It’s not a coincidence that some of your favorite TV shows made major announcements on or around Aug. 17. After all, that was the first day of final-round Emmy voting.
In the past week, The Pitt, Slow Horses, and The Diplomat dropped trailers for upcoming seasons, RuPaul’s Drag Race and It: Welcome to Derry were renewed, and Rosie O’Donnell enjoyed a headline-grabbing four-day stint subbing for a vacationing Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Clearly, studios are taking strategic advantage of the Emmy voting window (which runs until Aug. 26) to announce trailers, renewals, and stunts — all in the hopes of keeping their contenders front and center for Television Academy members.
In two unique cases, networks even used the voting window to promote future installments of current Emmy nominees. Netflix’s Monster anthology series, for which The Ed Gein Story is nominated for seven Emmys, debuted a new trailer for Season 4, The Lizzie Borden Story. And The Traitors, a six-time nominee this year that’s predicted to repeat its wins for Best Competition Program and Best Reality Host (Alan Cumming), revealed a fresh teaser for its civilian spin-off, The Traitors: New Blood.
Let’s take a closer look at this late-August TV blitz.
TRAILERS
The Pitt (25 Emmy nominations)
HBO Max released the first teaser for Season 3 of The Pitt on Friday, which depicts the usual chaos descending on the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. “I knew my first day back was going to be hard,” says Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle). “I knew that it could get a little bit crazy. Good. Time to get back to it.”
Season 2 of The Pitt is currently nominated for 25 Emmys, the most for any show this year. The medical drama is predicted to win a boatload of trophies after claiming five last year for series, actor (Wyle), supporting actress (Katherine LaNasa), guest actor (Shawn Hatosy), and casting.
Slow Horses (9 nominations)
In 2022, the first season of Slow Horses ended with a twist that seemed destined to pay off eventually. Well, eventually is here. The first trailer for Season 6 closes out with a reveal that is sure to make loyal fans say “Finally!” Olivia Cooke officially returns to her Season 1 role of Sidonie “Sid” Baker, who — when we last saw her — had supposedly been shot in the head.
Apple TV’s British crime drama is a two-time Emmy winner for directing (2025) and writing (2024) — both of which surprised Emmy pundits. Can Slow Horses do it again this year?
The Diplomat (7 nominations)
When last we saw the (un)happy couple at the center of The Diplomat, Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) had figured out that her husband, Vice President Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell), had conspired with his boss, President Grace Penn (Allison Janney). Netflix just released a new teaser for Season 4, and it’s clear this marriage is very much on the rocks. “I’m not trying to get out of the marriage,” says Kate. “I’m trying to get in.”
The Diplomat has yet to win an Emmy Award, but Russell is coming off a recent victory at the Actor Awards and is now in a tight Emmy race with Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus) for Best Drama Actress.
RENEWALS
RuPaul’s Drag Race (9 nominations)
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked (2 nominations)
File this under: Yaaas, Queen! This week, RuPaul’s Drag Race was picked up for Season 19, following the nominated 18th season that delivered double-digit growth in the ratings. In addition, the nominated aftershow, RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked, has been green-lit, as has the All Stars spin-off and its own version of Untucked. Got all that? RuPaul’s Drag Race is an Emmy favorite, winning Best Reality Host eight times and Best Competition program five times; that’s clearly why MTV pegged the renewals to Emmy voting.
It: Welcome to Derry (2 nominations)
HBO was not clowning around on Monday when it picked up It: Welcome to Derry for a second season. Set in the world of Stephen King’s It universe, the new episodes are set to take place in 1935 during the Great Depression and center on the bloody massacre of the Bradley Gang. Welcome to Derry is currently up for two Creative Arts Emmys: Best Title Design and Best Special Visual Effects.
STUNTS
Jimmy Kimmel Live (6 nominations)
Jimmy Kimmel may be on vacation, but Jimmy Kimmel Live continued on during this all-important voting window thanks to Rosie O’Donnell. The former “Queen of Nice,” who won 11 Daytime Emmys for her 1990s talk show, went viral on each of her four nights (Aug. 17–20) thanks to her frequent takedowns of President Donald Trump. The stunt casting helped keep Kimmel’s show alive for Emmy voters much better than reruns ever could. It’s eligible in six categories, including Best Variety Series — an area award for the first time this year.
Dancing With the Stars (5 nominations)
Rehearsals began this week for Dancing With the Stars Season 35, and while ABC has yet to officially announce the cast list, there have been many leaks. The timing is perfect for the awards calendar since the 34th season of DWTS is nominated for five Emmys, including Best Competition Program for the first time in a decade.
2026 Televerse
Finally, this year’s Televerse Festival was timed to the weekend before Emmy voting (Aug. 14-16). The fest offered TV Academy members and the general public a chance to experience For Your Consideration panels, interactive workshops, meet-and-greets, and more. All of the top Emmy contenders appeared at Televerse, from The Pitt and Pluribus to Hacks and Widow’s Bay.
