The 2026 Emmy Awards: Stars arrive for TV’s biggest night

• Coming up: The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will honor the best of television. Tonight’s host is Mariska Hargitay, the star and executive producer of one TV’s longest-running series, “Law and Order: SVU.” Fill out your own ballot before the show starts at 8 p.m. ET.

• Shows to watch: Hit medical drama “The Pitt” leads the pack with 25 nominations. Two new shows from Apple TV had buzzy first seasons: the horror-comedy “Widow’s Bay” and twisty sci-fi drama “Pluribus.”

• Other key storylines: “Hacks” star Jean Smart leads a group of highly regarded nominees in the best lead actress in a comedy category . And keep an eye on a common theme among many of the top shows: regular people surviving trying times .

• Red carpet: Watch CNN and Variety’s live coverage at the top of this page, and follow along for photos of all the best fashion at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

A theme at this year's Emmys: Characters trying to keep it together

Warrick Page/HBO MAX

This year’s Emmy nominations have been dominated by characters just trying to get by.

Whereas the so-called Golden Age of Television was once overrun by stories of mostly White male antiheroes up to no good, many of this year’s frontrunners across some of the biggest categories in comedy and drama are regular people with good intentions trying to survive in increasingly dire times.

Traumatized doctors on “ The Pitt ” navigate Trump era cuts and crackdowns . The city officials on “ Widow’s Bay ” struggle to protect their small town from a force seemingly out of their control. And on “ Abbott Elementary ,” teachers try to educate their students in an underfunded public school.

On “Pluribus,” a prickly writer named Carol (Rhea Seehorn) and the reclusive storage facility owner Manousos (Carlos-Manuel Vesga) cling to the last vestiges of a lost world. On “Paradise,” the medical-student-turned-tour-guide Annie (Shailene Woodley, now an Emmy-winner) hides out in Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion following another doomsday event.

Even on shows that aren’t as literally post-apocalyptic — “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” “Your Friends & Neighbors” and “The Diplomat,” among them — we’ve seen people resorting to extraordinary means to keep the lights on as things fall apart economically, socially or politically.

“Hacks” stars look back on the series’ final chapter

The HBO Max comedy “Hacks” has had a strong five-year run, winning 12 Emmys so far and earning 24 nominations this year.

Jean Smart, who portrays feisty comedian Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder, who plays up-and-coming writer Ava Daniels, reflected on the final season of the hit comedy show earlier this year with CNN’s Elex Michaelson.

More on the show: At the outset of the series, Vance is an aging comedian fighting to stay relevant and reluctantly enlists the help of Daniels. Smart has won the lead actress Emmy for each previous season of “Hacks” for her portrayal of Vance and is nominated again in 2026. Einbinder won her first Emmy last year on her fourth nomination and is nominated again this year.

HBO Max and CNN are both owned by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.

CNN’s Dan Heching contributed to this report.

What we're seeing on the 2026 Emmys red carpet so far

Jennelle Fong for CNN

At the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards tonight, fan-favorite medical drama “The Pitt,” the final season of beloved comedy “Hacks,” spooky newcomer “Widow’s Bay,” and sci-fi enigma “Pluribus” are each vying to sweep their award categories.

But before that, the stars are arriving on the red carpet of LA’s Peacock Theater and keeping us in stylish suspense. Will Zendaya make a historic pull from the archives? Will Sarah Pidgeon nod to Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s dress codes? Will “Hacks” duo Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs playfully coordinate outfits again ?

The Emmys are kicking off award season with nominees including Elle Fanning, Ayo Edebiri, Claire Danes and Keri Russell. Follow along for the best looks from the red carpet , and check out some of tonight’s first arrivals below:

Grace Widyatmadja/CNN

TV Academy chairman hopes In Memoriam segment will do "justice" to those lost this year

It’s been a tough year for Hollywood this year with many beloved celebrity deaths, and tonight’s In Memoriam portion of the award show will try to honor those lost, according to Television Academy chairman Cris Abrego.

“This year unfortunately there’s been so many big iconic names and so we really want to do it justice in terms of honoring those names. We wish we could get everybody in on the telecast. It’s not feasible,” he told CNN correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister and Variety co-president Ramin Setoodeh on the red carpet tonight.

Abrego teased singer-songwriter Noah Kahan as one of those performing as part of the tribute tonight, and said there are other surprises to look forward to during that segment.

Remember : The talents of late stars like Eric Dane, Hayden Panettiere , Catherine O’Hara , James Van der Beek , Vincent Pastore and television director James Burrows gave audiences seasons upon seasons of iconic television — work that was met with gratitude this year especially upon their deaths. And while people like Dolly Parton and Tim Curry may have been best known for their work in other mediums, their small screen contributions have also been remembered in the wake of their deaths.

CNN’s Lisa Respers France contributed reporting.

Matthew Rhys breaks down the ingredients that go into a hit horror-comedy

Apple TV horror-comedy “Widow’s Bay” is about a fictional New England island plagued by supernatural phenomena and its mayor, played by award-winning actor Matthew Rhys, who is trying to market the town as a tourist destination.

The show, which premiered this year, earned 19 Emmy nominations, including one for Rhys for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series.

Award-winning fashion designer Bob Mackie dies at 87

Sthanlee B. Mirador/Sipa USA/AP

Nine-time Emmy award winner and renowned fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie has died at age 87, according to his social accounts.

Mackie became known for his glamorous designs after collaborating with Cher, dressing her on television and on tour. He also served as the costume designer for “The Carol Burnett Show,” responsible for Burnett’s entire wardrobe.

Nicknamed the Sultan of Sequins, the Rajah of Rhinestones and the Guru of Glitter, Mackie’s ostentatious, flattering looks became instantly recognizable over the course of his career. His popularity continued into the modern day, with his archive coveted by a new generation of stars.

For his stage and screen work — and in addition to the nine Emmys — Mackie was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame and also earned three Academy Award nominations. In 1999, he received a retrospective at the Museum at FIT.

More recently, he won a Tony Award for the musical “The Cher Show” and a lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

CNN and Variety are covering the Emmy Awards live from the red carpet

CNN is covering tonight’s 78th Primetime Emmy Awards live from the event’s red carpet, in collaboration with Variety.

CNN correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister and Variety co-president and co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh are hosting the live red carpet special, which is streaming now at the top of this page.

The pair will be joined by television personality Melissa Rivers, in what will be her first time returning to the red carpet in nearly 20 years.

Rivers, the daughter of the legendary comedian and actress Joan Rivers, co-hosted E!’s “Fashion Police” from 2015 to 2017.

Follow along with the stream as we get ready for showtime, and follow CNN on social media for exclusive interviews from the Emmys “Winners Walk.”

This year's host is a veteran of one of TV's longest-running series

Mariska Hargitay, the star and executive producer of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” is hosting the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards.

She’s the first woman to host the show since Jane Lynch in 2011.

And rather than tapping a late night host or comedian for the gig, NBC chose to highlight the star at the center of one of television’s longest-running series.

Created by award-winning producer Dick Wolf, “SVU” debuted in 1999 and has remained a staple of NBC’s lineup ever since. Hargitay portrays Capt. Olivia Benson, who leads the New York City Police Department’s Special Victims Unit as they investigate sex-based crimes.

Hargitay won two Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month for her documentary, “My Mom Jayne,” a personal project about her mother, the late actress Jayne Mansfield. Twenty years ago, she won best lead actress in a drama series for her work on “SVU.”

The show has been nominated by the Television Academy a total of 23 times , with six wins.

Key storylines we’re following tonight

Robert Clark/AppleTV

The nominees at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards include a slew of new shows and a fascinating race between two legends in the outstanding comedic lead actress category.

Here’s what we’re following:

Returning favorite: Emmys voters continued to honor hit shows like “The Pitt,” which again dominated the drama categories. The HBO Max medical drama notched 25 nominations, the most of any show.

Comedy royalty: Fans in the lead actress comedy category seem set for a full civil war, with the likely frontrunners being Lisa Kudrow for “The Comeback” and Jean Smart for “Hacks,” both of whom gave stellar turns in the final seasons of their respective series.

Buzz around “Widow’s Bay”: The horror-comedy, which stars Matthew Rhys as mayor of an island experiencing supernatural phenomena, has been a huge word-of-mouth hit and earned 19 nominations. Rhys and costar Claire Danes also earned nods in the limited series category for their roles in “The Beast in Me.”

A big night for Apple TV: In addition to “Widow’s Bay,” the streaming service racked up nominations for “Pluribus” and “Margo’s Got Money Troubles.”

Tonight’s host: Your emcee this evening is not a late night host or comedian — instead, NBC tapped Mariska Hargitay, the “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star and executive producer. Hargitay is the first woman to host the award show in 15 years. “SVU” is one of television’s longest-running series.

A divisive final season of “Euphoria”: One of HBO Max’s most well-known offerings was snubbed in the top drama category after a divisive final season , but still earned acting nods for Zendaya and Colman Domingo. HBO Max and CNN are both owned by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.

The standing of “The Bear”: The longtime Emmys heavyweight has grown increasingly stale in the eyes of some viewers and critics but still earned a nomination for outstanding comedy series. While Ayo Edebiri is once again nominated — and late Hollywood legend Rob Reiner received a posthumous award for his appearance on the show — star Jeremy Allen White was snubbed despite previously winning his category twice.

Why you won’t see “Heated Rivalry”: The gay hockey drama wasn’t eligible for Emmys because it’s an entirely Canadian production. But co-lead Connor Storrie got an Emmy nod anyway for his guest appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”

See the full list of nominees here.

CNN’s Tori B. Powell and Maureen Chowdhury contributed to this report.

即将播出：第78届黄金时段艾美奖将表彰电视界的杰出作品。今晚的主持人是玛莉丝卡·哈吉塔，她是电视史上播出时间最长的剧集之一《法律与秩序：特殊受害者》的主演兼执行制片人。请在美东时间晚上8点节目开始前填写您的选票。

• 值得关注的剧集：热门医疗剧《匹兹堡医生》（The Pitt）以25项提名领跑。Apple TV+的两部新剧第一季也备受瞩目：分别是恐怖喜剧《寡妇湾》（Widow's Bay）和悬疑科幻剧《普鲁里布斯》（Pluribus）。

其他重要剧情：凭借《黑客帝国》走红的简·斯玛特领衔一众备受瞩目的喜剧类最佳女主角提名者。此外，许多热门剧集都展现了一个共同的主题：普通人在艰难时期如何生存。

• 红毯：观看本页顶部的 CNN 和 Variety 的现场报道，并关注洛杉矶孔雀剧院所有最佳时尚照片。

今年艾美奖的一个主题：努力维持表面和谐的角色

Warrick Page/HBO MAX

今年的艾美奖提名名单几乎都被那些努力求生的角色所占据。

所谓电视黄金时代曾经充斥着以白人男性反英雄为主角、作恶多端的故事，而今年喜剧和剧情类一些最热门奖项的热门人选，则是怀着美好愿望、在日益严峻的时代中努力求生的普通人。

《匹兹堡》中饱受创伤的医生们在特朗普时代的预算削减和打压下艰难求生。《寡妇湾》中的市政官员们努力保护他们的小镇免受看似无法控制的力量的侵袭。《阿博特小学》中，教师们在资金不足的公立学校里努力教育学生。

在《Pluribus》中，性格古怪的作家卡罗尔（蕾亚·塞洪饰）和隐居的仓库老板马努索斯（卡洛斯-曼努埃尔·维斯加饰）努力守护着一个逝去世界的最后遗迹。在《Paradise》中，医学生出身的导游安妮（谢琳·伍德蕾饰，如今已是艾美奖得主）在另一场末日浩劫后躲进了猫王埃尔维斯·普雷斯利的故居格雷斯兰庄园。

即使在一些并非真正意义上的后世界末日题材的剧集中——例如《玛戈的财务困境》、《你的朋友和邻居》以及《外交官》——我们也看到，随着经济、社会或政治局势的崩溃，人们为了维持生计而采取了非常规的手段。

《黑客》主演们回顾了该剧的最后一章

HBO Max 喜剧《黑客帝国》播出五年来一直表现出色，迄今已获得 12 项艾美奖，今年还获得了 24 项提名。

今年早些时候，饰演泼辣喜剧演员黛博拉·万斯的简·斯马特和饰演崭露头角的作家艾娃·丹尼尔斯的汉娜·艾因宾德与 CNN 的埃莱克斯·迈克尔森一起回顾了这部热门喜剧的最后一季。

更多剧集信息：在剧集伊始，范斯是一位过气的喜剧演员，为了保持热度而苦苦挣扎，最终不情愿地寻求丹尼尔斯的帮助。斯玛特凭借在《黑客帝国》前几季中对范斯的精彩演绎，连续获得艾美奖最佳女主角奖，并在2026年再次获得提名。艾因宾德去年凭借第四次提名首次捧得艾美奖，今年她再次获得提名。

HBO Max 和 CNN 都隶属于华纳兄弟探索频道。

CNN的丹·赫钦对本报道亦有贡献。

目前为止，我们在2026年艾美奖红毯上看到了什么？

珍妮尔·方（Jennelle Fong）为CNN撰稿

在今晚举行的第 78 届黄金时段艾美奖颁奖典礼上，深受观众喜爱的医疗剧《匹兹堡》、备受喜爱的喜剧《黑客》的最后一季、惊悚新剧《寡妇湾》以及科幻谜题《普鲁里布斯》都将角逐各自奖项类别的桂冠。

但在此之前，众星已陆续亮相洛杉矶孔雀剧院的红毯，让我们对她们的造型充满期待。赞达亚会从尘封的档案中挖掘出令人惊艳的经典造型吗？莎拉·皮金会致敬卡罗琳·贝塞特·肯尼迪的着装风格吗？《黑客帝国》的两位主演梅根·斯塔尔特和保罗·W·唐斯会再次俏皮地搭配服装吗？

艾美奖拉开了颁奖季的序幕，提名名单包括艾丽·范宁、阿约·埃德比里、克莱尔·丹妮丝和凯瑞·拉塞尔。敬请关注红毯上的最佳造型，以下是今晚首批到场的明星：

格蕾丝·维迪亚特马贾/CNN

电视艺术与科学学院主席希望“缅怀逝者”环节能够“公正”地悼念今年逝去的人们。

据电视艺术与科学学院主席克里斯·阿布雷戈称，今年对好莱坞来说是艰难的一年，许多深受爱戴的名人去世，今晚的颁奖典礼的“缅怀逝者”环节将努力向这些逝者致敬。

“很遗憾，今年有太多重量级人物落选，所以我们真的想尽力向他们致敬。我们希望能够让所有人都出现在电视直播中，但这不现实。”他今晚在红毯上告诉CNN记者伊丽莎白·瓦格迈斯特和《综艺》杂志联席总裁拉明·塞图德。

阿布雷戈透露，歌手兼词曲作家诺亚·卡汉将作为今晚致敬表演的一部分登台献艺，并表示该环节还有其他惊喜值得期待。

请记住：像埃里克·戴恩、海顿·潘妮蒂尔、凯瑟琳·奥哈拉、詹姆斯·范德比克、文森特·帕斯托雷以及电视导演詹姆斯·伯罗斯等已故明星，他们为观众奉献了一季又一季的经典电视剧——今年，尤其是在他们去世后，人们更加感激他们的作品。虽然像多莉·帕顿和蒂姆·克里这样的人可能因其在其他领域的成就而闻名，但他们在小荧幕上的贡献也同样在他们去世后被人们铭记。

CNN记者丽莎·雷斯珀斯·弗朗斯对此报道亦有贡献。

马修·瑞斯剖析了一部热门恐怖喜剧的要素

Apple TV 恐怖喜剧《寡妇湾》讲述的是一个虚构的新英格兰岛屿，岛上充斥着超自然现象，而由屡获殊荣的演员马修·瑞斯饰演的市长则试图将该镇打造成旅游胜地。

该剧于今年首播，获得了 19 项艾美奖提名，其中包括瑞斯在喜剧类剧集中的最佳男主角提名。

屡获殊荣的时装设计师鲍勃·麦基去世，享年87岁。

Sthanlee B. Mirador/Sipa 美国/美联社

据鲍勃·麦基的社交媒体账号消息，这位曾九次获得艾美奖的著名时装和服装设计师去世，享年87岁。

麦基与雪儿合作后，凭借其华丽的设计风格而闻名，他曾为雪儿设计电视节目和巡回演唱会的服装。他还担任过《卡罗尔·伯内特秀》的服装设计师，负责伯内特的所有服装。

麦基被誉为“亮片苏丹”、“水钻拉贾”和“闪光大师”，他那华丽张扬、极具魅力的造型在其职业生涯中迅速成为人们的标志性风格。他的影响力一直延续至今，他的作品集也为新一代明星所珍视。

凭借其在舞台剧和影视剧领域的杰出成就，麦基荣获九项艾美奖，并入选电视学院名人堂，同时还获得三项奥斯卡金像奖提名。1999年，纽约时装学院博物馆为他举办了回顾展。

最近，他凭借音乐剧《雪儿秀》获得了托尼奖，并获得了美国时装设计师协会颁发的终身成就奖。

CNN和《综艺》杂志正在红毯现场直播艾美奖颁奖典礼。

CNN将与《综艺》杂志合作，从红毯现场直播今晚举行的第78届黄金时段艾美奖颁奖典礼。

CNN 记者 Elizabeth Wagmeister 和 Variety 联合总裁兼联合主编 Ramin Setoodeh 正在主持这场红毯直播特别节目，该节目目前正在本页顶部进行直播。

这对搭档还将与电视名人梅丽莎·里弗斯一同亮相，这将是她近 20 年来首次重返红毯。

里弗斯是传奇喜剧演员兼女演员琼·里弗斯的女儿，她于 2015 年至 2017 年与他人共同主持了 E! 频道的“时尚警察”节目。

请关注直播，我们将为您带来精彩的颁奖典礼预告，同时请关注 CNN 的社交媒体账号，获取艾美奖“获奖者入场仪式”的独家采访。

今年的主持人是电视史上播出时间最长的系列节目之一的资深主持人。

《法律与秩序：特殊受害者》的主演兼执行制片人玛莉丝卡·哈吉塔将主持第78届黄金时段艾美奖颁奖典礼。

她是自 2011 年简·林奇之后首位主持该节目的女性。

NBC 没有选择一位深夜脱口秀主持人或喜剧演员来担任这个角色，而是选择重点介绍电视史上播出时间最长的剧集之一的核心人物。

由屡获殊荣的制片人迪克·沃尔夫创作的《法律与秩序：特殊受害者》（SVU）于1999年首播，此后一直是NBC电视台的王牌剧集。哈吉塔伊饰演奥利维亚·本森警长，她领导纽约市警察局的特殊受害者小组，负责调查性犯罪案件。

本月初，哈吉泰凭借纪录片《我的妈妈简》荣获两项创意艺术艾美奖。这部纪录片是她关于已故母亲、女演员简·曼斯菲尔德的个人作品。二十年前，她曾凭借在《法律与秩序：特殊受害者》中的出色表演获得剧情类剧集最佳女主角奖。

该节目曾获得电视学院奖 23 次提名，并赢得 6 次奖项。

今晚我们将关注的关键故事情节

Robert Clark/AppleTV

第 78 届黄金时段艾美奖的提名名单中包括一大批新节目，以及两位传奇人物在杰出喜剧类女主角奖项上的精彩角逐。

以下是我们正在遵循的原则：

艾美奖评委们继续青睐热门剧集，例如《匹兹堡医生》（The Pitt），该剧再次横扫剧情类奖项。这部HBO Max出品的医疗剧获得了25项提名，是所有剧集中提名最多的。

喜剧界的王者：喜剧类最佳女主角的粉丝们似乎即将展开一场激烈的内战，目前最有可能的领跑者是凭借《归来记》获奖的丽莎·库卓和凭借《黑客帝国》获奖的简·斯马特，她们都在各自剧集的最后一季中奉献了精彩的表演。

《寡妇湾》引发热议：这部由马修·瑞斯主演的恐怖喜剧讲述了一个岛屿上发生超自然现象，瑞斯饰演的市长执掌该岛的故事。该剧凭借口碑爆棚，已获得19项奥斯卡提名。瑞斯和他的搭档克莱尔·丹妮丝还凭借在《我心中的野兽》中的出色表现，获得了限定剧集类奖项的提名。

对于 Apple TV 来说，这是一个丰收的夜晚：除了《寡妇湾》之外，该流媒体服务还凭借《Pluribus》和《玛戈的财务困境》获得了提名。

今晚的主持人：今晚的主持人既不是脱口秀主持人也不是喜剧演员——NBC电视台邀请了《法律与秩序：特殊受害者》的明星兼执行制片人玛莉丝卡·哈吉塔伊担任主持。哈吉塔伊是15年来首位主持该颁奖典礼的女性。《法律与秩序：特殊受害者》是电视史上播出时间最长的剧集之一。

《亢奋》最终季评价褒贬不一：这部HBO Max最知名的剧集之一，在最终季引发争议后，无缘最佳剧情类剧集奖，但赞达亚和科尔曼·多明戈仍凭借此剧获得表演类奖项提名。HBO Max和CNN均隶属于华纳兄弟探索频道。

《熊》的地位：这部长期以来在艾美奖上占据重要地位的剧集，在一些观众和评论家眼中已日渐式微，但仍然获得了最佳喜剧类剧集的提名。尽管阿约·埃德比里再次获得提名——已故好莱坞传奇人物罗伯·雷纳也因在该剧中的出色表现而获得追授奖项——但主演杰里米·艾伦·怀特却落选了，尽管他此前曾两次获得该奖项。

你为什么看不到《激烈竞争》：这部同性恋冰球题材的剧集因为是加拿大制作，所以没有资格角逐艾美奖。不过，主演之一康纳·斯托里凭借在《周六夜现场》的客串演出，还是获得了艾美奖提名。

点击此处查看完整提名名单。

CNN的Tori B. Powell和Maureen Chowdhury对本报道亦有贡献。