Earlier this week, Phase 1 voting closed for the 78th Emmy Awards, sealing the fates of this year’s contenders, whether they know it or not.
But the wait for the nominations announcement on July 8 may be more stressful for some hopeful — the shows likely just on the cusp of a nomination in the major series categories, according to Gold Derby’s odds.
These are the bubble shows just on the edge of a likely Outstanding Series nomination that may be in for a long, nerve-wracking two weeks.
Comedy Series
The Comeback
HBO’s industry satire has earned Lisa Kudrow a nomination for each of its two previous outings, but it has yet to hop the velvet rope into Best Comedy Series. Currently sitting in seventh place (with one spot of breathing room between it and the cutoff), The Comeback could potentially live up to its name. It’s main issue will be overcoming the precedent as primarily a star vehicle for Kudrow and the two competitors sitting just behind it in the odds.
The Bear
Years of quiet industry grousing about “comedy vs. drama” had the volume turned up last year when The Bear, a previous winner in the category (with 21 wins over the course of its first two years of eligibility), was completely blanked for its third season. One year later, the show is on the verge of missing a nomination in Best Comedy Series. Could strong reviews for the upcoming final season save it? Or are the Emmys truly ready to 86 The Bear?
Nobody Wants This
Sophomore seasons are tough for most shows, but buzzy binge-drops like Season 1 of Nobody Wants This can make a return especially daunting. The second season of the Netflix rom-com was far from an outright disaster, but without the “Hot New Show” novelty this time around, a second Best Comedy Series nomination may be just out of reach.
Emmy Awards Nominations 2026
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Only Murders in the Building
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Margo’s Got Money Troubles
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The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins
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Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat
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Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair
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Elsbeth
CBS
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The Burbs
Peacock
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Deli Boys
Hulu
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American Classic
David Giesbrecht/MGM+
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Chad Powers
Hulu
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Best Medicine
Fox
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Leanne
Netflix
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Twisted Metal
Peacock
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The Miniature Wife
Peacock
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Shifting Gears
ABC
Drama Series
The Gilded Age
Julian Fellowes’ American period saga has an unusual Emmys arc. Pulling drawing one nomination (and win) for its first season, The Gilded Age pulled off quite the coup for its second, scoring six nominations including for Best Drama Series and Best Drama Actress for Carrie Coon. While it might not see another 600% growth in nominations season-over-season again (36 noms?!), a second Best Drama Series nod in a row does seem to be in order.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
The Emmys relationship with Westerosi series has been complicated since the end of Game of Thrones. While the original show managed to claim another Best Drama Series Emmy despite an infamously polarizing finale, its first spin-off, House of the Dragon, fell out of contention after its first season. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, however, has received the franchise’s best reviews in years, but a lighter tone could keep it from following the path of victory of its predecessors.
Stranger Things
After three straight nominations for Best Drama Series, the Netflix sci-fi show didn’t make the cut with its fourth season all the way back in 2023. With its final season, Stranger Things could have a made the “fond farewell” argument in order to get back into the category, but that would require the farewell to have been fond. Instead, the finale perplexed a certain portion of the fandom enough that they created a whole conspiracy theory in order to explain it.
Emmy Awards Nominations 2026
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
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Outlander: Blood of My Blood
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Your Friends and Neighbors
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Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
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The Last Thing He Told Me
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Talamasca: The Secret Order
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The Audacity
AMC
Limited Series
All Her Fault
Peacock’s twisty thriller both earned a Golden Globe nomination in Best Limited Series and a Critics Choice Award win for producer-star Sarah Snook. But some prestige-ier competition in the former of two Jason Bateman shows could block it out.
DTF St. Louis
The stacked cast for Steve Conrad’s dark comic limited series earned great reviews, but it will have to beat out shows that were more broadly watched if it hopes to make the cut.
Black Rabbit
If you can send your mind all the way back to September 2026 C.E., you may recall a grimy little crime series called Black Rabbit. The caper starring Bateman and Jude Law as odd-couple brothers collected the right precursor noms, but a lot will depend on whether the Television Academy remembers it.
Emmy Awards Nominations 2026
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Monster: The Ed Gein Story
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Murdaugh: Death in the Family
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The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox
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Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen
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Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
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