Trophy Talk

Rotten Tomatoes Predicts the 2026 Emmy Winners

We break down our picks for who and what will win at the 76th Emmy Awards.

by Jacqueline Coley | September 10, 2026

It is officially time for television’s biggest night, and we are ready to crown another batch of shows that the Television Academy has deemed this year’s best. Going into the ceremony, Widow’s Bay, Beef, The Pitt, Pluribus, and Hacks boast the most nominations, but as last weekend’s Creative Arts contests proved, lots of nominations do not always translate to guaranteed wins. What we are guaranteed this year is a special treat, as one of television’s most beloved stars will host. Law & Order star Mariska Hargitay will guide the festivities as she did last weekend, when she herself took home a pair of Emmys for her feature directorial debut My Mom Jayne, about her mother, famed Hollywood actress Jayne Mansfield.

Last weekend, the Creative Arts Emmys also gave us a peek into what this group of voters might be thinking, and one thing we know is they’re full of surprises. We also saw a few of our favorite EGOT hopefuls earn the “E” that could send them onto further greatness. Names like Octavia Spencer, Sabrina Carpenter, and Bad Bunny all won their first Emmys, getting them halfway to the famed honor. Elsewhere, there were more than a few shocks, as Jimmy Kimmel, DTF St. Louis, Stephen Colbert, and Martin Scorsese upset frontrunners in major categories.

Though none of the wins were necessarily unfathomable, they were not favored, suggesting this year’s Television Academy might be leaning more toward a mix of familiar favs and upstarts over perennial dominance. Though we assumed that the return of Beef, which was an unstoppable force last time around, would sweep all the Limited Series categories, that does not seem to be the case. The anger anthology was upset in every key contest last weekend. Youn Yuh-jung, the Oscar-winner who played the hilarious grandmother in Minari, and Charles Melton both lost to their DTF St. Louis counterparts David Harbour and Linda Cardellini. However, the combined star power of Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan is worth noting and may put both of them in the winners’ circle.

Despite the uncertainty in Limited Series, we’d be fools not to assume that what many have dubbed the best show on television now for two years running, The Pitt, won’t repeat and earn even more. We are still buzzing about the Guest Actor win for Ernest Harden Jr., who played Louie, the lovable drunk and emergency room Frequent Flyer. Fingers crossed, the 50-year acting veteran’s acceptance speech makes the upcoming broadcast. It’ll be hard for us to bet against Dr. Robbie and Company as they chronicle the ins and outs of our tumultuous healthcare system; they’ll likely take home the prize for Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor. In fact, the contest that is set to provide the most “drama” is the one that is home to all the laughs.

This is to say, the lingering question for us this year is: Will the Widow down the Hacks? Or can Widow’s Bay, the word-of-mouth sensation, unseat the dominance of HBO’s Hacks? And although Jean Smart has never lost Best Lead Actress, the same isn’t true for Hannah Einbinder, and who knows what that signals for the top prize. In a year that seemed all too predictable just a few weeks ago, after last week’s shocks and surprises, anything is possible.

Either way, we’ll be tuned in on Monday night to see exactly who takes home the prizes. Follow our social channels for live coverage, and read on for our picks for who we think will take home the hardware. Be sure to also download out our ballot, where you can make your picks for who you think will win.

Read on for our predictions for the 78th annual Emmy winners, and bookmark our Awards Tour Hub for all Emmy and Awards News.