It’s TV’s biggest night.
The 78th Emmy Awards, which will celebrate the best of the best of the TV that aired or streamed between June 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026, are tonight, Sept. 14 on NBC.
HBO Max’s “The Pitt” is the most-nominated show going into tonight’s ceremony with 25 total nods (12 of which fall into a “major” category – program, acting, directing, and writing). “Hacks” leads comedies with 24 nominations, and “Beef” is the most-nominated limited series with 16 total.
Watch the 2026 Emmys for free
- When: Sept. 14, 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Peacock Theater (Los Angeles, California)
- How to watch for free: DIRECTV (five-day free trial)
- TV Channel: NBC
After last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys, where many of the non-“major” awards were handed out, freshman series “Widow’s Bay” led the pack with eight wins. The Matthew Rhys-led supernatural comedy received 19 total nominations.
The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, a special award recognizing people in the TV community “whose philanthropic efforts exemplify Bob Hope’s decades-long altruism and positive impact on society” will be given out for just the eighth time in Television Academy history to Michael J. Fox. The actor and Parkinson’s disease activist returned to acting last year with an Emmy-nominated guest performance in “Shrinking.”
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in to the Emmys tonight without cable (for free, too, we might add).
What time do the Emmys start tonight?
The 2026 Emmys will begin at 8 p.m. ET tonight, Sept. 14.
E! will begin airing red carpet coverage at 5 p.m. ET ahead of the ceremony. It will run for three hours, until the awards officially begin.
What channel are the Emmys on tonight?
The Emmy Awards are on NBC this year, with red carpet coverage live on E!.
It marks the last year of the current deal in place for the awards to rotate between the big four channels (ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS).
Where to watch the 2026 Emmys for free
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the 2026 Emmy Awards for free.
DIRECTV is our top pick for watching TV live for free because of its flexible plans and great deals. NBC is currently included in two discounted genre packs: MyNews ($39.99/month for two months) and MySports ($44.99/month for six months), both of which come with a five-day free trial before payment begins.
If you also want to watch red carpet coverage, the MyEntertainment + MyNews Genre Pack has all the channels you’ll need, with E! and NBC both included.
Who is hosting the 2026 Emmys?
Newly minted Emmy Award winner Mariska Hargitay will host the 2026 Emmys. The “Law & Order: SVU” star picked up two awards for her documentary “My Mom Jayne” at last week’s Creative Arts Emmys.
Hargitay is the first woman to host the ceremony in 15 years and the first non-comedian to host since Angela Lansbury in 1993.
2025 Emmy nominations (top categories):
Tonight, 19 awards will be given out during the live ceremony, but in total, 120 Emmys will be handed out between tonight and last weekend’s Creative Arts ceremony.
Below, check out nominees in some of the biggest categories of the night; you can check out a full list of categories and nominees on the Television Academy’s website.
| Category | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Outstanding Comedy Series | “Abbott Elementary” (ABC) “The Bear” (FX) “Hacks” (HBO Max) “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” (Apple TV) “Nobody Wants This” (Netflix) “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu) “Shrinking” (Apple TV) “Widow’s Bay” (Apple TV) |
| Outstanding Drama Series | “The Diplomat” (Netflix) “The Gilded Age” (HBO) “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” (HBO) “Paradise” (Hulu) “The Pitt” (HBO Max) “Pluribus” (Apple TV) “Slow Horses” (Apple TV) “Your Friends & Neighbors” (Apple TV) |
| Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series | “All Her Fault” (Peacock) “The Beast in Me” (Netflix) “Beef” (Netflix) “DTF St. Louis” (HBO) “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” (FX) |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Yahya Abdul-Mateen II – “Wonder Man” as Simon Williams / Wonder Man (Disney+) Steve Carell – “Rooster” as Greg Russo (HBO) Matthew Rhys – “Widow’s Bay” as Tom Loftis (Apple TV) Jason Segel – “Shrinking” as Jimmy Laird (Apple TV) Martin Short – “Only Murders in the Building” as Oliver Putnam (Hulu) |
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary” as Janine Teagues (ABC) Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear” as Sydney Adamu (FX) Elle Fanning – “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” as Margo Millet (Apple TV) Lisa Kudrow – “The Comeback” as Valerie Cherish (HBO) Jean Smart – “Hacks” as Deborah Vance (HBO Max) |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Sterling K. Brown – “Paradise” as Xavier Collins (Hulu) Gary Oldman – “Slow Horses” as Jackson Lamb (Apple TV) Mark Ruffalo – “Task” as Tom Brandis (HBO) Rufus Sewell – “The Diplomat” as Hal Wyler (Netflix) Noah Wyle – “The Pitt” as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (HBO Max) |
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Carrie Coon – “The Gilded Age” as Bertha Russell (HBO) Chase Infiniti – “The Testaments” as Agnes MacKenzie (Hulu) Keri Russell – “The Diplomat” as Katherine “Kate” Wyler (Netflix) Rhea Seehorn – “Pluribus” as Carol Sturka (Apple TV) Zendaya – “Euphoria” as Rue Bennett (HBO) |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Riz Ahmed – “Bait” as Shah Latif (Prime Video) Jason Bateman – “Black Rabbit” as Vince Friedken (Netflix) Charlie Hunnam – “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” as Ed Gein (Netflix) Oscar Isaac – “Beef” as Joshua Martín (Netflix) Matthew Rhys – “The Beast in Me” as Nile Jarvis (Netflix) |
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Claire Danes – “The Beast in Me” as Aggie Wiggs (Netflix) Sally Field – “Remarkably Bright Creatures” as Tova Sullivan (Netflix) Carey Mulligan – “Beef” as Lindsay Crane-Martín (Netflix) Sarah Pidgeon – “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” as Carolyn Bessette (FX) Sarah Snook – “All Her Fault” as Marissa Irvine (Peacock) |
2025 Emmy presenters:
Ahead of the ceremony, the Television Academy announced a star-studded lineup of presenters, including Zendaya, Matthew McConaughey and Jamie Lee Curtis. Shailene Woodley, who won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, and the Emmy-winning pair from “DTF St. Louis” Linda Cardellini and David Harbour will also present.
The list of presenters also includes Jon Hamm, Emmy-winning “Traitors” host Alan Cumming, Sally Field, Florence Pugh, Amy Poehler, Woody Harrelson, John Mulaney and Emmy Rossum.
David Boreanaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar will be representing “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” to celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary, and Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith will be on hand for the 50th anniversary of “Charlie’s Angels.”
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