Showing posts with label expert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label expert. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

'My Mom Jayne' wins the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special


As I promised yesterday, I'm resuming my coverage of the winners of this year's Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Todays installment re-examines the predictions for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, beginning with the ones in 'Ocean with David Attenborough' tied with 'Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!' for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! and Ocean with David Attenborough co-lead with six nominations each, followed by John Candy: I Like Me with five nominations and Marty, Life Is Short tied with My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay at three. Normally, I'd consider Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! and Ocean with David Attenborough to be co-favorites, but the experts, editors, and users at Gold Derby disagree. They think John Candy: I Like Me and My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay to be the favorites, with 50.0% of experts, 28.6% of editors, and 61.0% of users picking the former, while 50.0% of experts, 57.1% of editors, and 26.3% of users choosing the latter. Normally, I'd favor the editors over the experts except one of the experts picking John Candy: I Like Me is Joyce Eng, whose opinion I trust. The remaining editor(s), 14.3%, are currently voting for Ocean with David Attenborough along with 3.5% of users. The rest of the users are split between Marty, Life Is Short with 6.2% and Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! with 3.0%. I've often written that, all things being equal, the Emmy electorate will vote for a good story about themselves. The corollary is that they will vote for a nominee about a dead celebrity over a living one. The prognosticators at Gold Derby seem to agree. Again, electorates matter.
By the time of the Saturday ceremony, most of the professionals lined up behind My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay with 58.8% of the experts and 50.0% of editors, along with 34.6% of users. The majority of users, 55.9%, joined by 41.2% of experts and 37.5% of editors, stuck with John Candy: I Like Me. The remaining 12.5% of editors held their position with Ocean with David Attenborough. The professionals called it. Watch Documentary Or Nonfiction Special: 78th Emmy Awards.

The team from My Mom Jayne: A Film By Mariska Hargitay accepts the Emmy for Documentary Or Nonfiction Special at the 78th Emmy Awards.
Congratulations!

Outstanding Narrator
  • Sir David Attenborough – A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough (Netflix)
  • Sir David Attenborough – Ocean with David Attenborough (Nat Geo)
  • Jodie Foster – Breakdown: 1975 (Netflix)
  • Werner Herzog – Ghost Elephants (Nat Geo)
  • Octavia Spencer – Lost Women of Alaska: "The Missing" (Investigation Discovery)
The experts, editors, and users disagree about the odds in this category, too, with 87.5% of experts and 83.0% of users but only 28.6% of editors electing for Sir David in Ocean with David Attenborough, 42.9% of editors along with 12.5% of experts and 9.4% of users choosing Octavia Spencer, and the remaining 28.6% of editors along with 2.9% of users on board with Warner Herzog. The remaining users split between Jodie Foster at 2.6% and Sir David's other nomination at 2.1%. Let's see who switches first, the experts or the editors.
The editors lost their nerve by the time of the ceremony, as 66.7% of them joined 88.9% of the experts and 82.3% of users in selecting Sir David, while only 11.1% of both experts and editors along with 11.3% stuck with Octavia Spencer. More editors, 22.2%, wanted Werner Herzog to win! The editors should have held fast, as Spencer won. Watch Narrator: 78th Emmy Awards.

Octavia Spencer accepts the Emmy for Narrator at the 78th Emmy Awards.
Congratulations to Spencer, who now has an Emmy to go along with her Oscar.

I also listed the other nominations for Ocean with David Attenborough.
The remaining four categories in which Ocean with David Attenborough earned nominations are Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program (covered in 'The Tale of Silyan' vs 'The Librarians' for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the Emmy Awards), Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary/Nonfiction or Reality Program (Original Dramatic Score) (sort of covered in 'Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age' earned two Emmy nominations for its VFX and music), Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (covered in 'Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize' plus the Emmy nominees for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special).
Follow over the jump for the categories either Ocean with David Attenborough or My Mom Jayne: A Film By Mariska Hargitay won.

Sunday, September 20, 2026

'The Pitt' wins Outstanding Drama Series while 'Pluribus' wins Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series


As I promised yesterday, it's time for "the Sunday entertainment feature. Emmy Awards won by The Pitt, Pluribus, and other drama series!" Let's revisit the predictions from 'The Pitt' and 'Pluribus' each win 4 Emmys and will likely split the remaining 7.
Every expert and editor along with 94.1% of users predicts The Pitt will repeat as Outstanding Drama Series. Pluribus is the pick of 5.2% of users, while the rest of the nominees have 0.4% or fewer users behind each.
The category went as Gold Derby predicted. Watch Drama Series: 78th Emmys.

The team from The Pitt accept the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series at the 78th Emmy Awards.
Well said!

The cast had more to say in The Pitt: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

The team from The Pitt talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.
I believe health care workers would like this show. My ex-wife was a nurse — she's retired now — and the stories The Pitt tells match the most dramatic she'd tell me when she got home from shift.

Every editor, 84.6% of experts, and 84.4% of users agree with me that this is Rhea Seehorn's award to lose and has been since December. Keri Russell has captivated the remaining 15.4% of experts and 13.0% of users, followed by Zendaya with 2.1% of users. Carrie Coon has 0.3% user support while Chase Infiniti brings up the rear with 0.1%.
This also went the way Gold Derby predicted. Watch Lead Actress in a Drama Series: 78th Emmys.

Rhea Seehorn accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Pluribus at the 78th Emmys.
Seehorn and creator Vince Gilligan had more to say in Rhea Seehorn and Vince Gilligan: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Rhea Seehorn and Vince Gilligan of Pluribus talk to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards. Rhea Seehorn wins the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and Vince Gilligan wins for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.
That was fun and congratulations. I'm looking forward to Season 2, whenever it returns.

Every expert and editor plus 95.3% of users are acclaiming Noah Wyle to repeat. Mark Ruffalo is a distant second with 2.5% of users, followed by Gary Oldman with 1.2%, Sterling K. Brown with 0.9%, and Rufus Sewell with 0.1%.
This category also went as Gold Derby expected. Watch Lead Actor in a Drama Series: 78th Emmys.

Noah Wyle accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for The Pitt at the 78th Emmys.
Wyle's winnerview was also The Pitt's, so I'm moving on to the next category, which was a surprise, including to the winner.

Four actresses from The Pitt earning nominations in this category could result in massive vote splitting that could allow a nominee from another series to slip on through. The other outcome is that the voters look at the nominees side-by-side and decide on the best one. That's what Gold Derby thinks will happen, as a fairly consistent 80.8% of both experts and users along with 88.9% of editors expect Katherine LaNasa will return to the stage, followed by 11.5% of experts and 9.4% of users who suspect Sepideh Moafi will upset, then 11.1% of editors and 5.9% of users captivated by Karolina Wydra, then the remaining 7.7% of experts and 1.8% of users who anticipate Allison Janney will be the best TV president. Taylor Dearden has the support of 1.1% of users, followed by Julianne Nicholson with 0.7%, then Fiona Dourif with 0.2%.
It looks like the first possible outcome, "massive vote splitting that could allow a nominee from another series to slip on through," is what happened. Watch Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: 78th Emmys.

Allison Janney accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The Diplomat at the 78th Emmys.
Janney had more to say in .

Allison Janney from The Diplomat talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Congratulations, not only on this Emmy, but all eight over her career so far!

Massive vote splitting was probably a factor in the next category, which was less of a surprise.

Every editor, 57.7% of experts, and 62.7% of users have picked Patrick Ball to win. On the other hand, 34.6% of experts and 27.4% of users think Tom Pelphrey will take home the Emmy, giving Task the best chance for a drama series other than The Pitt or Pluribus to win an Emmy tomorrow. The remaining 7.7% of experts along with 5.6% of users selected Shawn Hatosy to upset. No, he's not better than Ball, although I think he and the night shift deserve their own spinoff series. They look like fun. The rest of the user vote splits among Billy Crudup at 2.1%, Carlos-Manuel Vesga at 1.0%, Jack Lowden at 0.7%, and Gerran Howell at 0.6%.
The prognosticators who picked Pelphrey pulled rabbits out of their hats. Watch Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: 78th Emmys.

Tom Pelphrey accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for Task at the 78th Emmys.
As I wrote on Twitter/X at the time, "This makes up for him not even being nominated for this category for 'Ozark' (but then nominated for the role the next season as a Guest Actor)." Congratulations!

Pelphrey had more to say in Tom Pelphrey: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Tom Pelphrey from Task talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
I don't know who loves each other more, Pelphrey and Kaley Cuoco or Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell. At least Pelphrey thanked Cuoco in his speech.

Now for the biggest surprise of the night, at least as far as Gold Derby is concerned.

Professional opinion is split on the top two in this category with the users breaking a virtual tie in favor of Vince Gilligan and Pluribus, which has the support of 65.4% of experts, 44.4% of editors, and 74.2% of users, while The Pitt's support consists of 34.6% of experts, 55.6% of editors, and 22.6% of users. Task follows with 1.9%, then The Gilded Age and Slow Horses tied at 0.6%, with Paradise bringing up the rear at 0.1%.
Gold Derby wasn't even close. Watch Directing for a Drama Series: 78th Emmys.

Saul Metzstein accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for Slow Horses at the 78th Emmys.
Metzstein is right; that opaque lens makes him look like a Bond villain! Also, Metzstein was right to thank his show's crew; they deserve it.

Now for the final winnerview I'm embedding today, Saul Metzstein: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Saul Metzstein talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for Slow Horses.
Yes, congratulations!

I close the above-the-jump portion with a category that went the way Gold Derby thought it would.

Professional opinion is much more united behind Vince Gilligan and Pluribus for his writing, as every editor and 80.0% of experts along with 80.1% of users expect Gilligan will escape the podium with the statuette. The next choice among experts at 8.0% and users at 10.9% is the "12:00 P.M." of The Pitt. Slow Horses also has 8.0% of experts and 6.7% of users. The "1:00 P.M." episode of The Pitt picked up the remaining 4.0% of experts along with 0.7% of users. The Diplomat and Task split the rest of the user vote at 1.0% and 0.6%, respectively.
And Gilligan got off the island with the Emmy. Watch Writing for a Drama Series: 78th Emmys.

Vince Gilligan accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for Pluribus at the 78th Emmy Awards.
Well said!

Those were the winners on Monday. Follow over the jump for the winners the Sunday before I didn't already recognize, all of which are science fiction, horror, or fantasy, including fantasy-adjacent, as Bridgerton was retelling a fairy tale, namely Cinderella.

Friday, September 18, 2026


'Widow's Bay' breaks Emmy record with 14 including Outstanding Comedy Series


When I wrote 'Widow's Bay' wins 8 Emmys and could win up to 6 more, I was anticipating a possible sweep by Widow's Bay with Hacks winning only one award. That happened. Widow's Bay won all six categories it was contesting Monday night, including Outstanding Comedy Series. Time to revisit the predictions.
Gold Derby's prognosticators reacted to Widow's Bay's Creative Arts Emmy Awards eight wins the same way they did to DTF St. Louis winning six Emmy Awards, elevating it over the prior favorite, Hacks. The latest odds have improved 26% for Widow's Bay while they've dropped 24% for Hacks, as 87.0% of experts, 70.0% of editors, and 65.8% of users are now voting for Widow's Bay, while 13.0% of experts. 30.0% of editors, and 32.7% of users are sticking with Hacks. The remaining 1.5% of users have made long-shot bets on the rest of the nominees, 0.4% each for Abbott Elementary and The Bear (lo, how the mighty have fallen!), 0.3% each for Margo's Got Money Troubles and Only Murders in the Building, and 0.1% for Nobody Wants This. No one picked poor Shrinking.
The oddsmakers continued to move to Widow's Bay, which had the votes of 89.3% of experts, 77.8% of editors, and 74.3% of users, while support for Hacks fell to 10.7% of experts, 22.2% of editors, and 24.4% of users as people at Gold Derby jumped aboard the Widow's Bay bandwagon. Like DTF St. Louis, the bandwagoneers called it. Watch Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

The team from Widow's Bay accept the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 78th Emmy Awards.
Congratulations! I'll have a winnerview from Katie Dippold, who accepted the award, just above the jump. In the meantime, I'm moving on to Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, the one comedy category not won by Widow's Bay.

Meanwhile, the Gold Derby odds have actually improved for Jean Smart by 2% this week as every editor, 91.7% of experts, and 92.1% of users expect she will repeat for her final turn at the role. Speaking of final turns, the remaining 8.3% of experts along with 5.6% [of users] chose Lisa Kudrow for her final season of The Comeback. The rest of the users distributed their picks among Saturn Award winner Elle Fanning with 1.4%, Quinta Brunson with 0.8%, and Ayo Edebiri with 0.2%.
Every expert joined all of the editors and 94.6% of the users expecting Jean Smart to win, which she did. Watch Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

Jean Smart accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks at the 78th Emmy Awards.
Smart continued being funny in Jean Smart: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Jean Smart from Hacks talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Congratulations to Smart on her final Emmy for Hacks and good luck with Paradise General!

On the other hand, the odds for Matthew Rhys increased 2% this week as every editor and expert along with 95.5% of users expect he will walk away from the podium with his second Emmy (he's likely to get a third for the show as a producer). Martin Short is the users' second choice with 3.0%, followed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jason Segal tied at 0.6%, then Steve Carell with the final 0.3%.
By the time of the ceremony, 97.0% of the users joined every editor and expert in predicting Rhys. They were right. Watch Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

Matthew Rhys accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay. After his win for The Beast in Me, it is his second Emmy win of the night.
Listen to that ovation! They knew they were seeing history in the making! Also, it's not every year I hear Welsh at an awards ceremony.

Now Matthew Rhys: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview, which I promised in the previous installment of this series.

Matthew Rhys talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me, and the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay.
Again, congratulations!

The Gold Derby odds for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series had been close until Sunday, but that night's results caused Kate O'Flynn to fly high above Hannah Einbeinder, as O'Flynn's chances rose 16%, while Einbeinder's dropped 14% and Janelle James' odds sank 2% with hers. O'Flynn is now the choice of 83.3% of experts, 60.0% of editors and 74.3% of users, while Einbeinder retains 12.5% of experts, 30.0% of editors, and 21.7% of users. James has the remaining 4.2% of experts plus 2.5% of users. Professional and user opinion splits on the rest of the field, as the last 10.0% of experts but only 0.4% of users decided Dale Dickey deserves the Emmy, while 1.1% of users made Michelle Pfeiffer their choice. No one is picking Megan Stalter or Jessica Williams.
More of Gold Derby climbed aboard the bandwagon by the ceremony, when 93.1% of experts, 66.7% of editors, and 79.0% of users were riding it to victory. Watch Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

Kate O'Flynn accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.
O'Flynn had more to say in Kate O'Flynn: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Kate O'Flynn from Widow's Bay talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Congratulations! Now on to the last acting category today, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Harrison Ford's odds dropped 8% this week pulling Paul W. Downs 3% with him while Stephen Root's chances rose 11%. Even so, Ford still leads with the support of 58.3% of experts, 20.0% of editors, and 57.2% of users, while Root is gaining as the choice of 80.0% of editors, 25.0% of experts, and 33.9% of users. Gold Derby's editors really like Widow's Bay. Downs' chances depend on retaining 12.5% of experts and 4.7% of users. Professionals and amateurs diverge on fourth on the odds, as 4.2% of experts but only 0.4% of users count Colman Domingo in, while 3.1% of users opt for Nick Offerman. Tyler James Williams' chances also fell 1% this week as he now has the votes of 0.5% of users, while Michael Urie retains the support of 0.1% of users.
Ford barely led by Monday's ceremony with the support of 57.1% of experts, 10.0% of editors, and 54.2% of users, while is voters drifted to Root, who ended up with the backing of 90.0% of editors but still 25.0% of experts and 37.4% of users. As I've written, the editors love Widow's Bay and they were right. Watch Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

Stephen Root accepts the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy for Widow's Bay at the 78th Emmy Awards.
Root was a good sport, thanking his fellow actors and Harrison Ford, who appreciated it. He had more to say in Stephen Root: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Stephen Root from Widow's Bay talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
I'm with Albert Lawrence; don't let Root's words fall on deaf ears.

Despite my using the image for Lucia Aniello of Hacks, she's in second in Gold Derby's odds behind Hiro Murai of Widow's Bay, whose chances rose 13% this week while Aniello's fell 12%. Murai is the choice of 92.0% of experts, 90.0% of editors, and 83.5% of users while Aniello retains 8.0% of experts, 10.0% of editors, and 15.4% of users. The rest of the nominees have 0.1-0.6% users support each.
One of the experts moved from Murai to Aniello, lowering his percentage to 10.0%, while multiple users shifted to Murai, raising their portion to 89.7%. Still, the overwhelming portion called it. Watch Directing for a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

Hiro Murai accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay at the 78th Emmy Awards.
That was a very modest acceptance speech, which carried over to Hiro Murai: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Hiro Murai talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay.
I appreciated Murai's insights into the fine line between comedy and horror, which has now had a great year at the Emmys to match the genre's great year at the Oscars.

Hacks' odds fell 6% but the show still leads, barely, as the choice of 52.0% of experts, 30.0% of editors, and 76.7% of users while Widow's Bay rose 6% but still sits in a close second with 48.0% of experts, 70.0% of editors, and 20.9% of users. I told you, the editors love Widow's Bay. The rest of the nominees have between 1.4% and 0.2% of users choosing them.
Another 10% of editors switched to Widow's Bay for a total of 90.0% by Monday night, where the Emmy electorate proved them right. Watch Writing for a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

Katie Dippold accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay.
Dippold is just as funny and clever in person as she is on the page as translated to the screen. That carried over to Katie Dippold: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Katie Dippold talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Writing For A Comedy Series for Widow's Bay.
Lawrence has been trying to get the winners to spoil Season 2 all evening and failed every time. Nice try!

Follow over the jump for comedy winners other than Widow's Bay at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

'DTF St. Louis' wins Outstanding Limited Series while 'Beef' is shut out at the Primetime Emmy Awards


I'm resuming my Emmy Awards coverage by re-examining the predictions in 'DTF St. Louis' won six Emmy Awards and could beat 'Beef' for Outstanding Limited Series.
Before the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Beef led the Gold Derby odds to win this category. Now, DTF St. Louis leads as the choice of 56.5% of experts, 87.5% of editors, and 61.5% of users, while Beef retains 43.5% of experts, 12.5% of editors, and 36.1% of users. All Her Fault, which I had penciled in as an early favorite for this category, is running far behind with 1.1% of users. The Beast in Me and Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette tie for fourth with 0.6% of users each.
By the time of the ceremony, nearly all the professionals and more of the users jumped aboard the DTF St. Louis bandwagon, as every editor, 81.3% of experts, and 82.9% committed their votes to it, while 15.6% of experts and 15.3% of users stuck with Beef. The bandwagoneers called it. Watch Limited or Anthology Series: 78th Emmys.

The team from DTF St. Louis accept the Emmy for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series at the 78th Emmys.
They had more to say in DTF St. Louis: Winnerview.

The team from DTF St. Louis talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
Congratulations, including to Jason Bateman, who is one of the executive producers, so he won an Emmy for the show, if not his acting in the next category, which was not his last chance to win an Emmy at this ceremony. Oops!

Oscar Issac is down 3% in the Gold Derby odds, but is still the choice of 69.6% of experts, 50.0% of editors, and 76.7% of users. Matthew Rhys gained 3% and now has the votes of 21.7% of experts, 37.5% of editors, and 18.5% of users. Rhys could win two Emmys next Monday, as he's favored to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay, but it's not likely. Riz Ahmed is third as the pick of 8.7% of experts, 12.5% of editors, and 1.7% of users. He's followed by Jason Bateman who has the support of 2.1% of users for his final chance to win an Emmy at these awards and Charlie Hunnam with 1.0% of users.
Rhys beat the odds. Watch Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: 78th Emmys.

Matthew Rhys accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me at the 78th Emmys.
And he won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in a comedy series, too, making him the first actor to win two lead acting awards at the Emmys. Added to his Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for The Americans, and Rhys is the only actor so far to win in all three lead acting categories, comedy, drama, and limited series. Congratulations! Since I'm going to cover I>Widow's Bay in a future installment, I'm saving his Winnerview for then.


I'm moving on to Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, which also was a slight upset, but not a complete surprise.
Next, an update on a category I covered in 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' leads Outstanding TV Movie nominees at the Emmys.
Carey Mulligan leads as the choice of 70% of experts, 50% of editors, and 69.7%, but the professionals and fans differ on the next choice, with 10% of experts, 33.3% of editors, and 7.1% of users picking Sally Fields while 10% of experts and 17.3% of users [are] selecting Sarah Snook. Sarah Pigeon also has the support of 10% of experts along with 16.7% of editors and 4.8% of users. Claire Danes is the choice of the remaining 1% of users.
Mulligan is down 10% but retains the votes of 52.2% of experts, 37.5% of editors, and 58.4% of users. The professionals and fans still disagree on the next choice, as 21.7% of experts, 37.5% of editors, and 9.1% of users have gravitated to Field to raise her odds 2%, while 18.0% of users, 17.4% of experts and 12.5% of editors are now picking Pigeon, raising her odds 11%. Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette winning Outstanding Limited Series and Movie Casting was going to benefit someone and that's Pigeon. Snook's chances decreased by 4% as despite gaining the votes of 12.5% of editors because she her support among experts and users dropped to 8.7% and 14.1%, respectively. Daines' odds also decreased as she retained the support of 0.5% of users.
The professionals' second choice won. Watch Lead Actress in a Limited Anthology Series or Movie: 78th Emmys.

Sally Field accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Anthology Series or Movie for Remarkably Bright Creatures at the 78th Emmys.
I agree with Field about Canada and the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, although the alternative would be Netflix buying Warner Brothers, not an independent Warner Brothers. What the shareholders want and what the Hollywood creatives desire are not the same and the shareholders are in charge unless the courts rule otherwise.

I close with Sally Field: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Sally Field talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Remarkably Bright Creatures.
I appreciate Field's perspective on her character and her praise of the source material. Also, despite downplaying her age, she's the oldest winner ever in this category. She made history, just like Rhys.

That's a wrap for this installment of the series. I plan on covering more winners on Friday. In the meantime, stay tuned for something really short tomorrow.

Previous posts about the 2026 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards

Sunday, September 13, 2026

'The Pitt' and 'Pluribus' each win 4 Emmys and will likely split the remaining 7

As I promised yesterday, I'm examining the Primetime Emmy Awards nominations and Creative Arts Emmy Awards for The Pitt, Pluribus, and other drama nominees as the Sunday entertainment feature. I begin with 78th Emmy Nominations: Drama Series by the Television Academy.

The nominees for Outstanding Drama Series are The Diplomat, The Pitt, Slow Horses, The Gilded [Age], A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Paradise, Pluribus, Your Friends & Neighbors.
The Pitt has a dozen nominations in six categories pending at Monday's ceremony plus four Creative Arts Emmy Awards, five if one counts Inside The Pitt, winner of Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series as a tiebreaker. Pluribus has six Primetime Emmy nominations in six categories plus four Creative Arts Emmys. They are followed by Slow Horses and The Diplomat with five nominations, Paradise with four nominations and one Creative Arts Emmy Award, Task with four nominations, The Gilded Age with three nominations, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms with one nomination and one Creative Arts Emmy, and Your Friends & Neighbors with one nomination.

Unlike their reactions to the multiple wins by Widow's Bay and DTF St. Louis at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Gold Derby's prognosticators maintained the odds of the existing favorites, The Pitt and Pluribus, depending on the category. Every expert and editor along with 94.1% of users predicts The Pitt will repeat as Outstanding Drama Series. Pluribus is the pick of 5.2% of users, while the rest of the nominees have 0.4% or fewer users behind each.

78th Emmys Nominations: Lead Actress in a Drama Series is next in Gold Derby's order.

The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series are Carrie Coon, Chase Infiniti, Keri Russell, Rhea Seehorn and Zendaya.
Every editor, 84.6% of experts, and 84.4% of users agree with me that this is Rhea Seehorn's award to lose and has been since December. Keri Russell has captivated the remaining 15.4% of experts and 13.0% of users, followed by Zendaya with 2.1% of users. Carrie Coon has 0.3% user support while Chase Infiniti brings up the rear with 0.1%.

I continue with 78th Emmys Nominations: Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

The nominees for Lead Actor in a Drama Series are Sterling K. Brown, Gary Oldman, Mark Ruffalo, Rufus Sewell and Noah Wyle.
Every expert and editor plus 95.3% of users are acclaiming Noah Wyle to repeat. Mark Ruffalo is a distant second with 2.5% of users, followed by Gary Oldman with 1.2%, Sterling K. Brown with 0.9%, and Rufus Sewell with 0.1%.


Four actresses from The Pitt earning nominations in this category could result in massive vote splitting that could allow a nominee from another series to slip on through. The other outcome is that the voters look at the nominees side-by-side and decide on the best one. That's what Gold Derby thinks will happen, as a fairly consistent 80.8% of both experts and users along with 88.9% of editors expect Katherine LaNasa will return to the stage, followed by 11.5% of experts and 9.4% of users who suspect Sepideh Moafi will upset, then 11.1% of editors and 5.9% of users captivated by Karolina Wydra, then the remaining 7.7% of experts and 1.8% of users who anticipate Allison Janney will be the best TV president. Taylor Dearden has the support of 1.1% of users, followed by Julianne Nicholson with 0.7%, then Fiona Dourif with 0.2%.


Every editor, 57.7% of experts, and 62.7% of users have picked Patrick Ball to win. On the other hand, 34.6% of experts and 27.4% of users think Tom Pelphrey will take home the Emmy, giving Task the best chance for a drama series other than The Pitt or Pluribus to win an Emmy tomorrow. The remaining 7.7% of experts along with 5.6% of users selected Shawn Hatosy to upset. No, he's not better than Ball, although I think he and the night shift deserve their own spinoff series. They look like fun. The rest of the user vote splits among Billy Crudup at 2.1%, Carlos-Manuel Vesga at 1.0%, Jack Lowden at 0.7%, and Gerran Howell at 0.6%.

Now for the nominees behind the camera.

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
  • The Gilded Age: "My Mind Is Made Up" – Salli Richardson-Whitfield (HBO)
  • Paradise: "Exodus" – Hanelle Culpepper (Hulu)
  • The Pitt: "12:00 P.M." – Noah Wyle (HBO Max)
  • Pluribus: "We Is Us" – Vince Gilligan (Apple TV)
  • Slow Horses: "Scars" – Saul Metzstein (Apple TV)
  • Task: "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river." – Salli Richardson-Whitfield (HBO)
Professional opinion is split on the top two in this category with the users breaking a virtual tie in favor of Vince Gilligan and Pluribus, which has the support of 65.4% of experts, 44.4% of editors, and 74.2% of users, while The Pitt's support consists of 34.6% of experts, 55.6% of editors, and 22.6% of users. Task follows with 1.9%, then The Gilded Age and Slow Horses tied at 0.6%, with Paradise bringing up the rear at 0.1%.
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
  • The Diplomat: "Amagansett" – Peter Akerman and Debora Cahn (Netflix)
  • The Pitt: "1:00 P.M." – Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman and R. Scott Gemmill (HBO)
  • The Pitt: "12:00 P.M." – Valerie Chu (HBO)
  • Pluribus: "We Is Us" – Vince Gilligan (Apple TV)
  • Slow Horses: "Scars" – Will Smith (Apple TV)
  • Task: "A Still Small Voice" – Brad Ingelsby (HBO)
Professional opinion is much more united behind Vince Gilligan and Pluribus for his writing, as every editor and 80.0% of experts along with 80.1% of users expect Gilligan will escape the podium with the statuette. The next choice among experts at 8.0% and users at 10.9% is the "12:00 P.M." of The Pitt. Slow Horses also has 8.0% of experts and 6.7% of users. The "1:00 P.M." episode of The Pitt picked up the remaining 4.0% of experts along with 0.7% of users. The Diplomat and Task split the rest of the user vote at 1.0% and 0.6%, respectively.

Follow over the jump for the Creative Arts Emmys won by The Pitt and Pluribus.

Saturday, September 12, 2026

'Widow's Bay' wins 8 Emmys and could win up to 6 more

I closed 'PBS NewsHour' on 9/11 25 years later by telling my readers, "Stay tuned for more Emmy Awards coverage. Tragedy today, comedy tomorrow." I begin by sharing 78th Emmys Nominations: Comedy Series from the Television Academy.

The nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series are Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, Margo's Got Money Troubles, Nobody Wants This, Only Murders In The Building, Shrinking and Widow's Bay.
Widow's Bay was the big winner Sunday night, taking home eight Emmys. It also has seven nominations at next Monday's Primetime Emmy Awards, tying it with Hacks, which only earned one Emmy on Sunday. Abbott Elementary follows with six pending nominations but no wins, then Shrinking with five nominations, Margo's Got Money Troubles with four nominations pending and three wins, The Bear with three nominations and one win, Only Murders in the Building with two nominations, and Nobody Wants This with only this one.

Gold Derby's prognosticators reacted to Widow's Bay's Creative Arts Emmy Awards eight wins the same way they did to DTF St. Louis winning six Emmy Awards, elevating it over the prior favorite, Hacks. The latest odds have improved 26% for Widow's Bay while they've dropped 24% for Hacks, as 87.0% of experts, 70.0% of editors, and 65.8% of users are now voting for Widow's Bay, while 13.0% of experts. 30.0% of editors, and 32.7% of users are sticking with Hacks. The remaining 1.5% of users have made long-shot bets on the rest of the nominees, 0.4% each for Abbott Elementary and The Bear (lo, how the mighty have fallen!), 0.3% each for Margo's Got Money Troubles and Only Murders in the Building, and 0.1% for Nobody Wants This. No one picked poor Shrinking.

The next category in Gold Derby order is 78th Emmys Nominations: Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series are Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, Elle Fanning, Lisa Kudrow and Jean Smart.
Meanwhile, the Gold Derby odds have actually improved for Jean Smart by 2% this week as every editor, 91.7% of experts, and 92.1% of users expect she will repeat for her final turn at the role. Speaking of final turns, the remaining 8.3% of experts along with 5.6% chose Lisa Kudrow for her final season of The Comeback. The rest of the users distributed their picks among Saturn Award winner Elle Fanning with 1.4%, Quinta Brunson with 0.8%, and Ayo Edebiri with 0.2%.

The last category that the Television Academy uploaded a video for is 78th Emmys Nominations: Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series are Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Steve Carell, Matthew Rhys, Jason Segel, and Martin Short.
On the other hand, the odds for Matthew Rhys increased 2% this week as every editor and expert along with 95.5% of users expect he will walk away from the podium with his second Emmy (he's likely to get a third for the show as a producer). Martin Short is the users' second choice with 3.0%, followed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jason Segal tied at 0.6%, then Steve Carell with the final 0.3%.


The Gold Derby odds for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series had been close until Sunday, but that night's results caused Kate O'Flynn to fly high above Hannah Einbeinder, as O'Flynn's chances rose 16%, while Einbeinder's dropped 14% and Janelle James' odds sank 2% with hers. O'Flynn is now the choice of 83.3% of experts, 60.0% of editors and 74.3% of users, while Einbeinder retains 12.5% of experts, 30.0% of editors, and 21.7% of users. James has the remaining 4.2% of experts plus 2.5% of users. Professional and user opinion splits on the rest of the field, as the last 10.0% of experts but only 0.4% of users decided Dale Dickey deserves the Emmy, while 1.1% of users made Michelle Pfeiffer their choice. No one is picking Megan Stalter or Jessica Williams.


Harrison Ford's odds dropped 8% this week pulling Paul W. Downs 3% with him while Stephen Root's chances rose 11%. Even so, Ford still leads with the support of 58.3% of experts, 20.0% of editors, and 57.2% of users, while Root is gaining as the choice of 80.0% of editors, 25.0% of experts, and 33.9% of users. Gold Derby's editors really like Widow's Bay. Downs' chances depend on retaining 12.5% of experts and 4.7% of users. Professionals and amateurs diverge on fourth on the odds, as 4.2% of experts but only 0.4% of users count Colman Domingo in, while 3.1% of users opt for Nick Offerman. Tyler James Williams' chances also fell 1% this week as he now has the votes of 0.5% of users, while Michael Urie retains the support of 0.1% of users.

Those are all the nominees in front of the camera. Follow over the jump for all the nominees behind the camera and the winners on Sunday night.

Thursday, September 10, 2026

'South Park' mocks Trump after winning Emmy


I promised I would examine a "small" category, Outstanding Animated Series today. It turns out that the winner of this category made news. Watch Brian Tyler Cohen report South Park publicly mocks Trump after Emmy win.


I wrote about Donald "Pervert Hoover" Trump's beef with the Emmys in Melania Trump prefers Trump Tower to the White House ten years ago.
Considering that [The Apprentice] was nominated for eight nine Emmy Awards in its history, but never won, the "Emmy Idol" was the only award The Donald has ever won at the Emmys. No wonder he wanted it so bad.
As Cohen pointed out, it's the only award he's likely to get from the Television Academy, unless they decide to give him an honorary one for lifetime achievement. Fat chance.

Time to revisit the prediction for South Park's category.
Outstanding Animated Program
  • Bob's Burgers: "Grand Pre-Pre-Pre-Opening" (Fox)
  • Rick and Morty: "There's Something About Morty" (Adult Swim)
  • The Simpsons: "Homer? A Cracker Bro?" (Fox)
  • Smiling Friends: "Le Voyage Incroyable de Monsieur Grenouille" (Adult Swim)
  • South Park: "Sermon on the 'Mount" (Comedy Central)
  • Star Wars: Visions: "BLACK" (Disney+)
South Park leads with three nominations, followed by Star Wars: Visions with one nomination and a win, The Simpsons with two nominations, and Bob's Burgers, Rick and Morty, and Smiling Friends with just this one nomination. Gold Derby's prediction page for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards also has South Park leading, as every editor, 90.9% of experts, and 92.6% of users believe it will win with professional and user opinion split among the rest of the nominees with the remaining 9.1% of experts and 1.7% of users selecting Smiling Friends while Bob's Burgers and The Simpsons tied at 2.5% of users each, followed by Rick and Morty with the final 0.8% of users.
By the time of the ceremony, every editor and expert picked South Park to win, and the were right. Watch South Park Wins for Animated Program 78th Emmys.


I had to look up Eric Bauza, the presenter, after watching his introduction. He's a worthy successor to Mel Blanc, as well as an Emmy winner in his own right. Also, congratulations to Trey Parker and all the rest of the cast and crew of South Park!

That's a wrap for today's installment. I plan on returning to Emmy coverage on Saturday because tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Stay tuned.

Previous posts about the 2026 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

'DTF St. Louis' won six Emmy Awards and could beat 'Beef' for Outstanding Limited Series

 I closed 'The Muppet Show' wins four Emmy Awards by telling my readers, "Stay tuned as I look back at 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' leads Outstanding TV Movie nominees at the Emmys and 'DTF St. Louis' vs 'Beef' at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards and ahead to next Monday's Primetime Emmy Awards." I begin with 78th Emmys Nominations: Limited or Anthology Series from the Television Academy.

The nominees for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series are All Her Fault, The Beast in Me, Beef, DTF St. Louis and Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.
Before the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Beef led the Gold Derby odds to win this category. Now, DTF St. Louis leads as the choice of 56.5% of experts, 87.5% of editors, and 61.5% of users, while Beef retains 43.5% of experts, 12.5% of editors, and 36.1% of users. All Her Fault, which I had penciled in as an early favorite for this category, is running far behind with 1.1% of users. The Beast in Me and Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette tie for fourth with 0.6% of users each.

In contrast, Gold Derby still thinks Beef is the favorite in both lead acting categories. First, watch 78th Emmys Nominations: Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie are Riz Ahmed, Jason Bateman, Charlie Hunnam, Oscar Isaac and Matthew Rhys.
Oscar Issac is down 3% in the Gold Derby odds, but is still the choice of 69.6% of expers, 50.0% of editors, and 76.7% of users. Matthew Rhys gained 3% and now has the votes of 21.7% of experts, 37.5% of editors, and 18.5% of users. Rhys could win two Emmys next Monday, as he's favored to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay, but it's not likely. Riz Ahmed is third as the pick of 8.7% of experts, 12.5% of editors, and 1.7% of users. He's followed by Jason Bateman who has the support of 2.1% of users for his final chance to win an Emmy at these awards and Charlie Hunnam with 1.0% of users.

Next, an update on a category I covered in 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' leads Outstanding TV Movie nominees at the Emmys, 78th Emmy Nominations: Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie are Claire Danes, Sally Field, Carey Mulligan, Sarah Pidgeon and Sarah Snook.
...Carey Mulligan leads as the choice of 70% of experts, 50% of editors, and 69.7%, but the professionals and fans differ on the next choice, with 10% of experts, 33.3% of editors, and 7.1% of users picking Sally Fields while 10% of experts and 17.3% of users [are] selecting Sarah Snook. Sarah Pigeon also has the support of 10% of experts along with 16.7% of editors and 4.8% of users. Claire Danes is the choice of the remaining 1% of users.
Mulligan is down 10% but retains the votes of 52.2% of experts, 37.5% of editors, and 58.4% of users. The professionals and fans still disagree on the next choice, as 21.7% of experts, 37.5% of editors, and 9.1% of users have gravitated to Fields to raise her odds 2%, while 18.0% of users, 17.4% of experts and 12.5% of editors are now picking Pigeon, raising her odds 11%. Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette winning Outstanding Limited Series and Movie Casting was going to benefit someone and that's Pigeon. Snook's chances decreased by 4% as despite gaining the votes of 12.5% of editors because she her support among experts and users dropped to 8.7% and 14.1%, respectively. Daines' odds also decreased as she retained the support of 0.5% of users.

Those are the categories still to be awarded. Follow over the jump for the winners this past Sunday. when DTF St. Louis won six Emmys, Beef won three, and The Beast in Me, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, and Remarkably Bright Creatures tied at one each.

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

'The Muppet Show' wins four Emmy Awards


I'm resuming my Emmy Awards coverage by re-examining my predictions from 'The Muppet Show' leads Taylor Swift and 'Wicked' for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) at the Emmys because The Muppet Show was one of the big winners of the first night of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, taking home four statuettes. Here are the categories it won.
Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
  • Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... (Netflix)
  • The Muppet Show (Disney+)
  • Nikki Glaser: Good Girl (Hulu)
  • Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show (Disney+)
  • Wicked: One Wonderful Night (NBC)
The Muppet Show and Wicked: One Wonderful Night co-lead with six nominations each, followed by Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show with five, Nikki Glaser: Good Girl with three, and Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... with two. Gold Derby's prediction page for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards also has The Muppet Show leading with 90% of experts, 33.3% of editors, and 71.3% of users electing it to win. They reverse Wicked: One Wonderful Night and Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show as the latter has the vote of the remaining 10% of experts and 66.7% of editors plus 18.0% while the former only has the support of 8.2% of users. The professionals are split! The users also reverse Nikki Glaser: Good Girl and Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... with the former ranked fifth at 0.8% and the latter in fourth with 1.6%.
The editors and experts equalized at 77.8% each making The Muppet Show their first choice along with 72.3% of users by the eve of the awards, on bulk a consolidation of opinion. The remaining 22.2% of editors and experts plus 19.5% of users stuck with Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show, while Wicked: One Wonderful Night retained 5.5% of users, followed by 2.2% determining that Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... would win and 0.4% naming Nikki Glaser: Good Girl as the victor. As the majority predicted, The Muppet Show won. Watch as The Muppet Show Wins for Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) 78th Emmys by the Television Academy.


The special won on the 50th anniversary of the series premiere. That's wild! Also, congratulations to everyone involved, including Sabrina Carpenter, who IMDB lists as an executive producer. She and Bad Bunny are now halfway to an EGOT!

Follow over the jump for the rest of The Muppet Show's Emmys.

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

'DTF St. Louis' vs 'Beef' at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards


I'm returning to the Emmy Awards by examining the remaining nominees for limited and anthology series that have Gold Derby odds at the the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. I'm following Gold Derby's order of categories beginning with Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
  • Linda Cardellini – DTF St. Louis as Carol Love-Smernitch (HBO)
  • Dakota Fanning – All Her Fault as Jenny Kaminski (Peacock)
  • Laurie Metcalf – Monster: The Ed Gein Story as Augusta Gein (Netflix)
  • Joy Sunday – DTF St. Louis as Jodie Plumb (HBO)
  • Youn Yuh-jung – Beef as Chairwoman Park (Netflix)
  • Constance Zimmer – Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette as Ann Messina Freeman (FX)
Linda Cardellini leads as the selection of 93.8% of experts, 66.7% of editors, and 87.7% of users. As has commonly been the case, the professionals and the amateurs disagree on which nominees have the next best odds. Constance Zimmer, who I've been a fan of since she was in UnREAL ten years ago, is the professionals' second choice with 6.3% of experts and 33.3% of editors, but only 2.6% of users; Youn Yuh-jung is the users' choice with 7.8% of them voting for her to win. Laurie Metcalf earned 1.1% of the users, followed by Dakota Fanning with 0.7%, and Joy Sunday with none.


Gold Derby also thinks that an actor from DTF St. Louis will win this award, too, as 87.5% of experts, 88.9% of editors, and 82.8% of users expect David Harbour will walk off the stage with the Emmy this weekend. Charles Melton and Richard Gadd split the remaining expert vote at 6.3% each with the users breaking the tie in favor of Melton with 11.9% while Gadd has the support of 3.4%. Nick Offerman is fourth according to the users with 1.1% of their votes. Jason Bateman and Richard Jenkins split the remaining user vote at 0.4% each with the rest of the experts breaking the time this time as the choice of the last 11.1%.

Follow over the jump for the categories recognizing the contributors behind the camera.

Sunday, August 30, 2026

Once again, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' leads nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, but 'The Traitors' will likely win for the third time

As I promised at the end of It's Saturday, so here are SNL's eleven Emmy nominations, I'm examining the competition program nominees at the Emmy Awards for the Sunday entertainment feature. Watch 78th Emmys Nominations: Reality Competition Program from the Television Academy.

The nominees for Reality Competition Program are Dancing With the Stars, RuPaul's Drag Race, Survivor, Top Chef and The Traitors.
RuPaul's Drag Race leads nominations with nine (eleven for the franchise), followed by six for The Traitors, five each for Dancing with the Stars and Survivor, and four for Top Chef. The prognosticators at Gold Derby orders the top two like they did last year, when I wrote 'RuPaul's Drag Race' leads nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, but 'The Traitors' will likely win again. Every editor, 95.2% of experts, and 93.5% of users think The Traitors will threepeat. The fans and the professionals diverge on the next most likely, with 4.3% of users rooting for RuPaul's Drag Race to upset, while the remaining 4.8% of experts and 1.8% of users selecting Survivor. Dude, I used to be such a big Survivor fan that I was a moderator of a reality TV forum; I get it, but it's not happening this year. Top Chef trails with the last 0.4% of users, while no one is picking Dancing with the Stars.

Gold Derby also has odds for the next category, which will be presented at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, along with all the rest I'm examining today.

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program
  • RuPaul Charles – RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV)
  • Alan Cumming – The Traitors (Peacock)
  • Kristen Kish – Top Chef (Bravo)
  • Ariana Madix – Love Island USA (Peacock)
  • Jeff Probst – Survivor (CBS)
Alan Cumming won last year and Gold Derby expects he will win again as the choice of every editor, 92.3% of experts, and 91.9% of users. The professionals and fans split on the next two with 7.7% of experts and 1.9% of fans choosing RuPaul Charles while 5.0% of users picked Jeff Probst. Kristen Kish and Ariana Madix divide the remaining users at 0.6% each. By the way, I predicted "Love Island...will be nominated for at least one Emmy next year after breaking through," and I was right. Sorry, Sharks, who got snubbed. On the other hand, congratulations to Madix; just being nominated is an honor.

Follow over the jump for the behind the camera categories, beginning with the ones I covered in 'Love on the Spectrum' leads Unstructured Reality Program at the Emmy Awards.

Saturday, August 29, 2026

It's Saturday, so here are SNL's eleven Emmy nominations


I closed CityNerd asks 'Congestion Pricing: Will We Finally Learn?' A driving update by asking "Saturday Night Live's eleven Emmy nominations, anyone?" Not seeing any objections or other suggestions, I'm doing just that, beginning with one category I haven't covered yet.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
  • Michael J. Fox – Shrinking: "The Field" as Gerry (Apple TV)
  • Brett Goldstein – Shrinking: "Happiness Mission" as Louis Winston (Apple TV)
  • Hamish Linklater – Widow's Bay: "Seasickness" as Richard Warren (Apple TV)
  • Christopher McDonald – Hacks: "No New Tricks" as Marty Ghilain (HBO Max)
  • Rob Reiner – The Bear: "Tonnato" as Albert Schnur (FX)
  • Connor Storrie – Saturday Night Live: "Host: Connor Storrie" as host (NBC)
Connor Storrie is the only SNL performer nominated at these Emmy Awards and the youngest SNL guest host ever nominated, but that doesn't seem to count for much at Gold Derby, where none of the professionals have picked him to win. Their leader is Michael J. Fox, who has the support of 53.8% of experts and 42.9% of editors along with 60.7% of users. Fox is followed by the late Rob Reiner, the choice of 23.1% of experts, 28.6% of editors, and 22.0% of users and Hamish Linklater, picked by 23.1% of experts, 14.3% of editors, and 7.0% of users. Professional and fan opinion diverge for fourth and fifth, as 14.3% of editors but only 2.3% of users consider Christopher McDonald to be a potential winner while no professionals but 7.5% of users selected Storrie. At least everyone generally agrees that Brett Goldstein has the worst chance with only 0.5% of users.

That written, I think Storrie deserves another moment in the Sun. I already embedded his monologue in 'SNL' addresses attack on Iran in cold open and Weekend Update, so watch The Gentlemen’s Code.

Two Victorian men (Connor Storrie, Mikey Day) settle a dispute with the help of the gentlemen's code.
Well, that escalated quickly.

Follow over the jump for the other ten categories, beginning with the ones I covered in 'The Daily Show' examines Fauci's testimony and RFK Hospital plus Emmy nominations for 'The Daily Show'.