Best Comedy Writing is a nail-biter between Hacks and Widow’s Bay. While the directing category might be more of a sure bet for Widow’s Bay, this one is more of a headscratcher, and the pendulum could swing either way.
In this Emmy category, half the lineup is also nominated in the corresponding directing race with the same episodes, along with another show with a different installment. Rounding out the list are two shows rarely cited any other category, in tradition with the Television Academy writers’ branch going for underrepresented series.
Here’s our full breakdown of the writing category — listed in order of Gold Derby’s experts’ odds.
Katie Dippold for Widow’s Bay
Episode: “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!”
Synopsis: Mayor Tom Loftis tries to understand the meaning of a mysterious event plaguing the town.
Emmy history: Dippold has two Emmy nominations this year, also for producing Widow’s Bay.
The writing structure of this premiere consistently shifts back and forth between comedy and horror, and that is due to dialogue and characteristics of these quirky, unsettled residents of this seemingly peaceful New England town. As the newly appointed mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) goes through differing feelings about the latest scary occurrences with this coastal town, he interacts with a gaggle of personalities that bring out the laughter through its uncomfortable moments and beats, and he becomes naturally more paranoid and uneasy as he is engulfed by the atmosphere.
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky for Hacks
Episode: “Hacks”
Synopsis: Deborah reveals shocking information to Ava, while Jimmy finds an opportunity to take back his talent management company.
Emmy history: This marks Aniello’s 15th Emmy nomination and the 12th for both Downs and Statsky. All three are nominated for producing Hacks, while Aniello also contends for directing and Downs is nominated for Best Comedy Supporting Actor. Statsky previously earned a producing nomination for The Good Place. Downs and Statsky have each won three Emmys, while Aniello has four.
This supersized series finale concludes the characters’ journeys with remarkable tenderness. Deborah (Jean Smart) reveals her cancer diagnosis to Ava (Hannah Einbinder) and shares her plans for a physician-assisted suicide, leading to an emotional confrontation in which Ava finally lays bare her feelings. Meanwhile, Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) blackmails his way back into control of his company with Kayla’s (Megan Stalter) help. The episode balances weighty subject matter with the humor rooted in these long-standing relationships, ultimately finding inspiration in the possibility of what comes next.
Quinta Brunson for Abbott Elementary
Episode: “Team Building”
Synopsis: The staff plans Development Day, while a gas leak causes issues for the school.
Emmy history: This is Brunson’s 15th Emmy nomination and her fourth for writing. She previously won this category in 2022 and earned a second Emmy the following year for her lead performance. She is also nominated this year for acting and producing Abbott Elementary.
The Season 5 premiere centers on the teachers as they take part in team-building exercises. When a gas leak exposes more serious problems with the school building, the activities are forced outdoors. Throughout the day, the characters help one another navigate new challenges — from learning to ride a bike to preparing to teach sixth grade — leading to a series of amusing escalations and satisfying comic payoffs.
Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin for The Chair Company
Episode: “Life goes by too f–king fast, it really does.”
Synopsis: Ron Trosper’s chair collapses at a company presentation, leading to a conspiracy search as he tracks down the enterprise and discovers unsettling truths.
Emmy history: This is Robinson’s sixth Emmy nomination and Kanin’s seventh. Both have won for producing I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson and have been nominated for writing Saturday Night Live. Robinson has also won two Emmys for his performance in I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson.
From its opening scene, this pilot establishes the show’s strange characters and deeply uneasy tone. After Ron Trosper (Tim Robinson) suffers a humiliating public incident when his chair collapses during a presentation, he spirals into a whirlwind of conspiracy theories while investigating the company responsible. The premiere finds humor in increasingly eerie and frightening situations, balancing its darkness with Ron’s chaotic journey and a series of painfully awkward interactions. The result is an unnerving, unpredictable episode in which viewers never know where the next bizarre turn will lead.
Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King for The Comeback
Episode: “Valerie Does It All”
Synopsis: Chaos ensues as Valerie begins production on her new sitcom.
mmy history: This is Kudrow’s 17th Emmy nomination and King’s 14th. Kudrow won an Emmy for Friends and has also been nominated for producing Web Therapy and Who Do You Think You Are? King has won two Emmys for directing and producing Sex and the City, with additional nominations for producing Murphy Brown and directing The Comeback. Kudrow is also nominated this year for her lead performance in the series.
This episode is a high-wire act for Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow), who begins filming the pilot of her sitcom How’s That?! while confronting a cascade of production problems, from script issues to artificial intelligence. At the same time, she tries to help her husband, Mark (Damian Young), land a new job on a reality show. Valerie’s frantic attempts to manage these competing crises — while uncovering ways the studio and her colleagues are compromising her craft and the series itself — unfold in a manic, hilarious and sharply relevant series of events.
Anthony King for Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat
Episode: “Mergers and Acquisitions”
Synopsis: Anthony Norman deals with various people and nonsensical problems, before an imminent business deal.
Emmy history: This is King’s third Emmy nomination. He previously received a producing nomination in 2018 for Silicon Valley and a writing nomination in 2011 for Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit for Autism Education.
The second season of this reality-hoax series retains its hidden-camera formula while shifting the action to the corporate world. This time, one unsuspecting man believes he has been hired as a temporary employee for the annual retreat of a fictional hot sauce company. In this penultimate episode, he travels from one location to the next, encountering increasingly absurd situations before the big reveal — from a forgotten set of car keys and an allergic reaction to shellfish to an overheard corporate takeover that threatens to eliminate nearly the entire workforce.
Primetime Emmy Awards 2026
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat
This category is virtually a coin flip between Hacks and Widow’s Bay, the former currently leading with a 52% chance to win, according to the Gold Derby experts, against the latter’s 48%. This close call may be the deal-breaker to find out which show will come out on top in Best Comedy Series, so it is one to keep a close eye on.
The Primetime Emmys will air Sept. 14 on NBC.
