Emmys 2026: Who Will—and Should—Win Across the Big Categories

IndieWire’s Lead Up editors Marcus Jones and Ben Travers lay out predicted winners and should-wins for the 78th Emmys across Comedy, Drama, Limited/Anthology, Variety, and Reality Competition. They peg Widow’s Bay as the likely Comedy winner (with Hacks as a strong challenger), The Pitt to take Drama (Pluribus as a credible should-win), DTF St. Louis as the frontrunner in Limited (Beef a close contender), The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as the favored Variety winner in a final-season boost (with Last Week Tonight also noted as a top contender), and The Traitors as the likely Reality winner (Top Chef as a strong alternative). The pieces emphasize momentum, originality, and critics’ insight as voters finalize ballots for the Sept. 14, 2026 Emmys on NBC/Peacock.