Inside the Emmys 2026: Six big takeaways from the nominations

TV awards season is upon us again!

At Wednesday’s Primetime Emmy nominations, “The Pitt” dominated with a whopping 25 nominations, while “Hacks” broke a record for the most nominations in a single season for a comedy, with 24. Newcomer “Widow’s Bay” also landed an impressive 19 nominations.

As always, the nods brought their fair share of surprises and snubs.

Read on for the biggest shockers from the acting races from inside Wednesday’s Emmy nominations.

SNUB: Jeremy Allen White and (most of) “The Bear” cast

“The Bear,” perennially the subject of scrutiny for its inclusion in the comedy categories, seems to have fallen out of favor with the TV Academy this year. It scored a respectable eight total nods, including outstanding comedy, plus lead comedy actress for Ayo Edebiri, guest comedy actress for Jamie Lee Curtis and guest comedy actor for the late Rob Reiner. But the rest of the cast, including past winners Jeremy Allen White, Liza Colón-Zayas and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, were left in the dust. No, chef!

SURPRISE: Chase Infiniti, “The Testaments”

Chase Infiniti earned her first Emmy recognition, a lead drama actress nod for “The Handmaid’s Tale” spinoff “The Testaments.” (This only slightly makes up for that Oscar snub after her incredible performance in “One Battle After Another,” but we’ll take it!)

SNUB: Everyone from “Industry”

Despite standout performances from Myha’la, Ken Leung, Max Minghella, Kit Harington and Marisa Abela (who won a BAFTA last year for her work on the series), the show’s fourth (and best!) season was completely ignored – again! Somehow, the show still has zero Emmy nods for its entire run, a number that would send even the intrepid Pierpoint bankers into a frenzy.

SURPRISE: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, “Wonder Man”

Marvel hasn’t seen much Emmys love since “WandaVision” back in 2021 – but Yahya Abdul-Mateen II managed to break through in the lead drama actor category for his performance as the titular “Wonder Man.” The actor previously took home an Emmy in 2020 for his role in “Watchmen.”

SNUB: Paul Anthony Kelly, “Love Story”

While Sarah Pidgeon scored a nomination for her role as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story,” her on-screen love Paul Anthony Kelly was snubbed for his John F. Kennedy Jr. portrayal. But the actor still has some exciting projects lined up next, including “The Housemaid’s Secret” alongside Sydney Sweeney (who was also snubbed for “Euphoria”) and the lucky 13th season of “American Horror Story.”

SURPRISE: Self-submitted “The Pitt” actors

While “The Pitt” scored a massive 25 nods, perhaps the most impressive among the bunch belonged to two guest actors who ran their own campaigns – without the help of HBO. Brittany Allen, who played a woman dying of cancer, and Jeff Kober, who portrayed Dr. Robby’s motorcycle pal with a dire diagnosis, both landed guest actor nominations for their work. It’s not the first time HBO actors have taken the grassroots approach – Alfie Allen, Gwendoline Christie and Carice van Houten all self-submitted and scored nods for the final season of “Game of Thrones” in 2019.

Other acting snubs: Kristen Bell and Adam Brody for “Nobody Wants This,” Jon Hamm for “Your Friends & Neighbors” and Cailee Spaeny for “Beef.”