HBO Max Emmys 2026 push puts The Pitt and Hacks on top
The Pitt and Hacks lead drama and comedy nominations, giving HBO Max a rare shot at a double Emmy win.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
HBO Max’s Emmys 2026 campaign has landed the platform in a position it has not held since 2017: leading both the drama and comedy fields at the same time, according to Variety’s Awards Circuit column.
The streamer enters the final stretch with the two most-nominated shows of the year. Variety reports that “The Pitt” tops all programs with 25 nominations, while “Hacks” follows with 24, a total the outlet says makes it the most-nominated comedy series in Emmy history. Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay” is next with 19 nominations.
That gives HBO Max a rare chance to win both outstanding drama series and outstanding comedy series in the same year. It also puts the platform in the hunt for an even harder sweep if its limited series contender, “DTF St. Louis,” can catch Netflix’s “Beef.”
Can HBO Max win drama and comedy at the Emmys?
History says it can, but the odds are not cozy. Variety found 18 cases where one network led both the drama and comedy nomination counts in the same Emmy year, and only four ended with both shows winning their top series prizes.
Those doubles came for NBC in 1983 with “Hill Street Blues” and “Cheers,” again in 1984 with the same pair, in 1987 with “L.A. Law” and “The Golden Girls,” and for HBO in 2016 with “Game of Thrones” and “Veep,” according to Variety.
HBO has been here before. Variety notes that the network led the drama and comedy nomination races in 2003 and 2004 with titles including “The Sopranos,” “Six Feet Under” and “Sex and the City,” then returned to that position later with “Game of Thrones,” “Westworld” and “Veep.”
Recent Emmy seasons show how slippery a nominations lead can be. Variety says Apple TV led both major scripted fields last year with “Severance” and “The Studio.” A year earlier, FX did it with “Shōgun” and “The Bear,” though “The Bear” ultimately lost the comedy series prize to Season 3 of “Hacks.”
Why The Pitt may have the cleaner path
Variety’s numbers give “The Pitt” a stronger statistical case than “Hacks.” The outlet reports that the year’s most-nominated series has won its matching top series category 41 times in 73 eligible ceremonies, a 56% success rate.
“The Pitt” also arrives as the reigning drama series winner after taking the category for its debut season, according to Variety. The column notes that only four shows have won outstanding drama series for both their first and second seasons: “Hill Street Blues,” “Picket Fences,” “The West Wing” and “Mad Men.”
“Hacks” has its own trophy history, but the comedy field has been less predictable. Variety reports that the most-nominated comedy series has won 25 times in 59 ceremonies under the current category format, a 42% rate, and that the comedy nomination leader has lost five of the past eight times.
Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay” is cited by Variety as a major comedy threat, while “Pluribus,” also from Apple TV, is named among the drama competition.
Could HBO Max also win limited series?
HBO Max’s “DTF St. Louis” has 13 nominations, including recognition for directing, writing and supporting performers David Harbour, Jason Bateman, Richard Jenkins, Linda Cardellini and Joy Sunday, Variety reports. Netflix’s “Beef” leads the limited series field with 16 nominations.
Winning drama, comedy and limited series in the same year is rare. Variety says it has happened three times: HBO did it in 2015 with “Game of Thrones,” “Veep” and “Olive Kitteridge,” while NBC did it in 1996 and 1987.
Final-round Emmy voting runs Aug. 17 through Aug. 26, according to Variety. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards and Governors Gala are set for Sept. 5 and Sept. 6, and the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards are scheduled to air Sept. 14 on NBC.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.