supernatural happenings?

That’s what I’ll be watching for. But speaking of Rhys, I’ll also be watching for wholesome (and potentially hot!) moments between him and his wife, Keri Russell, who’s nominated for Best Actress in a Drama Series for The Diplomat. Consider them the King and Queen of the 2026 Emmys. –SB

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Even though TV ties with books for my personal favorite storytelling medium, the Emmys always tend to frustrate me a bit. I’ll be the first to say that there are too many shows coming out each year for Emmy voters to catch every single one, but it’s annoying to see familiar names and arguably past-their-prime series edge out fantastic, underrated newcomers. (Something that could solve this? Best New [insert genre] Series categories!)

So tonight, I’m hoping host Mariska Hargitay and this year’s writers will have some surprises up their sleeves. Outside of countless Law & Order joke opportunities and a Jalen Brunson cameo, how will Hargitay shake things up? Which of her other famous friends will make a surprise appearance? Will she bring out George Clooney for a surprise ER cast reunion? Will she, Selena Gomez, and Zendaya do a special reenactment of the “Bad Blood” music video? (The last suggestion is why I’m not currently an Emmys writer.) –Quinci LeGardye, Culture Writer