Who Will Win a 2026 Emmy Award? My Official Predictions, Including Best Comedy Series & More

• Nominees: Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Nobody Wants This, Only Murders in the Building, Shrinking, Widow’s Bay
• Predicted Winner: Widow's Bay

Though there were a number of standout shows this year (including the phenomenal Margo's Got Money Troubles and the final season of Hacks), the buzziest and most well-received by far has to be Widow's Bay. I expect it to win a number of awards at the Emmys, not least of which is Outstanding Comedy Series. Yes, it would be an upset to defeat Jean Smart's last turn as Deborah Vance, but she'll get the "consolation prize" of winning Best Actress one more time.

Widow's Bay is an incredible show—smart, funny, inventive and scary all at the same time. As I wrote in my review of the series, "Widow's Bay is a fabulous show that should absolutely be on your 'what to watch' list... The cast surrounding [star Matthew] Rhys is really great as well. They deliver the quippy, clever dialogue at a rapid pace, making for a fun and entertaining watch. There are plenty of laughs from these silly 'small-town' archetypes, leaving Rhys as the straight man to their less-subtle characters."

• Nominees: The Diplomat, The Gilded Age, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Paradise, The Pitt, Pluribus, Slow Horses, Your Friends & Neighbors
• Predicted Winner: Pluribus

The second show I fully expect to take home all the prizes? The bonkers new Apple TV thriller Pluribus. And while The Pitt certainly could be in the running in this category, Pluribus has the true momentum—and the freshness factor—going in its favor.

Back in December, my colleague called this the best show of 2025, writing, "Hyperbole to call it the best show of the year? Not for me—I'm in the Pluribus hive mind." And in my review, I wrote, "If you like any or all of the following, I promise you'll enjoy this show: surprise thrillers, twisty mysteries, apocalyptic scenarios, not-too-scary horror, incredible acting (star Rhea Seehorn who you likely remember from Better Call Saul is crazy good)."

• Nominees: All Her Fault, The Beast In Me, BEEF, DTF St. Louis, Love Story
• Predicted Winner: BEEF

The initial season of BEEF featured Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, and the show won the Emmy for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, while Yeun and Wong won the Emmys in their respective acting categories. And while season two of BEEF was wildly different from season one, I was just as obsessed with it—and I'm predicting Emmy voters will be as well.

The latest iteration stars Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan as a struggling married couple, and Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny as a budding young Gen Z couple. All four deliver solid, memorable performances. Back when the sophomore season dropped in April, I wrote, "Overall, BEEF season two is slower, but just as fabulous. I will hardly be surprised if the show sweeps the Emmys again this year."

• Nominees: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Wonder Man), Steve Carrell (Rooster), Matthew Rhys (Widow’s Bay), Jason Segel (Shrinking), Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)
• Predicted Winner: Matthew Rhys (Widow’s Bay)

The actors of Widow's Bay are sure to sweep the awards ceremony as well (even if fans of Shrinking are hoping for a Jason Segel upset). Kate O'Flynn, who plays Patricia, is a shoo-in for an award—as is the show's funny and nuanced lead, Matthew Rhys, who plays Mayor Tom.

As I said in my review of the show, "Rhys is superb as the lead character (he appears in nearly every scene) in a role much different than his past ones. Fans of The Beast in Me in particular will be happy to see him show a very different side here." (For the record, he is also nominated for The Beast in Me, though I think that prize will go a different direction).

• Nominees: Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), Elle Fanning (Margo’s Got Money Troubles), Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback), Jean Smart (Hacks)
• Predicted Winner: Jean Smart (Hacks)

Jean Smart's return to the small screen in Hacks has been awe-inspiring. Her performance as Deborah Vance has led to a slew of Emmy wins, and with the arrival of the final season, I'm sure she'll be earning one more.

I will be honest here: I wish the award were going to Lisa Kudrow for The Comeback. Kudrow's turn as Valerie Cherish in three separate seasons—each 10 years apart—reaches the level of comedic genius and will go down as one of the most underappreciated, iconic television performances of all time. That said, it's Jean's year (again).

• Nominees: Sterling K. Brown (Paradise), Gary Oldman (Slow Horses), Mark Ruffalo (Task), Rufus Sewell (The Diplomat), Noah Wyle (The Pitt)
• Predicted Winner: Noah Wyle (The Pitt)

This is a tough category to be sure—Brown, Oldman, Ruffalo and Sewell were all amazing in their respective shows. But Wyle's return to the E.R. in The Pitt season two is the performance that rises above the rest.

The show was one of my favorite series of January, due in large part to Wyle's performance as Dr. Robby, our flawed hero and the driving force in the emergency room. Another acting win would mark a second for Wyle, who took home the top prize at last year's Emmys as well.

• Nominees: Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age), Chase Infiniti (The Testaments), Keri Russell (The Diplomat), Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus), Zendaya (Euphoria)
• Predicted Winner: Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus)

Back to sweeping the ceremony, Rhea Seehorn is the reason Pluribus was such a smash-hit—and she's the reason the show will take home a ton of Emmys. Seehorn was best known for her role as Kim Wexler in AMC's Better Call Saul, part of the Breaking Bad universe. But she will henceforth be recognized for playing the stubborn, angry and grieving Carol in this post-apocalyptic series.

The Apple TV show billed Carol as "the most miserable person on Earth," which is true, to be sure. But Seehorn's performance is so much more layered than that, and it's certainly worthy of the win here.

• Nominees: Riz Ahmed (Bait), Jason Bateman (Black Rabbit), Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story), Oscar Isaac (BEEF), Matthew Rhys (The Beast in Me)
• Predicted Winner: Riz Ahmed (Bait)

This category could prove a bit unpredictable—Rhys could take a second award home, Isaac could ride the BEEF coattails to a win—but since it's my literal job to predict here, I'm going with Ahmed for Bait.

I loved this show, and I loved his performance. In my review of Bait, I wrote, Ahmed "leads the charge in Bait—and he's absolutely funny and fabulous. He brings serious acting chops to the role, and it's impossible to take your eyes off of him. (Just wait for the early scene of Shah talking to himself in the mirror after his botched audition—gold!)"

• Nominees: Claire Danes (The Beast in Me), Sally Fields (Remarkably Bright Creatures), Carey Mulligan (BEEF), Sarah Pidgeon (Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette), Sarah Snook (All Her Fault)
• Predicted Winner: Sarah Snook (All Her Fault)

Snook won the Emmy back in 2023 for her brilliant portrayal of Shiv Roy in Succession. And now, I fully expect her to take home one more for her performance as a wealthy mother whose son goes missing in All Her Fault.

My colleague wrote of the show and Snook back in November, "While viewers are on either end of the love-it-hate-it spectrum, there is one thing everyone can agree on: Sarah Snook kills it."

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