Live update as of September 14, 2026, 10:27 p.m. BRT. The 78th Emmys had not finished the main telecast when this version was closed. The winners below are therefore the results already confirmed by official updates and live coverage, while overall program totals remain partial. The editorial rule is simple: do not call a tally “final” while it can still change.
Creative Arts vs. the main telecast: what changes
The 2026 Emmys were spread across three nights. The first two, on September 5 and 6, concentrated creative-arts, technical and several performance awards. The edited TV presentation of those nights aired as the Creative Arts show. The main telecast began on September 14 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, with 19 categories scheduled for the broadcast.
This split matters because some awards viewers may think of as “main” prizes were handed out before the telecast. In 2026, supporting actor and actress in a limited/anthology series or movie, directing and writing for a limited/anthology series or movie, and television movie had already been decided on September 5 and 6. The Television Academy’s official nominees and winners page collects the 78th Emmy categories, while the Academy published separate recaps for night one and night two.
Winners already confirmed on the September 14 telecast
As of this update, these main-telecast categories had winners confirmed in the live sources being tracked:
| Category | Winner | Program |
|---|---|---|
| Lead actress in a drama | Rhea Seehorn | Pluribus |
| Lead actor in a drama | Noah Wyle | The Pitt |
| Supporting actress in a drama | Allison Janney | The Diplomat |
| Supporting actor in a drama | Tom Pelphrey | Task |
| Lead actress in a comedy | Jean Smart | Hacks |
| Lead actor in a comedy | Matthew Rhys | Widow’s Bay |
| Supporting actress in a comedy | Kate O’Flynn | Widow’s Bay |
| Supporting actor in a comedy | Stephen Root | Widow’s Bay |
| Comedy writing | Katie Dippold | Widow’s Bay — “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!” |
| Reality competition | — | The Traitors |
| Lead actress in a limited/anthology series or movie | Sally Field | Remarkably Bright Creatures |
| Lead actor in a limited/anthology series or movie | Matthew Rhys | The Beast in Me |
Entertainment Weekly’s live list recorded these wins during the broadcast; the Associated Press also confirmed, among other results, the wins for Rhea Seehorn, Noah Wyle, Jean Smart, Allison Janney, Kate O’Flynn, Stephen Root and The Traitors.
Who entered the telecast with a Creative Arts lead
The first two nights had already established a substantial base for any consolidated count. On night one, Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime special led with seven Emmys; The Traitors had six; The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, five; The Muppet Show, four; Love on the Spectrum, three; and My Mom Jayne and Ocean with David Attenborough, two each.
On night two, Widow’s Bay led with eight, followed by DTF St. Louis with six, Spider-Noir with five, The Pitt and Pluribus with four each, Beef, Margo’s Got Money Troubles and Palm Royale with three, and Bridgerton and Fallout with two. Those figures come from the Television Academy’s own recaps.
Partial totals by program
The table below adds only cases where the Creative Arts base is closed in official sources and there is already at least one relevant additional telecast result. It is not the final 2026 Emmy ranking: pending categories can still change both positions and totals.
| Program | Creative Arts | Confirmed telecast | Partial total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Widow’s Bay | 8 | 4 | 12 |
| The Traitors | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| DTF St. Louis | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| The Pitt | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Pluribus | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Remarkably Bright Creatures | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| The Beast in Me | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Remarkably Bright Creatures had already won television movie on the earlier nights and added Sally Field’s acting prize on the telecast. The Beast in Me had won music composition and then added Matthew Rhys’ Emmy. Programs with only a single Creative Arts win may not appear in this table because the Academy recaps emphasized leaders and selected additional winners; it would therefore be unsafe to turn this selection into a complete ranking before the ceremony ends.
Which categories still prevent a final tally
At the time of this update, not all 19 telecast categories had officially closed. Awards that could materially change the program standings still included outstanding drama series, comedy series and limited/anthology series, as well as drama directing and writing, comedy directing and variety series.
Once the telecast ends and the Television Academy marks every 2026 winner, the correct method is to recalculate program by program using the September 5 and 6 results plus the September 14 telecast. Until then, any “final ranking” published during the ceremony risks mixing a live partial score with a closed result.
How to read the list without double-counting awards
- Treat the September 5 and 6 nights as the already-closed Creative Arts base.
- Add only categories actually announced during the September 14 telecast.
- Do not count the edited Creative Arts broadcast on September 12 as a new awards round; it was a TV presentation of the earlier ceremonies.
- Use the official nominees-and-winners page for the final check, because live coverage pages may run a few minutes behind the stage.
The definitive 2026 Emmy result should therefore only be described as consolidated after the final telecast award and the Television Academy’s complete update.
