The final season of HBO Max's "Hacks" claimed 24 nominations—a record for any comedy series in a single year.
Each year, the Emmy nominations serve as a kind of cultural mirror, reflecting what the industry believes television has become and where it is going. On a Wednesday morning in Los Angeles, the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations made that reflection unusually vivid: streaming platforms claimed nearly every major category, comedy and drama alike produced record-breaking contenders, and the Academy found room to honor a legendary career cut short. The announcements were, in their way, less a competition preview than a portrait of an art form in confident, if complicated, transition.
- HBO Max's 'Hacks' shattered the single-season comedy nomination record with 24 nods, signaling the Academy's readiness to crown the show as it ends its run.
- Drama contender 'The Pitt' matched that energy with 25 nominations, flooding the supporting acting categories and leaving little oxygen for rivals.
- Streaming platforms — HBO Max, Apple TV+, Netflix, FX — absorbed nearly every major slot, leaving traditional broadcast television almost entirely absent from the prestige conversation.
- A celebrated international hit sat on the sidelines, ineligible due to foreign financing, a quiet tension between the Academy's jurisdiction and the increasingly borderless nature of television.
- Rob Reiner received a posthumous nomination for his guest role in 'The Bear,' transforming one line on a ballot into a final farewell to a career that helped define American entertainment.
- With the September 14 ceremony approaching on NBC and Peacock, the nominations have already drawn the map — what remains is to see who reaches the destination.
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations landed Wednesday morning in Los Angeles with a record in tow: HBO Max's 'Hacks,' in its final season, claimed 24 comedy nominations — more than any comedy series has ever earned in a single year. The show, which has spent its run probing power, age, and the entertainment industry's machinery, received the kind of recognition that reads less like a nomination and more like a coronation on the way out the door.
The comedy field around it was formidable. FX's 'The Bear,' Apple TV+'s 'Shrinking' and 'Widow's Bay,' and 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' all earned serious consideration, reflecting a moment when the genre's boundaries have stretched to accommodate grief, ambition, and moral complexity alongside laughter.
Drama told a parallel story. 'The Pitt,' HBO Max's hospital series in its second season, led all shows with 25 nominations, dominating the supporting acting races with multiple cast members recognized. Apple TV+'s freshman entry 'Pluribus,' Netflix's 'The Diplomat,' and HBO Max's 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' and 'The Gilded Age' filled out a field almost entirely composed of streaming productions — broadcast television was, for practical purposes, absent.
One notable gap in the nominations involved an international hit that had captured wide cultural attention but remained ineligible because of its foreign financing. The show has thrived at the Canadian Screen Awards and will compete at the International Emmys, but the Emmy boundary held firm — though the Academy did find a way to recognize one of its stars through a guest-hosting nomination on 'Saturday Night Live.'
Among the acting nominations, the year's competitive intensity showed in the clustering of recognition: one performer earned four nominations, while six others — including Quinta Brunson, Paul W. Downs, Matthew Rhys, Jason Segel, and Martin Short — each received three. The most quietly significant nomination belonged to Rob Reiner, who earned a posthumous nod for a guest role in 'The Bear.' Reiner and his wife died in Los Angeles last December, and the nomination arrived as a final acknowledgment of a career that had shaped American storytelling for generations.
The ceremony airs live on NBC and Peacock on September 14, hosted by Mariska Hargitay. The nominations were announced by Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller — both recent Emmy winners — at the Television Academy. Wednesday's list did not determine the winners, but it made the conversation unmistakably clear.
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations arrived Wednesday morning in Los Angeles, and the television industry's appetite for prestige comedy found its clearest expression yet in the final season of HBO Max's "Hacks." The show claimed 24 nominations—a record for any comedy series in a single year. It was a commanding statement from a program that has spent its run examining power, age, and the machinery of entertainment itself, and the Academy's recognition suggested the industry was ready to crown it on its way out.
But "Hacks" was not alone in the conversation. "The Bear," the FX series about a fine-dining chef returning to his family's sandwich shop in Chicago, emerged as a major contender across comedy categories. So did "Shrinking," the Apple TV+ dramedy about a grieving therapist who starts telling his patients exactly what he thinks, and "Widow's Bay," another Apple entry that has quietly built a following. "Margo's Got Money Troubles" rounded out the field of shows the Academy deemed worthy of serious consideration in comedy.
On the drama side, the picture was different but no less crowded. HBO Max's "The Pitt," in its second season, claimed 25 nominations total—slightly more than "Hacks" but spread across a larger category with more slots to fill. The show, which centers on the inner workings of a hospital, dominated the supporting acting races, with multiple cast members earning nominations. Apple TV+'s "Pluribus," a freshman series, earned substantial recognition alongside Netflix's "The Diplomat," HBO Max's "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" and "The Gilded Age," and Apple's "Slow Lawyers." The breadth of the field reflected streaming platforms' continued stranglehold on Emmy consideration—traditional broadcast television was largely absent from the major categories.
One notable absence was a breakout international hit that had captured significant cultural attention but remained ineligible for the Emmys because it was financed outside the United States. The show is eligible for the International Emmy Awards and has already accumulated 16 wins at the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards. Connor Storrie, who played one of the show's two lead characters, did earn a nomination for his guest-hosting appearance on "Saturday Night Live," a reminder that the Academy finds ways to recognize talent even when the parent production falls outside its jurisdiction.
The acting nominations reflected the year's competitive landscape. Several performers found themselves nominated multiple times across different productions: one actor earned four nominations, while six others—including Quinta Brunson, Paul W. Downs, Matthew Rhys, Jason Segel, and Martin Short—each received three. The breadth of recognition suggested that the line between prestige and popularity had largely dissolved; the shows the Academy honored were also the ones audiences were watching.
One nomination carried particular weight. Rob Reiner, the legendary director and actor, earned a posthumous Emmy nomination for a guest role in "The Bear." Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, died in their Los Angeles home last December. The nomination stood as a final acknowledgment of a career that had shaped American television and film across decades.
The ceremony itself will take place on Sunday, September 14, broadcast live on NBC and streaming on Peacock. Mariska Hargitay, known for her long run on "Law & Order: SVU," will host. The nominations were announced by Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller, both recent Emmy winners themselves, at the Television Academy in Los Angeles. What unfolds in September will determine which of these shows and performances the industry ultimately decides to honor—but Wednesday's announcements had already made clear where the conversation was headed.
Notable Quotes
Rob Reiner earned a posthumous Emmy nomination for his role in "The Bear."— Emmy Awards announcement
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a comedy series setting a record for nominations matter? Isn't it just a number?
It's a marker of how the Academy sees the show's cultural weight. "Hacks" isn't just funny—it's being recognized as important. Twenty-four nominations means the Academy is saying this show matters across writing, directing, acting, everything. It's a validation of a particular kind of storytelling.
And "The Pitt" has more nominations overall. Does that mean it's bigger?
It has more total nominations, but drama has more categories to fill. What's interesting is that "The Pitt" is dominating supporting roles—it's a show with an ensemble cast that's being recognized across the board. "Hacks" is more concentrated, more focused. Different kinds of dominance.
I noticed streaming platforms everywhere. Where are the broadcast networks?
They're almost invisible in the major categories now. That's not new, but it's stark when you look at the full list. Streaming has the money, the prestige, the creative freedom. Broadcast television is struggling to compete at this level.
What about Rob Reiner's nomination? That felt different.
It was a guest appearance, so it's smaller in scope, but yes—it's a posthumous recognition. The Academy was saying goodbye to someone who shaped television. It's a moment of reflection in the middle of all the competition.
Do you think the shows that got nominated are the ones people are actually watching?
Largely, yes. These aren't obscure critical favorites anymore. "The Bear" is a cultural phenomenon. "Hacks" built a real audience. The Emmy nominations and popular success have converged in a way they didn't always used to.