‘The Pitt’ and ‘Pluribus’ are poised to compete for top honors as Emmy nominations are announced

los angeles — “Pluribus” could be a record-breaking freshman, “The Pitt” could have a dominant sophomore season, and “Hacks” is set to celebrate graduation as Emmy nominations are announced Wednesday morning.

Recent winners Lisa Colon-Zayas and Jeff Heller are set to name nominees at the Television Academy in Los Angeles. The 78th Emmy Awards, which will be broadcast on NBC, will be held Sept. 14 at the Peacock Theater, the longtime home of the Emmy Awards that will also soon be home to the Academy Awards. Mariska Hargitay, who for decades was one of NBC’s standard bearers as “The Law” star. & System: Special Victims Unit,” will host.

HBO Max’s beloved emergency room series “The Pitt” was one of the breakout series last year, scoring big wins including best drama series, best actor for Noah Wyle and best supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa.

And in an era when major Emmy contenders — like 2025 best drama nominee “Severance” — tend to take years off between seasons, “The Pitt” is right back for another round, part of its changing model of combining classic network leanings with modern broadcast prestige.

Wyle and LaNasa are a virtual snapshot of the new nominations. It is almost certain that many of the residents, interns, and attending physicians from their large group will join them. It could dominate the supporting acting categories the way “The White Lotus” — another major Emmy contender — has dominated in recent years.

But “The Pitt” could easily be bested in nominations by “Pluribus,” the Apple TV+ one-woman-against-the-world series from “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” star Vince Gilligan. It has a chance to break the 32-year-old record for most Emmy nominations for a first season, which “NYPD Blue” set with 26 nominations in 1994.

“Pluribus” is the kind of smart, well-crafted series that Emmy voters love. The score should reach the technical categories. The only thing holding its collection back may be its premise. Rhea Seehorn is the only lead actress. She should be the favorite to win Best Actress once her inevitable nomination arrives on the heels of her Golden Globe win. Karolina Wydra, who plays the series’ spokeswoman for the rest of humanity, has a strong chance of getting a supporting nomination.

This year’s batch of comedies is benefiting from the absence of rising juggernaut The Studio last year. Emmy voters love departing shows, and they’ve loved “Hacks” since its first season. These two colliding phenomena should result in a good nomination total for the fifth and final season.

Star Jean Smart has won Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series in the previous four seasons. It would be amazing if you didn’t claim the fifth. Her friend throughout the series Hannah Einbinder, who had a huge hit and won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for her fourth nomination last year, is sure to get another nod, as is her colleague, series co-creator Paul W. Downs.

Downs’ competition will likely include Harrison Ford. Buzz is that this could be the year the Hollywood legend finally wins an EGOT award if he receives a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for “Shrinking.” Teammate Jason Segel is also a potential candidate.

Despite the absence of “The Studio,” AppleTV+, which established a major Emmy comedy presence with “Ted Lasso,” could land three nominees for best comedy series. “Shrinking” could be joined by the new movie “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” whose stars Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer are likely to be nominated to star, and the famous horror comedy “Widow’s Bay.”

Netflix’s “Beef” should weigh in in the limited or anthology series categories, especially after one of its top competitors, the cop-and-con drama “Task,” switched to the drama category when it announced a second season. “Love Story: John F. Kennedy, Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” from FX may be her main competition.

And big names always show up in the Emmys guest acting categories. This year’s potential nominees include the late Rob Reiner for his recurring role in The Bear and Michael J. Fox for his three-episode role as a Parkinson’s disease patient in Shrinking.