“The Bear” loses some of its growl, “Hacks” picks up lots of acting nods, and more.

The biggest snubs and surprises from the 2026 Emmy nominations

“The Bear” loses some of its growl, “Hacks” picks up lots of acting nods, and more.

Joyce Eng

Joyce Eng is a senior news editor at ** with nearly 20 years of experience in entertainment journalism. She previously worked at OK!, TV Guide, and Gold Derby.

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and Gerrad Hall

Gerrad Hall

Gerrad Hall is an editorial director at **, overseeing movie, awards, and music coverage. He is also host of The Awardist podcast, and has cohosted EW’s live Oscars, Emmys, SAG, and Grammys red carpet shows. He has appeared on Good Morning America, The Talk, Access Hollywood, Extra!, and other talk shows, delivering the latest news on pop culture and entertainment.

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on July 8, 2026 1:51 p.m. ET

Sheryl Lee Ralph; Jeremy Allen White; Paul Anthony Kelly. Credit:

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic (2); Neilson Barnard/Getty

The Television Academy threw in plenty of surprises with its 2026 Emmy nominations — from a reality competition favorite getting back in the game to the actors of Hacks and The Pitt landing multiple noms.

But not all surprises are good. With every surprise nominee, it means someone else who was expected (or who we hoped) to get in was snubbed. Lots of actors make that list, from *The Bear* stars Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach to *Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette* star Paul Anthony Kelly and *Abbott Elementary*’s Sheryl Lee Ralph, who’s been nominated for each season of the show and won for its first.

See the full list of nominations, and read on for our list of the biggest snubs and surprises.

SNUB: Sheryl Lee Ralph

Sheryl Lee Ralph and William Stanford Davis on ‘Abbott Elementary’.

Disney/Gilles Mingasson

We are clutching Barbara Howard’s pearls at this omission! Sheryl Lee Ralph, who was nominated for every previous season of *Abbott Elementary* and won for its first (delivering this rousing speech), was shut out of the supporting comedy actress category for the show’s fifth installment. The legendary actress delivers a playfully stern and wise performance full of empathy, grace, and poise in the face of adversity, imbued with some charming naivete each week on the comedy. This snub feels like grounds for sending someone to the principal’s office. *—Gerrad Hall*

SNUB: Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach

Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jeremy Allen White in ‘The Bear’ season 4.

*The Bear* cousins Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who both won Emmys for the first two seasons of the FX dramedy but lost for the third season, aren’t even in the mix for season 4. Academy members dropped both actors from the list of nominees in 2026, part of the broader Emmy nominations decline of what is still a well-made series — just one that has lost some steam with each passing season. Is this what it feels like to lose out on receiving a Michelin star? *—G.H.*

SURPRISE: Megan Stalter and more Hacks actors

Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs on ‘Hacks’.

Days after kicking off the Stalter Administration in Broadway’s *Oh, Mary* — and after declaring herself the “Prettiest Girl in America” — Megan Stalter can now call herself an Emmy nominee. And this was her final chance for *Hacks*, which just wrapped its five-season run in May. Brash and loud but wildly confident in her comedy stylings as Kayla Schaeffer, one part of Deborah Vance’s (Jean Smart) manager team alongside Jimmy LuSaque (Paul W. Downs, who’s also back in the race this year!), she finally won over Academy members; but Stalter balances it all with heart, especially when it comes to Jimmy, who became her best friend and partner over the course of the series.

Joining Stalter on *Hacks*’ long list of 24 nominations are five of the show’s guest actresses: Leslie Bibb and Cherry Jones for the incredible episode “Montecito,” as well as returning nominees Laurie Metcalf and Kaitlin Olson (who had us in stitches in the “D’Amazing Race” episode), and Lauren Weedman, who delivers huge LOL moments every time she’s on screen as uncouth and unhinged Las Vegas mayor Jo Pezzimenti. This one is long overdue. *—G.H.*

SNUB: The Comeback

Lisa Kudrow on ‘The Comeback’.

Valerie Cherish does not want to see this. *The Comeback* made another comeback this year, but just like its first two seasons, the comedy failed to score an Outstanding Comedy Series nomination. It received just two nominations — for Lisa Kudrow and writing — which is on par with its Emmy performances for season 1 in 2006 (three noms) and season 2 in 2015 (one nom). While the show has a very loyal fan base, it’s a teeny, tiny one, and the fact of the matter is that its brand of cringe comedy is never going to be everyone’s cup of tea, and you need some mass appeal to get voters’ attention. *—J.E.*

SURPRISE: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II on ‘Wonder Man’.

Courtesy of Marvel Television

*Wonder Man*‘s Emmy hopes dipped when the show was renewed and moved to comedy, but ain’t no biggie for YAM. The Emmy winner made the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series shortlist, and it’s frankly fitting that the best Marvel output in a long time secured an above-the-line nomination. The last MCU show to earn major acting bids? Its very first one, *WandaVision*. *—J.E.*

SURPRISE: Dancing With the Stars

‘Dancing With the Stars’ winners Witney Carson and Robert Irwin.

Disney/Eric McCandless

It takes two to tango, but just one resurgent season to break back into the Emmys. Ten years after its last nomination for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, *Dancing With the Stars* pulled off a surprise nomination by knocking out 10-time champ and 22-time nominee *The Amazing Race*. Boasting a fan-favorite cast, Season 34 was the show’s most-watched in years — so successful that it spawned a spinoff, *Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro* — and ABC mounted a huge FYC campaign, including an event at the Dolby Theatre with live performances and a panel, during which three-time Mirrorball champ Val Chmerkovskiy flat-out said he’s “appalled at the fact” that the show has never won. Now they’re halfway there. *—Joyce Eng*

SNUB: The Amazing Race

‘The Amazing Race’ host Phil Keoghan.

Robert Voets/CBS

*Survivor* may be the granddaddy of reality competition shows, but *The Amazing Race* has been the grandaddy of the Emmy category. It’s a record 10-time champ, including seven wins in a row, and had never missed the category when eligible — until now. Was it just a fluke? Or can it make a comeback next year? Adding insult to injury, *Hacks* had an entirely *Amazing Race*-centered episode in its fifth and final season. *—J.E.*

SNUB: Paul Anthony Kelly

Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. on ‘Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette’.

Perhaps we over-assumed on this one, thinking Paul Anthony Kelly would earn an Emmy nomination for his first-ever acting job, one that thrust him into the spotlight portraying one of the most famous Americans ever to live: John F. Kennedy Jr. His task was not an easy one, especially considering he had just three weeks between getting cast and starting production to learn everything he could to help him transform physically (the accent, the body, the mannerisms). Ultimately, Academy members went another direction, with Riz Ahmed, who had become an emerging contender and is a previous winner in this category (Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie). *—G.H.*

SURPRISE: Riz Ahmed

Riz Ahmed in ‘Bait’.

Courtesy of Prime

Nine years after winning for *The Night Of*, Riz Ahmed is back in the same category for his limited series *Bait*, which he also created. The satire didn’t make a big splash when it dropped on Prime Video in the spring, but Ahmed ran one helluva campaign and was all over town. And in an open category, it doesn’t take much for a well-liked, established star with an alphabet-friendly name at the top of the ballot to make the cut. *—J.E.*

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SURPRISE: Nobody Wants This

Adam Brody, Timothy Simons, Kristen Bell, and Jackie Tohn on ‘Nobody Wants This’.

Erin Simkin/Netflix

Nobody was talking about season 2 the same way we all were about this first installment of this charming Netflix rom-comedy. In fact, few thought it would be a repeat nominee after its soft performance last year — just three nominations, for Outstanding Comedy Series and for leads Kristen Bell and Adam Brody. While the actors weren’t able to repeat, Academy members said, “We *do* want this show...to be a nominee.” In fact, Outstanding Comedy Series is the *only* nomination the show received...the one that really counts. *—G.H.*

SNUB: The Morning Show

Jeremy Irons and Jennifer Aniston on ‘The Morning Show’.

The Apple TV drama has always had an uneven history at the Emmys, but thanks to a weak field, it exploded in 2024 with 16 nominations for its third season, including its first Outstanding Drama Series bid. For its rather quiet fourth season, though? It was nearly shut out, grabbing just one nomination, for two-time supporting actor winner Billy Crudup. We’d say “how the mighty has fallen,” but *The Morning Show* has never been strong with voters in the first place. *—J.E.*

SURPRISE: Your Friends & Neighbors

Jon Hamm on ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’.

The Emmys saved the most surprising for last. The final spot in the Outstanding Drama Series lineup went not to *Stranger Things* or to *Task*, but to...*Your Friends & Neighbors*. Congrats to anyone who had that. Most *YFAN* predictions were for Jon Hamm, who, despite the show’s series nomination, did not get into the lead actor top five. The show scored only one other nomination, for main theme music. It’s not unlike *Nobody Wants This* making the Outstanding Comedy Series lineup with only one other bid, also a music category: music supervision. *—J.E.*

SURPRISE: Chase Infiniti

Chase Infiniti on ‘The Testaments’.

Chase Infiniti didn’t get an Oscar nomination this year, but she did get an Emmy nomination — and it’s the only one for *The Testaments*. The Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category presented a perfect storm for her to slip in, as it had two very open spots. The category has also been friendly to first-time nominees in recent years, and Infiniti was the best poised of that crop to get in. She likely will not follow in the path of her Gilead mother Elisabeth Moss (*The Handmaid’s Tale*) with a win, though. *—J.E.*

***Check out more from EW’s *****The Awardist*****, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year’s best in TV, movies, and more.***

SNUB: Bowen Yang

Bowen Yang and Cher on ‘Saturday Night Live’.

The *Saturday Night Live* alum seemed set for a farewell nomination after hanging onto his spot last year when the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category had a major shake-up. Alas, he was nowhere to be found. But what’s more concerning for the *SNL* crew is that Yang was the last series regular Emmy voters have nominated. None of the new guard have broken through yet, and with Yang gone for good now, who knows when we’ll have the next SNL nominee. *—J.E.*

SNUB: Taylor Sheridan-verse

Michelle Pfeiffer and Beau Garrett on ‘The Madison’.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan’s shows have received Emmy nominations below the line, but voters do not eff with them above the line. *The Madison *star Michelle Pfeiffer earned arguably the best reviews of any Sheridan star yet, but she was MIA from the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama lineup (she did earn a nomination, though, in supporting comedy actress for *Margo’s Got Money Troubles*). Not that Sheridan himself cares. “You’re not going to win no Emmys with me, but I’m not trying to win Emmys. That’s not my goal,” he said recently on *The Bill Simmons Podcast*, which dropped after nomination voting closed. *—J.E.*

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