CHICAGO, Illinois, September 15, 2026 — Monday marks television’s biggest night, with the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards airing live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremony is hosted by Mariska Hargitay, who becomes only the second woman to host the show solo for more than three decades. More than 100 awards were distributed during a recent set of early Creative Arts ceremonies.
The Early Frontrunners
Leading the winners between the two Creative Arts Emmy nights was the horror-comedy “Widow’s Bay” on Apple TV, which took home eight awards. The other larger win was for the “Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show” starring Bad Bunny, which took home seven wins. The reality competition series The Traitors picked up another six trophies in the preliminary ceremonies.
Additional early winners included “The Pitt,” “Pluribus,” and “DTF St. Louis,” providing a tailwind heading into the main telecast. The Television Academy said more than 100 statuettes were handed out across the two preliminary nights alone. Those results often give a heads-up as to what shows will carry over the night’s biggest awards.
Milestone Moments Already Achieved
At the age of 90, Julie Andrews made Emmy history as she won for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance on “Bridgerton.” David Harbour, Linda Cardellini, and Shailene Woodley notched their first career Emmy wins during the precursors. Rob Reiner posthumously won for guesting on The Bear.
Betty Gilpin won Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for “Widow’s Bay.” And before hosting the main ceremony, Mariska Hargitay herself won two awards for directing and producing her HBO documentary My Mom Jayne. Those early successes have created a major buzz going into Monday’s telecast.
The Major Categories: What to Watch
“The Pitt” and “Hacks” enter the ceremony among the most nominated series in their categories. The competition in the lead acting categories continues to be particularly close this year, with many first-time nominees up for consideration. Industry analysts predict close races in both the drama and comedy series categories.
As you can see, streaming platforms are winning nominations in almost every category this year. That prompted traditional broadcast networks to adapt, generally focusing more on limited series and variety specials as points of differentiation. The move also signals a larger trend in the industry over the past few years toward streaming-first programming.
An Evening Founded on the Evolution of Television
Awards season watchers have tracked an increasingly fractured television landscape entering this year’s Emmys. Shows designed for niche streaming audiences are now going head-to-head against the biggest traditional network programming for top awards. The wide spectrum of that diversity has made determining winners more difficult than in previous years.
No matter what the result, Monday’s ceremony concludes months of campaigning throughout television. The main event will be broadcast live on NBC and Peacock, after two nights of preliminary awards. Viewers can look to the ceremony as a complete snapshot of where television finds itself heading into the next programming cycle.
Much as this year’s ceremony reflects greater global interest in American television awards, observers of the industry note that global reach of nominated shows has increased due to streaming, attracting audiences beyond just domestic viewers. Such a wider reach has put even more pressure on the networks from which nominated series will be marketed abroad before the telecast.
For many viewers, the fashion and red carpet coverage is still part of the attraction of the evening. Stylists and designers (not to mention our red carpet teams) see the Emmys as a huge moment next to various film awards season events that lit up earlier this year. Social media interaction surrounding the red carpet looks is considerably up in recent awards seasons.
And as that ceremony plays out Monday night, industry observers will be paying attention not just to the winners but also how well the show works. Amid an ever-fragmenting media landscape, ratings for award shows have been up and down in recent years. A solid performance could cement the relevance of awards like the Emmys even as viewing continues to transition toward streaming services.
