Today is the final day of voting for the 2026 Emmy Awards. It’s been a long and wild season, filled with ups and downs. We’ve conducted several interviews, shared our individual FYC considerations, and discussed the contenders endlessly, with our final winner predictions still to come on the Next Best Series Podcast. But today, I wanted to share my preferred winners for each category, if I were a Television Academy voter with a ballot.
Outstanding Comedy Series
“Abbott Elementary”
“The Bear”
“Hacks”
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
“Nobody Wants This”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Shrinking”
“Widow’s Bay” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary”
Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear”
Elle Fanning – “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
Lisa Kudrow – “The Comeback” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Jean Smart – “Hacks“
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II – “Wonder Man”
Matthew Rhys – “Widow’s Bay” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Jason Segel – “Shrinking”
Martin Short – “Only Murders in the Building”
Steve Carell – “Rooster”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Dale Dickey – “Widow’s Bay”
Hannah Einbinder – “Hacks”
Janelle James – “Abbott Elementary”
Kate O’Flynn – “Widow’s Bay” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Michelle Pfeiffer – “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
Meg Stalter – “Hacks”
Jessica Williams – “Shrinking”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Colman Domingo – “The Four Seasons”
Paul W. Downs – “Hacks”
Harrison Ford – “Shrinking” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Nick Offerman – “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
Stephen Root – “Widow’s Bay”
Michael Urie – “Shrinking”
Tyler James Williams – “Abbott Elementary”
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Leslie Bibb – “Hacks”
Jamie Lee Curtis – “The Bear”
Betty Gilpin – “Widow’s Bay”
Cherry Jones – “Hacks”
Laurie Metcalf – “Hacks” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Kaitlin Olson – “Hacks”
Lauren Weedman – “Hacks”
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Michael J. Fox – “Shrinking” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Brett Goldstein – “Shrinking”
Hamish Linklater – “Widow’s Bay”
Christopher McDonald – “Hacks”
Rob Reiner – “The Bear”
Connor Storrie – “Saturday Night Live”
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Lucia Aniello – “Hacks”
Mary Lou Belli – “The Ms. Pat Show”
Andrew DeYoung – “The Chair Company”
Randall Einhorn – “Abbott Elementary”
Hiro Murai – “Widow’s Bay” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Christopher Storer – “The Bear”
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky – “Hacks”
Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary”
Katie Dippold – “Widow’s Bay” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Anthony King – “Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat”
Michael Patrick King & Lisa Kudrow – “The Comeback”
Tim Robinson & Zach Kanin – “The Chair Company”
Outstanding Drama Series
“The Diplomat”
“The Gilded Age”
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” (PREFERRED WINNER)
“Paradise”
“The Pitt”
“Pluribus”
“Slow Horses”
“Your Friends & Neighbors”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Carrie Coon – “The Gilded Age”
Chase Infiniti – “The Testaments”
Keri Russell – “The Diplomat”
Rhea Seehorn – “Pluribus” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Zendaya – “Euphoria”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown – “Paradise”
Gary Oldman – “Slow Horses”
Mark Ruffalo – “Task”
Rufus Sewell – “The Diplomat”
Noah Wyle – “The Pitt” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Taylor Dearden – “The Pitt”
Fiona Dourif – “The Pitt”
Allison Janney – “The Diplomat”
Katherine LaNasa – “The Pitt”
Sepideh Moafi – “The Pitt”
Juliane Nicholson – “Paradise”
Karolina Wydra – “Pluribus” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Patrick Ball – “The Pitt”
Billy Crudup – “The Morning Show“
Shawn Hatosy – “The Pitt“
Gerran Howell – “The Pitt“
Jack Lowden – “Slow Horses”
Carlos-Manuel Vesga – “Pluribus”
Tom Pelphrey – “Task” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Brittany Allen – “The Pitt”
Tal Anderson – “The Pitt”
Tina Ivlev – “The Pitt”
Miriam Shor – “Pluribus”
Merrit Wever – “The Gilded Age”
Shailene Woodley – “Paradise” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Colman Domingo – “Euphoria”
Ernest Harden Jr. – “The Pitt”
Jeff Hiller – “Pluribus”
Jeff Kober – “The Pitt”
Jonathan Pryce – “Slow Horses” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Bradley Whitford – “The Diplomat”
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Hanelle M. Culpepper – “Paradise”
Vince Gilligan – “Pluribus” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Saul Metzstein – “Slow Horses”
Salli Richardson Whitfield – “The Gilded Age”
Salli Richardson Whitfield – “Task”
Noah Wyle – “The Pitt”
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Peter Ackerman & Debora Cahn – “The Diplomat”
Varlerie Chu – “The Pitt”
Vince Gilligan – “Pluribus” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Brad Ingelsby – “Task”
Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman & R. Scott Gemmill – “The Pitt”
Will Smith – “Slow Horses”
Outstanding Limited Series
“All Her Fault”
“The Beast in Me”
“Beef”
“DTF St. Louis” (PREFERRED WINNER)
“Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bissette“
Outstanding TV Movie
“Head of State”
“Miss You, Love You”
“People We Meet on Vacation”
“Remarkably Bright Creatures” (PREFERRED WINNER)
“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series/Anthology/TV Movie
Claire Danes – “The Beast in Me”
Sally Field – “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
Carey Mulligan – “Beef”
Sarah Pidgeon – “Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bissette”
Sarah Snook – “All Her Fault” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series/Anthology/ TV Movie
Riz Ahmed – “Bait” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Jason Bateman – “Black Rabbit”
Charlie Hunnam – “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
Oscar Isaac – “Beef”
Matthew Rhys – “The Beast in Me”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series/Anthology/TV Movie
Linda Cardellini – “DTF St. Louis” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Dakota Fanning – “All Her Fault”
Laurie Metcalf – “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
Joy Sunday – “DTF St. Louis”
Yuh-Jung Youn – “Beef”
Constance Zimmer -“Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bissette”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series/Anthology/TV Movie
Jason Bateman – “DTF St. Louis”
Richard Gadd – “Half Man”
David Harbour – “DTF St. Louis” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Richard Jenkins – “DTF St. Louis”
Charles Melton – “Beef”
Nick Offerman – “Death by Lightning“
Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series/ Anthology/TV Movie
Jason Bateman – “Black Rabbit”
Steven Conrad – “DTF St. Louis”
Jake Schreier – “Beef”
Lee Sung Jin – “Beef” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series/Anthology/TV Movie
Steven Conrad – “DTF St. Louis” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Megan Gallagher – “All Her Fault”
Lee Sung Jin – “Beef”
Mike Makowsky – “Death by Lightning”
Gabe Rotter & Daniel Pearle – “The Beast in Me”
Outstanding Variety Series
“The Daily Show”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (PREFERRED WINNER)
“Saturday Night Live”
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Outstanding Competition Series
“Dancing With the Stars”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Survivor”
“Top Chef”
“The Traitors” (PREFERRED WINNER)
Outstanding Animated Program
“Bob’s Burgers”
“Rick and Morty”
“The Simpsons”
“Smiling Friends”
“South Park” (PREFERRED WINNER)
“Star Wars: Visions”
What will happen at this year’s Emmy awards? Who are you personally rooting for? Check out our latest Emmy predictions here and be on the lookout for our final predictions episode on the Next Best Series Podcast before the ceremony on September 14th. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
