How to Watch the 2026 Emmy Awards

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards are here! Television’s biggest night returns this evening, and with it comes the annual spectacle of acceptance speeches, surprise upsets, and the kind of fashion that only happens when the entire industry dresses up in one room.

The Primetime Emmy Awards have been recognizing excellence in American television since 1949, when the first ceremony was held at the Hollywood Athletic Club with just six categories and an audience small enough to fit in a single room. Seventy-eight years later, the show has grown into one of the most-watched awards ceremonies in the world, covering drama, comedy, limited series, and everything in between. Here is how to tune in and what to know before the show starts.

Who is nominated?

The Pitt leads all nominees this year with 25 total nods, including 11 acting nominations across its ensemble cast. Noah Wyle is nominated for lead actor in a drama series, while the show's supporting cast earned six nominations in that category alone, with Patrick Ball, Shawn Hatosy, Gerran Howell, Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, Katherine LaNasa, and Sepideh Moafi all recognized. The medical drama also earned directing and writing nominations, cementing its position as the year's dominant drama.

Season 3 of The Gilded Age was also heavily recognized, earning nominations for drama series, lead actress for Carrie Coon, and outstanding directing, as the period drama continues to build momentum heading into its fourth season. The Diplomat picked up nods for drama series, lead actress for Keri Russell, supporting actress for Allison Janney, supporting actor for Bradley Whitford as a guest, and writing nominations. And Slow Horses earned recognition in drama series, lead actor for Gary Oldman, supporting actor for Jack Lowden, directing, and writing nods, along with a guest actor nomination for Jonathan Pryce. Additioanlly, the debut season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms landed a drama series nomination.

In comedy, Only Murders in the Building earned a comedy series nomination alongside a lead actor nod for Martin Short. The show faces stiff competition from Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, and several new entries including Widow's Bay and Margo's Got Money Troubles.

In the limited series category, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, one of the most talked-about shows of the year, earned nominations for outstanding limited series and lead actress for Sarah Pidgeon, along with a supporting actress nod for Constance Zimmer as Bessette’s mother Ann Messina Freeman.

Who is hosting?

Mariska Hargitay, best known for her role as Detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU, is hosting the show for the first time. More than that, according to Variety, she is the first woman to host the ceremony in 15 years and just the fourth this century. Hargitay follows then-Glee star Jane Lynch in 2011, Heidi Klum (alongside Tom Bergeron, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst, and Ryan Seacrest) in 2008, and Ellen DeGeneres in 2001 and 2005.

“Bringing important stories into the light has been the heartbeat of my career. It’s my great honor to host the 78th Emmy Awards—in the 100th birthday year of my beloved NBC—and celebrate this extraordinary community of storytellers,” Hargitay said in a statement. “Whether it’s an actor or a director, a costumer or a sound designer, we are all so privileged to take part in creating television that unites us. Regardless of how, where or when we watch, we are together in our laughter, our tears, our love of stories—and our delighted anticipation to see what happens next.”

How to watch

The Emmys will air on NBC and on streaming via Peacock from the Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, September 14. The ceremony will start at 5 p.m. pacific/8 p.m. eastern, with red carpet coverage beginning as early as 3 p.m. pacific/6 p.m. eastern.

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Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.

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