Apple Nabs Record 89 Emmy Nods for ‘Widow’s Bay,’ ‘Pluribus,’ and More
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Apple is once again shattering its own records, bringing in a whopping 89 nominations for this year’s 78th Primetime Emmy Awards — a number that makes it the third most-nominated platform of the year.
While it still lags behind HBO Max and Netflix, which received 122 and 111 nominations, respectively, Apple grabbed the number 3 and 4 spots among the most-nominated shows in all of this year’s television, with Widow’s Bay (19 nominations) and Pluribus (18) ranking behind HBO Max’s The Pitt (25) and Hacks (24). Since those cross between comedy and drama, it actually puts each of those flagship shows in second place within their respective genres.
While Widow’s Bay is much darker than the usual comedy fare, it wasn’t Apple’s only showing in the category. Shrinking received 10 nominations, including one for Michael J. Fox for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, where he’ll be competing against two other Apple TV stars: Brett Goldstein for the same series (also known as Roy Kent from Ted Lasso), and Hamish Linklater from Widow’s Bay.
Meanwhile, Apple scored 3 nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series — an Emmy it’s already taken home twice. The first was for Ted Lasso in 2021, followed by The Studio at last year’s Emmys, which also went on to become the first comedy in history to sweep all major awards in a single season.
That’ll be a hard act to follow, but Apple is in a great position to try, with Widow’s Bay, Shrinking and Margo’s Got Money Troubles all in the running against Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, Nobody Wants This, and Only Murders in the Building.
Meanwhile, Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer are both up for Emmys, nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy, respectively, for their work in Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Outstanding Lead Actor nominations in the category include Jason Segel for Shrinking and Matthew Rhys for Widow’s Bay, while the Outstanding Supporting Actor category is packed with Apple TV stars, from Harrison Ford (Shrinking) and Stephen Root (Widow’s Bay), to Nick Offerman (Margo’s Got Money Troubles) and Michael Urie (also Shrinking).
Moving into drama, Pluribus is joined by two more Apple Outstanding Drama Series nominations for Slow Horses and Your Friends & Neighbors, where all three will be competing against The Diplomat, The Gilded Age, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Paradise, and The Pitt.
Gary Oldman has also been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor for Slow Horses, while Apple has three names in the running for Outstanding Supporting Actor in that category: Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), and Carlos-Manuel Vesga (Pluribus).
Of course, Pluribus’ Rhea Seehorn and Karolina Wydra have also been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a drama series, respectively.
These are joined by numerous other nominations for costuming, casting, choreography, cinematography, production design, directing, editing, and more. Other significant nominees include Palm Royale, which has received 8 nominations in these various categories, The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy, which has been nominated for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special, and Mr. Scorsese, which is up for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series, along with two other potential Emmys for directing and editing.
Technically speaking, only 87 of the nominations are for Apple TV shows, as the other two are for “A Critter Carol” and “I’m Not Remarkable,” which are up for Outstanding Commercial. The “Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show” is also on the list, but under Emmy rules that’s credited as a nomination for NBC, as that was the network broadcasting the Super Bowl.
Of course, it’s an honor just to be nominated, but the real test will come in September when the hardware is actually handed out. Apple cleaned up last year with The Studio, which set a new overall record for the most Emmy nominations and wins by a freshman comedy series, and tied with The Bear for the most-nominated comedy series overall. That nomination record’s been broken this year by HBO Max’s Hacks, which received 24, but we’ll have to see whether that one can top Apple’s record 13 wins from last year.
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will take place live on Monday, September 14, 2026 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
