HBO Max Leads the Emmy Drama and Comedy Races for the First Time Since 2017. How Often Do Both Frontrunners Win?
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- HBO Max leads the 2026 Emmy race with "The Pitt" earning 25 nominations (top drama) and "Hacks" earning 24 — the most-nominated comedy series in Emmy history, ahead of Apple TV's "Widow's Bay" at 19
- HBO Max's dual-genre lead marks its first time topping both drama and comedy nominations since 2017, a distinction HBO previously held in 2003-2004 and the late 2010s; Apple TV and FX each held it the prior two years
- Historical data shows that when a single network leads both drama and comedy nominations, it has won both categories only 4 of 18 times (22%) — accomplished by NBC in 1983, 1984 and 1987, and HBO in 2016
- "The Pitt" has a strong statistical case: the most-nominated series overall has won its corresponding top category 41 of 73 times (56%), and the show already took drama series for its debut season — joining only "Hill Street Blues," "Picket Fences," "The West Wing" and "Mad Men" as two-season drama winners
- "Hacks" faces a steeper climb, as the most-nominated comedy has converted only 25 of 59 times (42%) and has lost 5 of the past 8 ceremonies, including "The Bear" falling to "Hacks" in 2023
- In limited series, HBO Max's "DTF St. Louis" earned 13 nominations but trails Netflix's "Beef" (16); the limited series frontrunner has the worst conversion rate of the three categories (36%) and has lost 4 of the past 5 years, including "The Penguin" falling to "Adolescence" in 2025
- Sweeping all three top categories (drama, comedy, limited series) has happened only three times — HBO in 2015, NBC in 1996 and 1987 — with final-round voting running Aug. 17-26 ahead of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 14
Why it matters: HBO Max's dual-genre nomination lead has converted to wins just 22% of the time historically, and only NBC and HBO have ever swept both races. Within HBO Max's own slate, the math points to an uneven path: "The Pitt" sits on a 56% frontrunner conversion rate and a reigning-champion boost, while "Hacks" must overcome a 42% comedy conversion rate and a recent 5-of-8 losing trend for top-nominated comedies, and HBO Max's limited series entry trails Netflix's "Beef" — the category with the worst frontrunner record at 36%.
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