How Hacks Set a 24-Nomination Comedy Record at the 2026 Emmys
Hacks received 24 nominations for the 78th Emmy Awards, the most for a comedy program in a single year according to the Television Academy. The total exceeded the 23-nomination mark previously shared by The Bear and The Studio; nominations and eventual wins are separate records.
Timeline
- 2026-07-08: The Television Academy announced 24 nominations for Hacks and identified a single-year comedy record.
- 2026-09-05 and 2026-09-06: Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies presented many craft and guest-performance categories.
- 2026-09-14: The main 78th Emmy Awards telecast concluded the awards cycle.
Hacks received 24 nominations at the 78th Emmy Awards, which the Television Academy identified as the most nominations for a comedy program in a single year. The nominations were announced on July 8, 2026, for work from the 2025–26 television season. The record concerns the program’s total across the full Emmy competition, not only the categories shown during the main televised ceremony. [1][2]
The previous single-year comedy mark was 23 nominations. The Television Academy said that record had been jointly held by The Bear for the 2024 competition and The Studio for 2025. Hacks moved the number up by one. This is a category-history claim from the Academy’s official announcement, rather than a comparison limited to one network, platform or type of award. [1][3]
The 24 nominations covered a broad production. They included Outstanding Comedy Series and recognition for lead, supporting and guest performers, along with writing, directing, casting, cinematography, editing, production design, costumes, hairstyling, makeup, sound mixing, music supervision and original music and lyrics. Multiple people or episodes could be nominated within a field, so the total is not the count of 24 distinct category names. [2][3]
Jean Smart was nominated for playing Deborah Vance, while Hannah Einbinder, Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs were among the supporting nominees. The program also had several guest-actress entries. Behind the camera, the nominations recognized episodes including “Hacks (Finale),” “The Garden,” “The Cube,” “Montecito,” “No New Tricks” and “Who’s Making Dinner?” across different crafts. [2]
A nomination record does not mean the series won 24 Emmys. Awards were presented over Creative Arts ceremonies on September 5 and 6 and the main telecast on September 14. The Academy’s program record lists 2026 wins including Jean Smart for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Jon Philpot for picture editing of a single-camera comedy episode. Other entries remained nominees. [2][4]
The distinction also explains why a telecast recap alone cannot verify the nomination total. Many technical and guest categories are awarded before the prime-time broadcast, while the program page aggregates nominations and wins across the competition. The 78th Emmy winners release says the season was honored across three nights and directs readers to the complete official results. [4][5]
The lasting result is therefore specific: Hacks set the comedy nomination record with 24, surpassing the prior mark of 23, and converted only some of those entries into wins. Future seasons could break the record, so the claim is time-bounded to the 78th Emmy cycle and the Television Academy’s July 2026 statement rather than presented as an unchangeable all-time fact. [1][2][5]
Sources
- Television Academy — 78th Emmy nominations and the Hacks comedy record
- Television Academy — Hacks awards and nominations record
- Television Academy — 2026 nominees and winners
- Television Academy — 78th Emmy Awards winners announcement
- Television Academy — 78th Emmy Awards downloads and official lists