Rotten Tomatoes' Emmy nominations 2026 forecast puts The Pitt, Pluribus and Hacks at the front of the race before the 78th annual Emmy nominations are announced. The list turns Emmy season into a numbers watch, with familiar names still driving the discussion instead of a broad wave of newcomers.
The Pitt and Pluribus
The Pitt is the drama frontrunner in the forecast, while Pluribus is close behind as a critically acclaimed but less seen series starring Rhea Seehorn. Vince Gilligan's show gives the drama side a cleaner prestige read than a surprise-breakout story, and that is exactly why the prediction list matters now: it shows which titles already have the oxygen of awards conversation before the Emmy Academy makes its ballot.
Keri Russell's The Diplomat is also in the drama mix, with Task, The Gilded Age, and Industry listed as bubble contenders that could break through after years of being ignored by the television academy. That split is the core of this year's forecast: one set of titles is treated as safe, while another group is still fighting for visibility.
Hacks and Harrison Ford
Hacks is projected as the top comedy prize contender, and Jean Smart is expected to be in line for another Emmy. Lisa Kudrow, Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, Martin Short, and Harrison Ford are also in the mix across the comedy field, with Ford singled out for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Shrinking even though he has never won a competitive prize at a major award show.
That detail gives Shrinking a different kind of awards-season hook. Michael J. Fox, a five-time Emmy winner and 20-time nominee, is also poised to compete for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy for the same show, which keeps the series relevant in the acting race even when the field around it is crowded.
Beef Season 2 lineup
Beef Season 2 is being projected as a possible clean sweep on the limited-series side, with Cailee Spaeny, Charles Melton, Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Lee Sung Jin, and Youn Yuh-jung all named as likely nominees. The forecast also gives Apple TV's Widow’s Bay momentum as a word-of-mouth title and puts Rooster and Margo's Got Money Trouble in several comedy categories.
That combination is what makes the predictions useful rather than decorative: they separate the shows with broad support from the bubble titles that still need a final push. The 78th annual Emmy nominations will settle the argument, and the clearest open question is which of these forecasted names actually makes the final list.
