When Season 1 of FX’s “The Bear” won Best Comedy Series at the 75th Emmy Awards, the show was on track to dominate the following year. The culinary smash hit received 23 Emmy nominations for Season 2, broke the record for most nominations in a single year for a comedy series, and premiered to mostly glowing reviews. However, after the series took a narrative leap into heavier drama between seasons 1 and 2, some criticism posed a fair question as to whether “The Bear” should be classified as a straight comedy. Especially when compared to contenders such as HBO/Max’s “Hacks,” which had its long-awaited return with a dazzling third season. Momentum shifted to the funnier narrative, and at the 76th Emmy Awards, “Hacks” was crowned Best Comedy Series for the first time.
Could “Hacks” pull off a repeat win this year for its upcoming fourth season? With passionate industry support, especially for the fabulous Jean Smart (who has yet to lose an Emmy for playing stand-up comedian Deborah Vance), “Hacks” has a promising head start and precursor strength for its third season. The series took home Best TV Musical/Comedy Series at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards and Best Comedy Series for the first time at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards. Smart won her second Golden Globe, third Critics Choice Award, and third SAG Award this year. Smart’s co-star Hannah Einbinder also picked up steam, winning her first Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. “Hacks” also has a prime Season 4 release date of April 10th, coming in hot before the Emmy eligibility deadline of May 31st. It has room to continue building momentum and still stay fresh in people’s minds, especially if the fourth season manages to outshine the third.
If “Hacks” wins Best Comedy Series again, it will join Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” as the only series to win the category twice consecutively this decade. Previously, ABC’s “Modern Family” won five consecutive Emmys for Best Comedy Series from 2010 to 2014. HBO’s “Veep” followed with three consecutive wins from 2015 to 2017. Since the continuous rise of streaming service outputs, it’s become trickier for one comedy series to sweep at this level. It’s even trickier for a returning comedy series to win this category without any above-the-line wins in previous competitive years. Across three seasons, Hulu’s “Only Murders In The Building” has a total of eight Emmy wins, including for production design, original score, music & lyrics, and Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Nathan Lane. The murder mystery hit, eligible for its fourth season this year, has yet to win an Emmy for Best Comedy Series, nor for any of the lead or supporting acting categories.
It came as a delightful surprise when the “Only Murders In The Building” cast won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series and when Martin Short won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2025 SAG Awards. As co-star Selena Gomez mentioned while accepting the cast ensemble award, “Wait, we never win.” A double SAG victory is a rather big deal for a series that never wins. Could all the stars align for “Only Murders In The Building” this year? If anything, the potential of an overdue narrative can boost Martin Short’s chances of finally winning after three Lead Actor nominations for his pitch-perfect portrayal of theatre director Oliver Putnam. Plus, goodwill around Short could extend to the series as a whole. Season 4 plays as an enjoyable ode to the film and television industry, and it’s arguably the funniest season yet.
Between “Only Murders In The Building,” “Hacks,” and “The Bear,” plus ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” Apple TV+’s “Shrinking,” and FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows,” returning Emmy contenders are expected to dominate the comedy categories. But with plenty of newly released shows and more on the horizon, there’s still enough room for a fresh favorite to break through. Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This” got a head start with Best Comedy Series nominations at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globe Awards, though odds point to the acting as more win-competitive than the series itself.
All eyes will be on Apple TV+’s “The Studio,” one of the hottest tickets in town. The Hollywood satire features a star-studded cast, including Emmy nominees Seth Rogen and Kathryn Hahn, plus appearances by Emmy winners Catherine O’Hara and Bryan Cranston. “The Studio” also has an inside baseball level of knowledge that speaks directly to (and about) people in the industry.
Could “The Studio” emerge as a fresh new frontrunner? Can “The Bear” benefit from its upcoming Season 4 premiere potentially overlapping with final-round Emmy voting? Will “Only Murders In The Building” finally get its due? Or does “Hacks” have another surprise in store to win a second time? Please let us know in the comments section below or over on our X account, and be sure to check out our latest Emmy predictions here. Please also be sure to subscribe to the Next Best Series Podcast where we are conducting a number of interviews with Emmy contenders throughout the awards season and discussing the race over the next couple of months.
