Emmy season is in full swing. Just this week, Peacock put on a swank panel for “The Traitors,” and shows such as “The Testaments,” “Scrubs,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “Beef,” “Nobody Wants This,” “I Love LA,” “Landman,” “Euphoria” and “For All Mankind,” among others, have had formal Television Academy events. And the deluge of outdoor FYC ads in LA hasn’t even begun yet.
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Now, while there are established frontrunners in some key categories (we’re looking at you, “The Pitt,” “Hacks,” and “The Traitors”), the nominee fields, as well as lead and supporting actor categories, are very much in the mix. And with seven weeks to go until voting begins on June 11, voters have a ton of time to catch up on a slew of new series. Or, old ones they never binged in the first place. Keeping all that in mind, here are some trends to consider as the season unfolds.
Is “Euphoria” in trouble?
The thing with the long-awaited return of “Euphoria” is that it earned middling reviews (a 56 on Metacritic, an even worse 41% on Rotten Tomatoes), with only three episodes shown to critics. And as those three episodes have dropped, the reaction has gotten increasingly negative. It appears that Zendaya will have enough goodwill to potentially crack the lead actress race after winning in both 2020 and 2022. But the series itself feels like a reach in a super-competitive field. Maybe the show will surprise in the last few episodes, but at this point, two drama series nominations seem unlikely. We’re certainly happy to be proven wrong.
Then again, how many Drama Series nominees will HBO or HBO Max land?
Can a network have five nominees? Can it land four? Last year’s winner, “The Pitt,” and “Task,” feel like locks.“The Gilded Age” was a nominee for its last season in 2024, and “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is a critics’ and audience favorite. Could the increasingly respected “Industry” crack the field, too?
But…can anyone challenge “The Pitt”?
Is there no bigger lock on Emmy night? Is everyone competing for just the nomination? Is “Pluribus” hoping for a Directing or Writing win? Is Keri Russell winning the best “The Diplomat” can do? Is there a surprise player out there whatsoever?
“Traitors” is a lock, but are the other Reality Competition nominees?
The obvious first. Peacock is looking at three straight Emmy wins in the Reality Competition category for its blockbuster hit “The Traitors.” It’s pretty much a lock at this point. The bigger question is, will the rest of the category play out the same? “The Amazing Race” and“Top Chef” are probably safe. The former has never been omitted when it could qualify, and the Bravo staple has the second-most nominations in the category all-time. But longtime nominees such as “The Voice,“ “Project Runway,” and“Dancing with the Stars” have come and gone. And“Survivor,” which made a comeback in 2025 after just its second nomination over 19 years, hasn’t made the fanbase happy with its 50th All-Star season. “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a five-time winner and nine-time nominee, also had a mildly received season. The good news for the latter is that an “All Stars” season full of fan favorites will be airing during phase one, which usually entices goodwill. The bigger question is, are there any serious threats to steal their spots? Frankly, there might not be.
Could “The Comeback” beat “Hacks” for Comedy Series?
The odds-on favorite to win its second Emmy in the top comedy category is “Hacks.” The hit HBO Max series probably peaked in season four, but its final, fifth season is satisfying and moving enough. Then again, its sister HBO program, “The Comeback,” may have one of the best series finales of recent memory and, arguably, depicts the crossroads the film and television industries are at, more profoundly than any other program in recent memory. Will enough voters watch “The Comeback” to push it ahead of its more popular competitor? Considering how few nominations the first two very spread-out seasons earned over the past two decades, we’re not so sure.
Will Paramount+ make more Emmys headway?
Slowly, but surely, Paramount+ has been increasing its awards profile. Earlier this year, “Landman” earned a SAG Actor Awards Ensemble nomination for its second season, versus some strong competition. Another massive hit for the streamer, “The Madison,” has earned mixed reviews, but star Michelle Pfeiffer has earned almost universal praise for her performance. Could she help “The Madison” rack up some key nominations? Could Billy Bob Thornton crack the Lead Actor in Drama Series category for “Landman”? Are below-the-line surprises in store?
Will Amazon Studios have an Emmys nomination comeback?
At the delayed 75th Emmys, Prime Video earned 42 nominations and took home nine trophies. At the 76th Emmys, the streamer earned 37 noms and took home eight awards, and earned two drama series nominations in the same year for “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and “Fallout.” Last year, Prime Video was not so lucky with just 12 nods. How big an improvement will 2026 be? The streamer has “Jury Duty: Company Retreat,” “Fallout” season 2, “The Girlfriend,” “The Boys” final season, “Bait,” “Spider-Noir,” “Scarpetta,” “Invincible,” “Beast Games,” “The House of Spirits,” and “Young Sherlock” in the mix. Are the media and other networks sleeping on Prime Video this season?
