Nominations for this year's Primetime Emmy Awards have set the stage for a September ceremony built around two very different hits. HBO Max's medical drama "The Pitt" led all series with 25 nominations, while the final season of "Hacks" pulled in 24 nods in the comedy categories, a record haul for a comedy series in a single year, according to Variety's full nominations rundown. Apple TV's freshman horror-comedy "Widow's Bay" followed with 19 nominations, and the twisty drama "Pluribus" took 18.
HBO Max led all networks and streamers with 122 total nominations, a reminder that the platform's strategy of pairing prestige drama with buzzy limited series continues to pay off at nominations time even as the broader television business contracts.
A Host Chosen to Make a Point
NBC and Peacock will broadcast the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards live from the Peacock Theatre at L.A. Live on Monday, September 14. Hosting duties go to Mariska Hargitay, the "Law & Order: SVU" star and executive producer, who according to Deadline's report on the hosting news becomes the first woman to host the ceremony in 15 years. Hargitay arrives at the show with nominations of her own, recognized as a director and producer on "My Mom Jayne," her documentary about her mother, actress Jayne Mansfield.
The nominations list also drew reactions from nominees across film and television; E! News collected responses from newly minted nominees including Noah Wyle of "The Pitt" and Jean Smart of "Hacks," both recognized in the lead-acting categories for their respective series.
With five weeks until the ceremony, the nominations set up several close races, particularly in comedy, where "Hacks" will close out its run against strong competition from newer entries. Whether the show's record nomination count converts into wins on September 14 will be one of the more closely watched questions of the fall awards calendar.