In case you were looking for a reminder that the summer is moving faster than The Bear’s Carmy dicing onions, the 2026 Emmy Nominations are already here. The ceremony — hosted for the first time by Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay — will be live on Monday, September 14th, on NBC and today, the list of TV shows and stars acknowledged by the Television Academy caused the usual commotion: excitement over returning Emmy favorites (Hacks, The Pitt, Abbott Elementary), shock and awe over the surprise noms (Chase Infiniti! Riz Ahmed! Subway Takes!), and the inevitable frustration over supposed snubs (Industry, Stranger Things, Paul Anthony Kelly for Love Story, Cailee Spaeny for Beef, I could go one). 

As always, Emmy nomination morning isn’t just about celebrating television, it’s about instantly becoming convinced the Television Academy has either impeccable taste or has never watched TV before, with absolutely no middle ground. Every year brings a fresh batch of “finally!” moments, a handful of “sure, I guess,” picks, and at least one nomination that sends everyone sprinting to Google. This year’s ballot asks some genuinely pressing questions: Will Hacks’ final season cement it as an unstoppable comedy dynasty? Will The Pitt‘s dominance last through voting season, or has the backlash already begun? How exactly did Connor Storrie pull off one of the morning’s biggest surprise nominations? And perhaps most importantly, which snub will become the internet’s entire personality for the next 48 hours?

So before we all become armchair Television Academy voters for the next two months, here are the biggest questions hanging over this year’s race.

Who Are The Frontrunners? 

Can anything actually stop The Pitt? Do we want it to? HBO’s breakout medical drama dominated this year’s Emmy nominations, cementing itself as the awards juggernaut everyone predicted when Noah Wyle first put on those scrubs… again. But Emmy voters have a habit of falling in love hard, and then moving on just as quickly. Is The Pitt genuinely unstoppable, or are we about to witness the annual backlash that inevitably follows peak TV obsession? I’m still mad at team behind The Pitt for doing my girl Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) so dirty last season and announcing that she would not be returning to the series. But, I digress. The series garnered 25 nominations in total, including noms for Wyle, co-stars Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, Fiona Dourif, Sepideh Moafi, Patrick Ball, Shawn Hatosy, Gerran Howell, and guest stars Brittany Allen (who submitted herself), Tal Anderson, Tina Ivlev, and Ernest Harden Jr. (Louie!!) 

Moafi (The Pitt’s Dr. Al-Hashimi) became the first Iranian woman and woman from the Middle East to be recognized in the supporting actress in a drama series category. I love The Pitt but when one show monopolizes the nominations like this, it’s hard not to wish the love was spread around a bit more. And it brings up questions like why Isa Briones was left off the ballot when so many of her co-stars weren’t? 

On the comedy side, Hacks somehow keeps finding another gear. For its final season, the reigning champion garnered 24 noms (a record for a comedy series for noms in a single year) making it the rare series that is both critically beloved and broadly embraced by the Academy, and this year’s haul only reinforces Jean Smart’s seemingly permanent residence in the Best Comedy Actress winner’s circle. My prediction is that Smart will do it again. And she deserves! The ending of Hacks was perfect. In the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category, Smart’s co-star Hannah Einbinder is nominated again, and I’m hoping for another win because her 2025 speech (“Go Birds, Fuck Ice, and Free Palestine”) is one of my all-time fave Emmy Speeches. However, I think the frontrunner in that category is Kate O’Flynn as Patricia in Widow’s Bay.

Widow’s Bay leads the noms for new shows with 19 and I think a combination of recency bias (the show’s Season 1 finale aired just last month) and the fact that it’s one of the most original and best TV shows of the past decade (Matthew Rhys hive, we up!) makes it a clear frontrunner come September. 

Does Your Fave Have A Shot At Winning? 

Some nominations just feel right. Abbott Elementary continues its remarkably consistent Emmy run, reminding us that network TV isn’t dead if you’re funny enough. It’s one of my personal favorite shows on TV but I think the chances of Abbott taking home any hardware this year are slim (Janelle James has the best shot in the supporting comedy actress category). 

Riz Ahmed popping up on the ballot for Bait is exactly the kind of “oh, good for him!” surprise that makes nomination morning worth refreshing social media for. And Subway Takes getting recognized is a beautiful reminder that the Emmys occasionally remember the internet exists. That said, I don’t think either will win their respective categories. 

Everyone’s fave it girl, Zendaya, garnered another Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmy nom (she’s won twice) for playing Rue Bennett for the last time in Euphoria. Again, I don’t think this is her year to win it. This one probably belongs to Pluribus’ Rhea Seehorn though my vote would go to Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell in The Gilded Age or Chase Infiniti’s stunning work as Agnes in The Testaments. 

I also loved seeing Yahya Abdul Mateen II’s name show up for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series for Wonderman but if I had to wager, that category belongs to Rhys.

Then there’s Connor Storrie, whose nomination immediately launched a thousand group chats asking the same thing: “Wait… Connor Storrie got nominated?” That’s not a criticism — it’s been widely reported that Heated Rivalry is not eligible for Emmys since it’s an entirely Canadian production but Storrie got nominated for his hosting gig on Saturday Night Live. The Emmys knows what comes with getting some like Storrie to their event. He’s the it-boy of the moment, who is also a wonderful actor and was great on SNL, but let’s not pretend like this wasn’t some kind of make-up nom since they couldn’t give him one for Heated Rivalry. Well, however it happened, I’m excited for Storrie. He’s at the beginning of his career and I can’t wait to watch him rise (more of this energy for Hudson Williams too, please!). His name on the ballot is the kind of wonderfully left-field acting nomination that makes awards season fun. 

Finally, Who Did Emmy Voters Forget? 

Of course, no Emmy nominations are complete without the annual crashouts that come when the show you swear deserved a nom is left off the ballot.  Industry remains one of the Television Academy’s most confounding blind spots. The voting body just must not be watching because Myha’la as Harper Stern deserves! Stranger Things‘ absence feels like the end of an era, even if its eligibility and release schedule have complicated its awards prospects in recent years. Cailee Spaeny missing for Beef stings, while Paul Anthony Kelly’s omission for Love Story isn’t exactly unexpected (critics widely called him out as the show’s weakest link but I liked his performance as JFK Jr.) but he was hitting the “for your consideration” circuit hard so I’m sure he’s feeling a bit disappointed today. 

There are some snubs that inspire the kind of deeply specific grievance that awards obsessives will be litigating until voting closes but this year, I don’t think there’s a clear one. Most outlets are pointing out that none of Taylor Sheridan’s shows got noms but those are all just soap operas for boys so I don’t know why anyone thinks they deserve the prestige of Emmys. In that case, Kerry Washington should be there for Imperfect Women, a messy ass show that only worked because of Washington and Elisabeth Moss. 

Other snubs: despite winning a Golden Globe for her role in CBS’ Matlock, Kathy Bates was notably missing from the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category, Sydney Sweeney wasn’t nominated for Euphoria (correct, in my opinion), and usual Emmy darlings Selena Gomez and Steve Martin were absent from the comedy categories for Only Murders In The Building. 

As always, I would love The Emmys to diversify their TV viewing experience from the same old shows and maybe watch Survival Of The Thickest (Michelle Buteau should have all the comedy awards!). I would have also loved to see Tessa Thompson in there for His & Hers or Keke Palmer for The Burbs, but overall, I’m not mad at these nominations. 

Wait — Is The Bear A Comedy?

I’m kidding. This question has never really interested me, but it’s (almost) the last time people will be able to gripe over whether The Bear is committing category fraud (who cares?) so I had to poke the bear (I’ll be here all week!). Let’s just revel in the sweet gesture the Academy made by nominating the late Rob Reiner for  his guest appearance on the series’ penultimate season and keep it moving. 

Below, find the complete list of the 2026 Emmy nominees.

Outstanding Drama Series

“The Diplomat”

“The Gilded Age”

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”

“Paradise”

“The Pitt”

“Slow Horses”

Your Friends & Neighbors

Outstanding Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary.

The Bear.

Hacks.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles.

Nobody Wants This.

Only Murders in the Building.

Shrinking.

Widow’s Bay.

Outstanding limited or anthology series

All Her Fault.

The Beast in Me.

Beef.

DTF St. Louis.

Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.

Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama

Sterling K. Brown, Paradise.

Gary Oldman, Slow Horses.

Mark Ruffalo, Task.

Rufus Sewell, The Diplomat.

Noah Wyle, The Pitt.

Outstanding Lead Actress, Drama

Keri Russell, The Diplomat.

Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus.

Zendaya, Euphoria.

Chase Infiniti, The Testaments.

Carrie Coon, The Guilded Age.

Outstanding Lead Actor, Comedy

Steve Carell, Rooster.

Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay.

Jason Segal, Shrinking.

Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonderman.

Outstanding Lead Actress, Comedy

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary.

Elle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money Troubles.

Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback.

Jean Smart, Hacks.

Ayo Edebiri, The Bear.

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama

Taylor Dearden, The Pitt.

Fiona Dourif, The Pitt.

Allison Janney, The Diplomat.

Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt.

Sepideh Moafi, The Pitt.

Julianne Nicholson, Paradise.

Karolina Wydra, Pluribus.

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy

Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons.

Paul W. Downs, Hacks.

Harrison Ford, Shrinking.

Nick Offerman, Margo’s Got Money Troubles.

Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay.

Micheal Urie, Shrinking.

Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary.

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy

Dale Dickey, Widow’s Bay.

Hannah Einbinder, Hacks.

Janelle James, Abbott Elementary.

Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay.

Michelle Pfeiffer, Margo’s Got Money Troubles.

Megan Stalter, Hacks.

Jessica Williams, Shrinking.

Outstanding Lead actor, limited series, anthology or movie

Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story.

Oscar Isaac, Beef.

Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me.

Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit.

Riz Ahmed, Bait.

Outstanding Lead actress, limited series, anthology or movie

Claire Danes, The Beast in Me.

Carey Mulligan, Beef.

Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.

Sarah Snook, All Her Fault.

Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures.

Outstanding Supporting actor, limited series, anthology or movie

Jason Bateman, DTF St. Louis.

Richard Gadd, Half Man.

David Harbour, DTF St. Louis.

Richard Jenkins, DTF St. Louis.

Charles Melton, Beef.

Nick Offerman, Death by Lightning.

Outstanding Supporting actress, limited series, anthology or movie

Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis.

Dakota Fanning, All Her Fault.

Laurie Metcalf, Monster: The Ed Gein Story.

Joy Sunday, DTF, St. Louis.

Youn Yuh-jung, Beef.

Constance Zimmer, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bissette.

Outstanding Guest actor, drama

Colman Domingo, Euphoria.

Ernest Harden, Jr., The Pitt.

Jeff Hiller, Pluribus.

Jeff Kober, The Pitt.

Jonathan Pryce, Slow Horses.

Bradley Whitford, The Diplomat.

Outstanding Guest actress, drama

Brittany Allen, The Pitt.

Tal Anderson, The Pitt.

Tina Ivlev, The Pitt.

Miriam Shor, Pluribus.

Merritt Wever, The Gilded Age.

Shailene Woodley, Paradise.

Outstanding Guest actor, comedy

Michael J. Fox, Shrinking.

Brett Goldstein, Shrinking.

Hamish Linklater, Widow’s Bay.

Christopher McDonald, Hacks.

Rob Reiner, The Bear.

Connor Storrie, Saturday Night Live.

Outstanding Guest actress, comedy

Leslie Bibb, Hacks.

Jamie Lee Curtis, The Bear.

Betty Gilpin, Widow’s Bay.

Cherry Jones, Hacks.

Laurie Metcalf, Hacks.

Kaitlin Olson, Hacks.

Lauren Weedman, Hacks.

Outstanding variety series

The Daily Show.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Saturday Night Live.

Outstanding reality competition program

Dancing with the Stars.

RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Survivor.

Top Chef.

The Traitors.

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Dating is hard. Like, really hard. The apps have suffocated us with an endless amount of options and the paradox of choice, and it feels like more and more people these days are giving up on finding love (at least, online). And while that may be the vibe, it’s not necessarily the majority of young people’s experiences. Dating apps are exhausting, but there’s still a way to meet your prospective match: in the wild.

According to the Pew Research Center, just 12% of partnered American adults met each other online (21% of those ages 18 to 29) with the rest meeting through friends and family, at work, at school, at a bar or restaurant, or anywhere in the world, really. There’s definitely hope out there for those who are apps-averse, and if you’re looking for some inspiration (or just a sign that you’re on the right track) then look no further. Here, five readers dive into exactly how they met their partners in the wild.

This article was originally published in August 2023 and has since been updated.

Rachel, 27, she/her, New York

Rachel and her partner have been together for over three years, and they met at one of the OG spots for love — the workplace. She tells Refinery29 that she had never seen him before at their place of work, so she went up and introduced herself during a work happy hour. “I found out we had a ton in common like music, playing tennis, and traveling. Once I knew where he sat in the office, I would go over to his desk and we would taste test various Trader Joe’s snacks together every week. I was not shy to call him my work crush to my friends and even coworkers,” she says. “Eventually he asked me on a date, which happened to be March 15, 2020. We sat in the park and drank wine and after a few months of FaceTiming we made it official. We both ended up quitting that job and ‘came out’ as a couple to our coworkers a few months later.”

Some of her favorite things about him are that he’s “calm, cool, collected.” “He was really good at his job and had this sort of quiet confidence that initially attracted me to him,” she says. “People seemed to gravitate towards him and it made me intrigued. He’s thoughtful, so patient, an amazing cook, and has a super cute Frenchie which is a great added bonus.”
The pair are moving in together soon, and Rachel says she’s sure it will be the classic engagement-marriage-house pipeline. “He’s 36, I’m 27, but he hasn’t put any pressure on me to speed things along which is great,” she says.

Hilary, 31, she/they, Northeast US

Hilary first met their partner in person — but it wasn’t an accident, technically. “I was introduced by a friend and set up on what was, essentially, a blind date!” Hilary says. “My partner is a creative — they make LGBTQ+ content for kids and family and have the biggest heart. Their main mission in life is to make life easier for queer and trans kids today than it was for us when we were growing up and realizing our gender and sexuality in the early aughts and 2010s.”

Hilary says she was drawn to her partner because “they are funny and sweet and know exactly how to stop my brain mid-spiral and create peaceful, easy silence for me." In fact, their first dance at their wedding was to "Easy Silence" by the Chicks, "which perfectly explains our relationship and who they are for me and for many others.” They’ve been together for six years and have been married for two. “We have two dogs, Georgie and Charlie, and our life is pretty sweet. Just lots of good food, dog walks, queer shows and movies, and cuddling in on cold New England winter nights,” Hilary says. “It sounds pretty saccharine, but whatever. It's great.”

Meghan, 28, she/her, California

Meghan had just arrived back after traveling Europe on a solo trip, and had a friend convince her to stay in Los Angeles after she was planning to move to Amsterdam. “I was settling back in, and went to get my hair done up in the valley," she says. She had a spur of the moment inkling to head to a bar down the block after her appointment. “I walked into a local's spot and sat myself down at the bar, ordered a salad and a margarita, and promised myself not to touch my phone while I was there so I could stay open and get into the mode of being receptive if any conversations arose,” she says. “Barely 20 minutes after arriving, I had an older man decked out in silver jewelry approach me and say, ‘I absolutely love your hair!’ I replied and thanked him to which he said, ‘I'm married by the way, I'm not hitting on you, just thought you should know that you look stunning,’ and I thanked him.”

Meghan ended up hanging out with the gentleman’s friends for the night. “I fully expected other men in their early 60s to be sitting, waiting for me to turn around, but to my pleasant surprise I found a mixed bag of people, some coupled up, some single men, and all within the age range of 35-45,” she says. Her current partner of around eight months was in the group. “We talked for almost four hours that first night we met, and we've been together ever since,” she says.

She describes her partner as “one of the kindest, most patient, growth-centric, full-of-facts, curious, loving, intelligent human beings I have ever met, and I feel so deeply inspired and lucky every day in our partnership. He is my rock, and allows me the safe space to fly each and every day with support and encouragement, and without constraint or jealousy. Truly the healthiest and most balanced and loving dynamic I've ever been in.”

As far as their future, Meghan says they love to travel and have already taken five trips together in the eight months they’ve known one another. “We hope to have a home outside of the U.S. together someday, but for now we are learning, exploring new hobbies and interests, and working towards the beautiful future we've discussed where we explore the world, our own potential, and a union together (marriage most likely within the next couple of years, if not sooner),” she says. “Honestly though, he's the only partner I've had that didn't make me feel like I needed to rush towards something, because the right here and now is pretty great.”

Bridgette, 26, she/her, New York

You know how the Rihanna song goes, we found love in a hopeless place? Well, Bridgette identifies with the lyric — she found love on a New York City sidewalk. “I was getting pizza late one night with friends after a concert and a guy walked by on the sidewalk wearing funky yellow disco shades,” she says. “I said, ‘I like your glasses,’ and he stopped to chat me up, we hit it off, and have been talking ever since.”

The pair casually dated for over a year but have now been an exclusive couple for over five months. “I love his brain and the way he processes things, how silly he is, and how he’s always up for anything,” she says. “The best parts are that we’ve sat on my couch for over five hours straight just talking and laughing and it feels like five minutes.”

Maya, 25, she/her, Washington, D.C.

Maya met her boyfriend volunteering to knock on doors for a state legislature candidate in Virginia. “Our friend who had organized the canvass asked if the two of us wanted to go together and divide up one turf. He immediately said no and that he would take his own,” she says. “We connected over drinks with other volunteers after the canvass was done, but didn’t start seeing each other until a few months later when we were with mutual friends at a bar and he asked me out.” They’ve been together for two years.

“Since the start of our relationship he’s always been very vulnerable and honest with me and doesn’t hide what he’s feeling. He’s also incredibly thoughtful and plans very romantic dates, trips with full itineraries, and surprises,” she says. “He’s put his full effort into our relationship from the beginning.”

As far as what the future looks like, though, Maya isn’t so sure. “We’ve been living together for the past six months but we’re also looking at a year or two of long distance. We’re both planning on going back to school, and his job takes him a lot of different places,” she says. “I think the next few years will be challenging but we have a solid foundation and are both committed to making it work.”

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