With only hours left before the voting window for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards closes, it appears as if Deborah Vance may get the last laugh.
Hacks, the five-time Best Comedy Series nominee and one-time winner, leads newcomer Widow’s Bay in Gold Derby’s combined odds by more than 30 points. The HBO Max series came to a close earlier this year with a critically acclaimed final season — that just so happen to air while last year’s victor, The Studio, was still filming its second set of episodes.
The fortuitous opening may be enough for Hacks to claim its second Best Comedy Series, after previously winning for its third season.
Primetime Emmy Awards 2026
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Pair those odds with the apparent runaway in the making over in Best Comedy Actress (Was anyone ever going to beat Jean Smart in this role?), and Hacks could be set up for a fond farewell from the Television Academy.
Primetime Emmy Awards 2026
A potential fly in the ointment for Team Hacks, however, appears when filtering the Gold Derby predictions to just the experts. The professionals see Best Comedy Series shaking out a little differently from the gen pop.
Primetime Emmy Awards 2026
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Widow’s Bay holds a double-digit point lead over Hacks in the expert predictions for Comedy Series. A win there would pair nicely with a statuette for Best Comedy Actor, which the combined odds see going to leading man Matthew Rhys.
Primetime Emmy Awards 2026
And if the lead performer categories in comedy seem a bit too locked-up for your liking, may we turn your attention to the absolute nail-biter happening over in Best Comedy Supporting Actress, where previous winner Hannah Einbinder clings onto a narrow lead over Widow’s Bay breakout Kate O’Flynn.
Primetime Emmy Awards 2026
Over in Best Comedy Supporting Actor, the odds are slightly less dramatic — but no less exciting — as Harrison Ford seems poised to win his (somehow) first Emmy Award. The Shrinking star has maintained a comfortable lead over one-time nominee Stephen Root, one of Widow’s Bay‘s four acting nominees, alongside Rhys, O’Flynn, and Dale Dickey.
Primetime Emmy Awards 2026
Over in Drama, the brave medical professionals from The Pitt are preparing for another shift of tirelessly collecting Emmys. The HBO Max hospital drama is heavily favored to collect a second Best Drama Series statuette in a row, just like its leading man, Noah Wyle, is in Best Drama Actor.
Primetime Emmy Awards 2026
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Primetime Emmy Awards 2026
The Pitt is also likely to repeat in Best Drama Supporting Actress, where Katherine LaNasa is once again favored to win.
Primetime Emmy Awards 2026
LaNasa’s co-star Patrick Ball currently leads Best Drama Supporting Actor, ahead of two other members of The Pitt‘s ensemble — last year’s winner for Drama Guest Actor, Shawn Hatosy, and Gerran Howell. Neither appears to be a threat to Ball. The same can’t be said, however, for Tom Pelphrey, whose turn on Task earned some of that series’ best reviews and is statistically not too far behind.
Primetime Emmy Awards 2026
The one top Drama category left untouched by The Pitt is Best Actress, where Pluribus‘ Rhea Seehorn is predicted to ease the pain of many a Better Call Saul fan and finally take home her first Emmy Award.
