TV Academy Names 2026 Hall of Fame Class
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- Television Academy selected seven 2026 Hall of Fame inductees — Ed Bradley (posthumous), Ted Danson, Sheila Nevins, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Ted Sarandos and Jean Smart — joining more than 150 individuals enshrined since the Hall's 1984 launch.
- The Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled for Thursday evening, Aug. 13, and will serve as the kickoff for Televerse 26, billed as the industry's flagship festival.
- Ed Bradley spent nearly his entire 39-year career at CBS News, anchored CBS Sunday Night News, won 20 Emmys alongside a Peabody, and died in 2006 at age 65.
- Sheila Nevins produced more than 1,500 documentaries over three-plus decades at HBO Documentary Films, earning 32 individual Primetime Emmys — described by the Academy as more than any other person.
- Trey Parker and Matt Stone are preparing South Park for its 29th season, while their Broadway musical The Book of Mormon — a 2011 premiere — is now the tenth-longest-running show in Broadway history with nine Tony Awards.
- Ted Sarandos, named co-CEO of Netflix in July 2020, led the streamer's pivot into original content beginning in 2013 with launches including House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black; he was awarded a CBE by King Charles in 2024.
- Jean Smart currently stars in HBO Max's Hacks and has won seven Emmy Awards — one of only two actors to win in the comedy lead, supporting and guest categories — with additional credits in Mare of Easttown, Watchmen and Fargo.
Why it matters: The 2026 class pulls from broadcast news (Bradley), network sitcom royalty (Danson), documentary producing (Nevins), adult animation (Parker and Stone), streaming executive leadership (Sarandos), and prestige comedy (Smart) — collectively mapping how the Academy now credits every era of television. The Aug. 13 ceremony doubles as the opening of Televerse 26, positioning the inductions as the curtain-raiser for a broader industry confab rather than a standalone dinner.
