Entertainment News | Emmy Awards 2026: ‘The Pitt’ Eyes History as ‘Widow’s Bay’, ‘Hacks’ Battle for Best Comedy

Los Angeles [US], September 14 (ANI): The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards are set to take place at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, with HBO Max's medical drama ‘The Pitt’ aiming to make Emmy history and a closely watched best comedy race between freshman horror-comedy ‘Widow's Bay’ and veteran favourite Hacks, The New York Times reported.

The ceremony will honour television programmes that aired between June 2025 and May 2026, with awards being presented across 19 categories covering dramas, comedies, reality programmes and late-night shows.

Also Read | Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 Songs: Bollywood Playlist To Celebrate Bappa With Devotion and Soul.

For viewers in India, the ceremony will take place in the early hours of Tuesday, September 15. The red carpet and pre-show will begin at 4:30 am, followed by the main ceremony at 5:30 am. JioHotstar will carry both the pre-show and live ceremony in India.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DdL2tI3p-O2/?hl=en

Also Read | 'Daayra': Prithviraj Sukumaran Explores Law vs. Justice as DCP Raman Kumar in Meghna Gulzar's Film (Video).

The Emmy Awards broadcast will begin at 8 pm Eastern on NBC and will be available to stream live on Peacock's Premium plan. Red carpet coverage will begin at 5 pm. 

The ceremony will be hosted by Mariska Hargitay, the longtime star of Law & Order: SVU. Hargitay is coming off a notable year. She won two Emmys last weekend for My Mom Jayne, the documentary she made about her mother, actor Jayne Mansfield. She also made her Broadway debut in the one-woman show Every Brilliant Thing and was a prominent figure during the New York Knicks' championship run, The New York Times reported 

Jesse Collins, one of the producers of the telecast, has teased a more entertaining side of Hargitay, saying viewers should be prepared to see her "sing and dance" when she takes the Emmy stage.

The Pitt enters the best drama race as the favourite to repeat its victory. A win would give the HBO Max medical drama a place in Emmy history, making it the first series to win television's top drama prize for each of its first two seasons since Mad Men achieved the feat in 2009, The New York Times reported 

The best comedy category is expected to be one of the night's closest contests, with Widow's Bay going up against Emmy favourite Hacks. The freshman horror-comedy is challenging Hacks, which could secure another major victory in what is being viewed as its swan-song season.

In the limited series race, HBO Max's DTF St Louis is considered a slight favourite over the second season of Netflix's anthology series Beef.

Several performers have history within reach on Emmy night. If Jean Smart wins best actress in a comedy for Hacks, she will move level with Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the most acting Emmys won by a single performer, with eight victories.

Matthew Rhys is competing for two acting awards, best actor in a comedy for Widow's Bay and best actor in a limited series for The Beast in Me. If he wins both, Rhys would become the first actor to win lead acting Emmys in drama, comedy and limited series. He previously won the drama acting award in 2018 for The Americans, The New York Times reported 

Apple TV is also chasing a milestone at this year's ceremony. Since 2003, HBO and Netflix have been the only outlets to finish a year with the most Emmy wins.

Apple TV currently leads HBO after mostly behind-the-scenes and technical awards were presented over Labour Day weekend. Apple has 19 Emmys compared with HBO's 16, giving the technology company a three-award advantage heading into the main ceremony.

This year's awards also arrive against the backdrop of a shrinking television landscape. A total of 212 series were considered for the best drama, comedy and limited series categories during the current Emmy cycle. That represents a 7 per cent decline from last year and a 39 per cent drop from 2022, when the television industry was at the height of the so-called Peak TV era, The New York Times reported. (ANI) 

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)