The 2026 Emmy Awards are set to air tonight, bringing with them historic hosting changes and high-stakes competitions across multiple categories. Mariska Hargitay, best known for her role in Law & Order: SVU, will serve as the ceremony’s host, marking a significant milestone as the first woman to lead the event in 15 years since Jane Lynch in 2011.
In an unusual departure from tradition, Hargitay is not a comedian. She collaborated with writers from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to prepare her material, with the team setting up shop on the SVU set in New York. Hargitay emphasized her authentic approach, stating, “I gotta do it my way… I’m not a comedian, so that’s not necessarily what we’re doing. But you’ve gotta be me, right, you’ve gotta show up as your best self.”
The 63-year-old actor has enjoyed a landmark year, making her Broadway debut in Every Brilliant Thing and cheering the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship since 1973. She is currently filming season 28 of Law & Order: SVU and recently secured her third and fourth Emmys for the documentary My Mom Jayne. Hargitay noted that when she was first approached for the hosting gig, she initially believed it was a prank or that she was being fired from her long-running role as Olivia Benson.
On the awards front, The Pitt remains the frontrunner for outstanding drama series. The HBO Max medical drama nearly swept the drama categories last year and is now favored to win for its second season. A victory would make it the first show since Mad Men in 2009 to win premiere best drama for two consecutive seasons. Noah Wyle is also a strong candidate for best actor.
Vince Gilligan’s Apple TV+ series Pluribus is emerging as a dark horse contender. Rhea Seehorn, praised for her performance as Carol, is considered a potential winner in the outstanding actress in a drama category. This would be a redemptive moment for Seehorn, who received 53 Primetime Emmy nominations during her run on Better Call Saul without winning a single award.
Seehorn faces stiff competition from Carrie Coon in The Gilded Age, Chase Infiniti in The Testaments, Keri Russell in The Diplomat, and Zendaya in Euphoria. Seehorn’s character in Pluribus has been noted for ushering in a new era of complex female leads on television.
In the comedy category, the fifth and final season of Hacks is expected to perform well, but Widow’s Bay, the Apple TV+ horror-comedy starring Matthew Rhys, has become a breakout hit. In the limited or anthology series category, the second season of Beef is returning, though recent pre-telecast acting awards for David Harbour and Linda Cardinelli in DTF St Louis suggest a shift in momentum.
Viewers in the United States can watch the ceremony live on NBC and Peacock starting at 8pm ET/5pm PT. In Australia, the broadcast will air on Binge and Foxtel at 10am AEST. There is no live broadcast scheduled for UK broadcasters, with the ceremony airing at 1am local time.
Not a comedian? Bold choice. I’ll believe it works when I see the opening monologue land.
Finally! It’s about time we saw a woman host again. Mariska is perfect for it.