U.S. actor Noah Wyle accepts the award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for The Pitt during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. He's nominated again at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards for the same role.VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images
The best in television will be honoured on Monday, when the Primetime Emmy Awards hand out the statuettes for the 2025-26 season.
Shows are eligible for this year’s ceremony if they originally aired between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026. Last year, HBO Max’s The Pitt and Apple TV’s The Studio took home the top honours of best drama series and best comedy series, respectively.
Here’s what you need to know about this year’s awards ceremony.
When are the Emmys and how can I watch them in Canada?
This year’s Emmys will start at 8 p.m. ET on Monday. The Emmys are one of the only major award shows to air on a Monday.
You can watch it on CTV or NBC, or stream it on Crave or Peacock.
Who is hosting the Emmys?
Mariska Hargitay with the awards for outstanding documentary or nonfiction special and outstanding directing for a documentary/nonfiction Program, in Los Angeles, on Sept. 5.Chris Pizzello/The Associated Press
Television royalty Mariska Hargitay is hosting for the first time. She’s played Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU since 1999, making her the longest-running character on a primetime drama series in history.
Hargitay has won two Emmy awards this year for her documentary My Mom Jayne, about her mother, actress Jayne Mansfield — outstanding documentary or nonfiction special, and outstanding directing for a documentary/nonfiction program. She received the statuettes on Sept. 5 at the 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Which projects are nominated this year? Who is expected to win?
Jean Smart poses with the award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for Hacks during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
It’s The Pitt versus Pluribus, and Hacks against Widow’s Bay duking it out Monday night.
The stars of all four shows — Noah Wyle in The Pitt, Rhea Seehorn in Pluribus, Jean Smart in Hacks and Matthew Rhys in Widow’s Bay — look to be runaway favourites for the top acting awards. And prognosticators are nearly all picking The Pitt to win its second straight outstanding drama series prize.
The sophomore season of The Pitt leads the nominations this year with 25. The medical drama - where each season covers one 12-hour shift (give or take a few hours) in a Pittsburgh emergency room - has seven of its actors up for outstanding supporting actor and actress in a drama series.
The final season of HBO Max’s Hacks follows shortly behind The Pitt with two dozen nominations, including outstanding comedy series. If Smart were to win for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, she will be the first actor to sweep the category for a show’s entire run.
Widow’s Bay and Pluribus, both of which stream on Apple TV, had their inaugural seasons rewarded with 19 and 18 nominations, respectively. Both projects have second seasons on the way, but neither has an official release date.
Other shows with multiple nominations include Netflix’s second season of Beef, Apple TV’s Shrinking and ABC’s Abbott Elementary. Actors of note up for awards include Zendaya for Euphoria, Harrison Ford and Jason Segal for Shrinking and Gary Oldman for Slow Horses.
Who is presenting?
Zendaya accepts the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for Euphoria during the 74th Emmy Awards. She is one of the presenters this year.PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP/Getty Images
Presenters announced include Zendaya, Sally Field, Amy Poehler, Jon Hamm, Macaulay Culkin, Alan Cumming, Keke Palmer, Florence Pugh, Marcello Hernández, Odessa A’zion, Dan Levy, Niecy Nash-Betts and Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz.
What has changed this year?
The Emmys announced in July that five categories would be moved out of the main telecast to the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards that take place a week prior to the main ceremony. The organization said the main reason was “the limited time available within a three-hour broadcast.”
“This thoughtful evolution ensures this year’s NBC ceremony and future broadcasts remain deeply engaging and tailored to the television audience,” the Emmys said in a statement.
The categories moved included writing for a variety series, supporting actor and actress in a limited series or movie, directing for a limited series or movie, and writing for a limited series or movie.
The Creative Arts Emmy Awards took place on Sept. 5 and 6. Widow’s Bay lead the charge with eight wins and The Pitt had four.
With a report from the Associated Press