2026 Primetime Emmys set for Sept. 14

The 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards are set for Monday, Sept. 14, with Mariska Hargitay hosting the 78th ceremony, according to Gold Derby and the Television Academy. NBC and Peacock will carry the telecast live at 8 p.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Pacific from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The date and host are no longer just awards-season chatter; both were announced by NBC and the Television Academy on July 7 and were recapped again in Gold Derby’s Aug. 5 ceremony listing. Presenters and performers have not yet been announced. ### When exactly are the Emmys on, and where will they air? Monday, Sept. 14 is the date for the main Primetime Emmy ceremony, and the show is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The Television Academy said the broadcast will air live coast-to-coast on NBC and stream on Peacock. The ceremony is set for the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live. (goldderby.com) Gold Derby’s ceremony page published Aug. 5 lists the same timing and identifies Hargitay as host, while leaving presenters and performers listed as “TBA.” That means the broad shape of Emmy night is in place even as some telecast details remain open. ### Why is Mariska Hargitay the central name in this announcement? (televisionacademy.com) Mariska Hargitay was named host by NBC and the Television Academy in a July 7 announcement. The organizations described her as an Emmy-winning actor, director and producer and tied the booking to NBC’s 100th-birthday celebrations this fall. Hargitay is best known for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” one of NBC’s longest-running franchises. (goldderby.com) In the Television Academy announcement, Hargitay said, “Bringing important stories into the light has been the heartbeat of my career,” and called it “my great honor” to host the ceremony. NBCUniversal used the same statement in its newsroom release. (televisionacademy.com) ### What ceremony is this, exactly? The Sept. 14 telecast is the 78th Emmy Awards, honoring primetime television programming from the eligibility period running from June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026, according to coverage summarizing the awards calendar. That places this year’s ceremony in the standard fall Emmy slot after summer nominations and before the main broadcast. (televisionacademy.com) Billboard’s awards-calendar report also said the 78th Emmy Awards will be part of a three-night presentation structure, with some categories handled outside the main telecast. ### What still has not been announced? Presenters and performers are still to be announced, according to Gold Derby’s ceremony listing. (billboard.com) The same listing does not include additional telecast elements beyond the date, time and host. The Television Academy and NBC have already locked in the venue, network and streamer, but they have not yet publicly filled out the rest of the on-air lineup in the materials reviewed here. (billboard.com) That is typical of awards-show rollouts, where producers release host, honorees and presenters in stages. That last point is an inference based on the sequence of announcements already published. (goldderby.com) ### What happens before Sept. 14? Sept. 5 and Sept. 6 are the scheduled dates for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which precede the main telecast and recognize many technical and craft categories, according to coverage of the 2026 Emmy schedule. Those events arrive about a week before Hargitay takes the stage for the main NBC broadcast. (goldderby.com) July 29 also brought one named on-show honoree: Michael J. Fox will receive the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award during this year’s ceremony, according to coverage cited in Yahoo’s Emmy report. The next official details to watch for are presenter and performer announcements from NBC, Peacock or the Television Academy ahead of the Sept. 14 telecast. (yahoo.com) (en.wikipedia.org)