The Television Academy has released the full three-night structure for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, confirming that Emmy winner Mariska Hargitay will host the live telecast on Monday, September 14, 2026. The main show will air from 8 to 11 p.m. ET on NBC, with streaming available on Peacock.
The Academy also revealed which categories will air on which night, with 102 categories presented during the pre-telecast ceremonies on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6, and 19 categories left for the main telecast.
The three-night breakdown
Saturday, September 5 — 49 categories. Music and key variety categories lead the night. The Academy confirmed that the seven music categories, long part of the pre-telecast, remain there, alongside outstanding variety special (live) and outstanding variety special (pre-recorded). Other Saturday categories include casting, choreography, cinematography, commercial, costumes, directing for documentaries/reality/variety, editing, sound, and technical direction.
Sunday, September 6 — 53 categories. This block includes animated and short-form programming, character voice-over, stunt coordination, stunt performance, prosthetic makeup, picture editing for drama/comedy/limited, production design, and all movie-of-the-week/limited series crafts.
Monday, September 14 — 19 categories. The marquee night includes outstanding comedy series, drama series, limited or anthology series, reality competition program, lead actor and actress in comedy, drama, and limited series, supporting actor and actress in both comedy and drama, outstanding variety series, writing for comedy and drama, and directing for comedy and drama.
What moved off the main telecast
The Academy demoted five categories to the pre-telecast awards:
- Writing for a variety series
- Supporting actor in a limited series or movie
- Supporting actress in a limited series or movie
- Directing for a limited series or movie
- Writing for a limited series or movie
These shifts reduce the number of scripted writing and limited-series acting awards honored live.
In other words, the telecast is now heavily favoriting series and variety over limited-form achievements.
Notable nominees already announced
Nominees for outstanding variety special (live) include the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show starring Bad Bunny, the 83rd Golden Globes, the 68th Grammy Awards, The Oscars, and the 78th Tony Awards. For outstanding variety special (pre-recorded), nominees include Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable… on Netflix, The Muppet Show on Disney+, Nikki Glaser: Good Girl on Hulu, Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show on Disney+, and Wicked: One Wonderful Night on NBC.
Why It Matters
Shrinking the live telecast to 19 categories reflects television’s fragmentation. With prestige increasingly spread across streaming, broadcast, and unscripted formats, the Academy cannot fit every crown jewel into three hours. That makes the pre-telecast ceremonies more important than ever, even if they receive far less media attention than the NBC broadcast.
