Broadcast Emmy Woes, Lots of Martin Short, Bad Bunny and Other Trivia From 2026’s Nominations
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- ABC's "Abbott Elementary" was the only broadcast show to land in the major drama, comedy, and limited/anthology categories, with noms for outstanding comedy series plus three acting bids (Quinta Brunson, Janelle James, Tyler James Williams) — part of a total of just seven live-action scripted broadcast primetime shows that earned any 2026 Emmy recognition.
- Martin Short earned an unusual trifecta of nominations: lead comedy actor for "Only Murders in the Building," game show host for "Match Game," and as the subject of documentary special "Marty, Life Is Short."
- Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio) brought in nine nominations for "The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show" — the most ever for a halftime show, surpassing Lady Gaga's six in 2017 — plus a makeup nom for guest-hosting "Saturday Night Live."
- Salli Richardson-Whitfield became the first Black woman to receive two nominations in the outstanding directing in a drama series category, for "The Gilded Age" episode "My Mind Is Made Up" and "Task" episode "Out Beyond Ideas of Wrongdoing and Rightdoing, There Is a River."
- David Attenborough, at two narrator nominations for Netflix's "A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough" and Nat Geo's "Ocean With David Attenborough," became the oldest Primetime Emmy nominee ever — eclipsing Norman Lear's 2022 mark of 99 years and 11 months.
- Hank Azaria landed his first-ever Emmy nomination for voicing Superintendent Gary Chalmers on "The Simpsons," after years of wins for characters like Apu, Moe Szyslak, and Chief Wiggum — a character he noted has appeared more often on the show in recent seasons.
- MTV's 2025 VMAs had its choreography Emmy nom credited to CBS rather than MTV, because CBS served as lead broadcaster and absorbed what Variety frames as the "stripping" of MTV's flagship event — an ironic note given CBS will now collect the Emmy credit for a show that aired on a rival cabler.
Why it matters: Broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC) now claim one of roughly 17 slots in the major 2026 Emmy categories, a structural shift that gives the TV Academy leverage as it renegotiates the Emmy broadcast licensing deal with those same networks. For broadcasters, the deficit compounds a ratings and prestige problem against streamers like Apple TV, Netflix, and HBO Max whose series — "Palm Royale," "The Pitt," "The Gilded Age" — dominate the remainder of this year's ballot.
