The 78th Emmy Awards, honoring achievements from June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026, are set for September 14, starting at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. HBO Max's "The Pitt" leads with 25 nominations, including 12 major categories. Mariska Hargitay, an Emmy winner from the Creative Arts Emmys last week, will host this year’s ceremony, marking a significant milestone as the first woman to do so in 15 years and the first non-comedian since Angela Lansbury in 1993. The article provides details on how viewers can watch the event for free using DIRECTV's five-day trial offer.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
The 78th Emmy Awards, which will celebrate the best of the best of the TV that aired or streamed between June 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026, are tonight, Sept. 14 on NBC.
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that → celebrate → NBC
HBO Max’s “The Pitt” is the most-nominated show going into tonight’s ceremony with 25 total nods (12 of which fall into a “major” category – program, acting, directing, and writing).
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12 → nominate → category
“Hacks” leads comedies with 24 nominations, and “Beef” is the most-nominated limited series with 16 total.
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Beef → lead → total
DIRECTV (five-day free trial)
TV Channel: NBC
After last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys, where many of the non-“major” awards were handed out, freshman series “Widow’s Bay” led the pack with eight wins.
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many → hand → wins
The Matthew Rhys-led supernatural comedy received 19 total nominations.
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comedy → lead → nominations
The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, a special award recognizing people in the TV community “whose philanthropic efforts exemplify Bob Hope’s decades-long altruism and positive impact on society” will be given out for just the eighth time in Television Academy history to Michael J. Fox.
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efforts → recognize → Fox
The actor and Parkinson’s disease activist returned to acting last year with an Emmy-nominated guest performance in “Shrinking.”
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actor → return → Shrinking
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in to the Emmys tonight without cable (for free, too, we might add).
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we → ’ → cable
What time do the Emmys start tonight?
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Emmys → start → time
The 2026 Emmys will begin at 8 p.m. ET tonight, Sept. 14.
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Emmys → begin → ET
E! will begin airing red carpet coverage at 5 p.m. ET ahead of the ceremony.
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! → begin → ceremony
It will run for three hours, until the awards officially begin.
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awards → run → hours
It marks the last year of the current deal in place for the awards to rotate between the big four channels (ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS).
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awards → mark → channels
Where to watch the 2026 Emmys for free
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the 2026 Emmy Awards for free.
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you → watch → Awards
DIRECTV is our top pick for watching TV live for free because of its flexible plans and great deals.
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DIRECTV → watch → plans
NBC is currently included in two discounted genre packs: MyNews ($39.99/month for two months) and MySports ($44.99/month for six months), both of which come with a five-day free trial before payment begins.
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payment → include → trial
If you also want to watch red carpet coverage, the MyEntertainment + MyNews Genre Pack has all the channels you’ll need, with E! and NBC both included.
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E → want → channels
Who is hosting the 2026 Emmys?
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Who → host → Emmys
Newly minted Emmy Award winner Mariska Hargitay will host the 2026 Emmys.
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Hargitay → mint → Emmys
The “Law & Order: SVU” star picked up two awards for her documentary “My Mom Jayne” at last week’s Creative Arts Emmys.
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star → pick → Emmys
Hargitay is the first woman to host the ceremony in 15 years and the first non-comedian to host since Angela Lansbury in 1993.
2025 Emmy nominations (top categories):
Tonight, 19 awards will be given out during the live ceremony, but in total, 120 Emmys will be handed out between tonight and last weekend’s Creative Arts ceremony.
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Emmys → host → tonight
Below, check out nominees in some of the biggest categories of the night; you can check out a full list of categories and nominees on the Television Academy’s website.
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you → check → website
Steve Carell – “Rooster” as Greg Russo (HBO) Matthew Rhys – “Widow’s Bay” as Tom Loftis (Apple TV) Jason Segel – “Shrinking” as Jimmy Laird (Apple TV) Martin Short – “Only Murders in the Building” as Oliver Putnam (Hulu)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary” as Janine Teagues (ABC) Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear” as Sydney Adamu (FX) Elle Fanning – “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” as Margo Millet (Apple TV)
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Margo → shrink → Millet
Ahead of the ceremony, the Television Academy announced a star-studded lineup of presenters, including Zendaya, Matthew McConaughey and Jamie Lee Curtis.
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Academy → announce → Zendaya
Shailene Woodley, who won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, and the Emmy-winning pair from “DTF St. Louis” Linda Cardellini and David Harbour will also present.
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who → win → Louis
The list of presenters also includes Jon Hamm, Emmy-winning “Traitors” host Alan Cumming, Sally Field, Florence Pugh, Amy Poehler, Woody Harrelson, John Mulaney and Emmy Rossum.
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list → include → Hamm
David Boreanaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar will be representing “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” to celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary, and Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith will be on hand for the 50th anniversary of “Charlie’s Angels.”
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Jackson → represent → Angels
Why Trust Page Six Shopping
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for the New York Post, Page Six, and Decider.
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article → trust → Post
Angela keeps readers up to date with information on how to watch all of your favorite reality TV shows and movies on each streaming service.
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Angela → keep → service
Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, celebrities and pop culture.
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she → test → shopping
Prior to joining The Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews
Conversation
Your voice matters.
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voice → join → Conversation
Discussions are moderated for civility.
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Discussions → moderate → civility
Host Mariska Hargitay won two Emmys last weekend for the documentary she made about her mother, Jayne Mansfield.
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she → win → mother
After winning an Emmy for guest starring on "The Pitt" Season 1, Shawn Hatosy (r) has been moved into the Supporting Actor category in 2026.
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Hatosy → win → 2026
