How To Watch The 2026 Emmy Awards

It's time once again for the Primetime Emmy awards — and this year promises to deliver some big names, big wins, and hopefully a few big surprises. The annual award program is gearing up for its 78th edition; several shows will be looking to add to their already large collection of Emmy statues, while others are being nominated for the very first time.

Last year, "The Pitt" took home multiple awards on the drama side, and the show's cast and crew will no doubt be hoping for a repeat performance from Season 2. "The Studio" was the big winner on the comedy side last year, but with no season two out yet, that field is wide open. So, before the curtain rises and your favorite stars flood the red carpet, here's a quick primer on everything you need to know heading into this year's Primetime Emmy Awards.

The question of where this year's Primetime Emmy Awards will take place is an easy one to answer: They'll be held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. The question of when the Emmys begin, however, largely depends on the type of person you are. If you're only interested in the winners and losers in the 19 televised categories this year, then the ceremony itself starts at 8 p.m. EST tonight, September 14. 

But for many people, the Emmys really start when stars begin parading up and down the red carpet. If you're looking to catch all the fashion, interviews, and gossip that goes down in the lead-up to the show, then your viewing experience will start a little earlier ... three hours earlier, to be exact. Red carpet preshows will begin airing at 5 p.m. EST.

The organizers behind the Emmys decided to think outside the box when it came to their pick for host this year. Traditionally, the job has gone to established comedians like Nate Bargatze, Jimmy Kimmel, or Kenan Thompson. This year, however, they have turned hosting duties over to Mariska Hargitay, who has spent the last 27 years playing Oliva Benson on "Law and Order: SVU." Olivia currently holds the record for being the longest-running primetime TV drama character of all time. 

In an interview with Deadline, Hargitay said that she knows she's not necessarily known for comedy. "I think I'll do it a little bit different than [previous hosts] would," she said. "And I think that they asked me to do it because of that. I think that they also want to switch it up a little bit."

In addition to her hosting duties, Hargitay will also be hoping to win an award on that night. Her documentary "My Mom Jayne," about her mother, Jayne Mansfield, earned three nominations, including one for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary.

This year's Primetime Emmy Awards will feature plenty of familiar faces, but you should also expect to see a fair number of newcomers called up to the stage, based on the list of this year's nominations. As far as drama goes, "The Pitt" is back following their five-win Emmy performance last year. This time around, they have an opportunity to smash some records after racking up an impressive 26 nominations overall. The record for single-year wins is 18, set by "Shogun" in 2024. "Pluribus" comes in second on the drama side with 18 total nominations.

"Hacks" won an impressive 12 Emmys over its first four seasons, but it's already set a record this year with 24 nominations — the most ever for a comedy – for its fifth and final season. Several previous winners will also be back in the comedy categories, including "The Bear" and "Shrinking," while "Widow's Bay" earned an impressive 19 total nominations for its freshman season. 

If you're planning on watching this year's Primetime Emmy Awards and you don't have a ticket to the show itself — which, let's be honest, is quite likely — you still have plenty of viewing options this year. The ceremony has bounced around between the four major networks for over 30 years now, with no network handling repeat broadcast duties since ABC in 1993 and 1994. This year, the Emmys returns to NBC, which hasn't hosted the show since 2022.

If broadcast television isn't your thing, the Emmys will also be streaming live on Peacock. You'll also be able to catch it on demand, just in case you're busy tonight. It's worth noting that this year's ceremony might be a little shorter than usual, or at least not quite as hectic, after the Television Academy decided to remove five awards from the broadcast and move them to the Creative Arts Emmys.

While some viewers are only interested in seeing who wins and who loses, millions more tune in for the fashion, interviews, and general unpredictability of the red carpet. If you're one of those people, then you'll have several options to choose from.

After teaming up on the Oscars red carpet last year, CNN and Variety will be running it back with this year's Emmys. They'll be live from the red carpet starting at 5 p.m. EST, but that broadcast will only be available as a streaming option on the CNN app or at CNN.com.

Of course, no red carpet would be complete without the E! network, and they're back this year as well, presenting a countdown to the Emmys starting at 5 p.m. EST, followed by live reporting from the red carpet starting at 6 p.m.