One day after the Emmy nominations, the dust has settled and Hollywood has one question on its mind: “Who will win?”
Gold Derby’s awards experts, staff editors, and hundreds of users have already made their winner predictions for the 2026 Emmys, and we can now call out the early front-runners.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the odds leaders at this stage are Hacks for comedy, The Pitt for drama, and Beef for limited. But their increasingly popular runners-up — Widow’s Bay, Pluribus, and DTF St. Louis, respectively — are sure to keep these contests exciting over the next two months.
The Primetime Emmy winners will be announced in a star-studded ceremony on NBC on Sept. 14, with Mariska Hargitay serving as host. Check out our current odds below:
COMEDY
Comedy Series
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Only Murders in the Building
6.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
7.
8.
Comedy Actress
1.
2.
3.
Elle Fanning
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
4.
Quinta Brunson
Abbott Elementary
5.
Comedy Actor
1.
2.
Martin Short
Only Murders in the Building
3.
4.
5.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Wonder Man
2024 Emmy winner Hacks is the leader in five categories: Best Comedy Series (over Widow’s Bay), Best Comedy Actress for Jean Smart (over Lisa Kudrow for The Comeback), Best Comedy Supporting Actress for Hannah Einbinder (over Kate O’Flynn for Widow’s Bay), Best Comedy Directing (over Widow’s Bay), and Best Comedy Writing (over Widow’s Bay).
Meanwhile, Widow’s Bay is in the lead for Best Comedy Actor for Matthew Rhys (over Martin Short for Only Murders in the Building); and Shrinking is out front in Best Comedy Supporting Actor for Harrison Ford (over Paul W. Downs for Hacks).
Hacks broke the Emmy record on Wednesday as the most-nominated comedy of all time at 24 bids — that’s one more than The Studio nabbed last year. The Studio went on to make history with the most wins, 13, a record Hacks is itching to claim as its own. Widow’s Bay followed with 19 noms, proving that Emmy voters aren’t afraid of the horror genre after all.
DRAMA
Drama Series
1.
2.
3.
4.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
5.
6.
7.
8.
Your Friends and Neighbors
Drama Actress
1.
2.
Keri Russell
The Diplomat
3.
4.
Carrie Coon
The Gilded Age
5.
Chase Infiniti
The Testaments
Drama Actor
1.
2.
Sterling K. Brown
Paradise
3.
4.
5.
Rufus Sewell
The Diplomat
The Pitt, last year’s Best Drama Series winner, once again leads that field by a commanding margin over first-timer Pluribus. The medical show is also the favorite in Best Drama Actor for Noah Wyle (over Sterling K. Brown for Paradise), Best Drama Supporting Actress for Katherine LaNasa (over Karolina Wydra for Pluribus), and Best Drama Supporting Actor for Patrick Ball (over Tom Pelphrey for Task).
The other three Primetime drama awards are expected to go to Pluribus: Best Drama Actress for Rhea Seehorn (over Keri Russell for The Diplomat), Best Drama Directing (over The Pitt), and Best Drama Writing (over The Pitt).
The Pitt has been on an awards roll this past year, winning at every ceremony including the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and Actor Awards. But those were all for Season 1. Now, we’ll see if that industry love can continue for its heralded second season. With 25 nominations, the most for any program this year, things are already looking good. Pluribus is next in the field with 18 citations, the most ever for a first-year Vince Gilligan show.
LIMITED/MOVIE
Movie/Limited Actress
1.
2.
Sarah Snook
All Her Fault
3.
4.
Sally Field
Remarkably Bright Creatures
5.
Claire Danes
The Beast in Me
Movie/Limited Actor
1.
2.
Matthew Rhys
The Beast in Me
3.
4.
Charlie Hunnam
Monster: The Ed Gein Story
5.
Jason Bateman
Black Rabbit
As for the limited/movie races, Beef is back for seconds after winning in 2023, and now it’s the odds leader in four races: Best Limited Series (over DTF St. Louis), Best Movie/Limited Actress for Carey Mulligan (over Sarah Snook for All Her Fault), Best Movie/Limited Actor for Oscar Isaac (over Matthew Rhys for The Beast in Me), and Best Movie/Limited Writing (over DTF St. Louis).
Not to be outdone, DTF St. Louis has the edge in three contests: Best Movie/Limited Supporting Actress for Linda Cardellini (over Youn Yuh-jung for Beef), Best Movie/Limited Supporting Actor for David Harbour (over Charles Melton for Beef), and Best Movie/Limited Directing (over the Beef finale).
Beef topped all limited series with 16 nominations, though DTF St. Louis is close behind at 13. Voters looking to reward a familiar favorite may gravitate toward Beef Season 2, while the offbeat DTF St. Louis could appeal to those seeking something fresher.
OTHER
The only other category currently in our Primetime Emmys predictions center is Best Competition Program, with two-time reigning champion The Traitors in the lead (over RuPaul’s Drag Race) for its fourth U.S. season.
Dozens of additional categories will be available to predict at Gold Derby when we open our Creative Arts predictions center in the coming days.
