At the 2026 Emmys, it’s out with the old and in with the new.
Well, maybe not entirely, but this has still been an exceptionally good year for debuting TV series jockeying for position on the awards circuit. Just consider two of the season’s most buzzed-about shows: Pluribus and Widow’s Bay, which are up for an astonishing 18 and 19 Emmys, respectively.
Both are highly deserving of the plaudits they’ve received: Pluribus, Vince Gilligan’s follow-up to Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, is sci-fi of the highest order, whereas Widow’s Bay is a genre-bending horror-comedy with as many laughs as frights.
Only two shows received more nods: HBO’s The Pitt (25) and Hacks (24). The former is also relatively fresh-faced, having recently completed its second season, while the latter is a beloved comedy making its swan song. Apple TV, which aired both Pluribus and Widow’s Bay, is surely happy to be in such good company — especially since they aren’t its only major Emmy contenders.
Margo Millet may have money troubles, for instance, but she doesn’t have awards problems. Margo’s Got Money Troubles is also part of Apple TV’s breakout freshman class. The dramedy series starring Elle Fanning — who, along with co-stars Nick Offerman and Michelle Pfeiffer, received an acting nomination — in the title role landed eight nominations, including outstanding comedy series.
Another newcomer, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is only up for one major award in addition to eight technical categories, but it’s the biggest of them all: outstanding drama series.
That’s especially impressive for a debuting 30- to 40-minute show that veers as close to comedy as a Game of Thrones spinoff possibly could, as well as an exceptionally rare feat — usually when a show straddles categories, it opts for the “easier” route by pursuing comedy nominations. In a sign of HBO’s belief in the show, it was renewed for a second season before its first episode even aired.
Another trend to be excited about: guest stars landing surprise nominations after self-submitting and running their own FYC (For Your Consideration) campaigns. This sometimes happens when the network opts not to pursue a nomination and the actor believes strongly enough in their performance to do it themselves. That strategy proved successful for Jeff Kober and Brittany Allen, both of whom had scene-stealing turns on Season 2 of The Pitt.
Doing so can come at a cost. “Individual achievement entries have a processing charge of $125 per submission,” according to the Emmys rulebook, though Television Academy members are allowed one free submission per year.
Whatever hurdles they had to jump were clearly worth it. “There are so many great performances on this show, and they have a limited number of people that they can submit. But I knew it was a job that I wanted to have seen,” Kober said in an August interview with People. “I knew the material and my particular wheelhouse were perfectly aligned, so I really wanted to at least have it be seen.”
Allen, meanwhile, told Variety she “couldn’t get a good agent if my life depended on it” the week before landing her nomination. That’s surely changed now.
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