Heated Rivalry, one of the most talked-about shows of the year, received zero nominations at the 2026 Emmy Awards, hosted by Mariska Hargitay in Los Angeles on September 14. The snub has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with where the show was made.
Heated Rivalry is watched by more than 10 million American viewers on HBO Max, but it is actually a Canadian production created for Crave, the streaming service owned by Canada's Bell Media. HBO Max only holds the U.S. distribution rights, and under the Television Academy's rules and regulations, a show is ineligible "unless it is the result of a co-production (both financially and creatively) between U.S. and foreign partners, which precedes the start of production, and with a purpose to be shown on U.S. television." Because Heated Rivalry doesn't meet that standard, it was locked out of contention despite catapulting stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams to international fame.
Storrie wasn't shut out entirely, though. He landed a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for hosting Saturday Night Live in February 2026.
Shows Left Out by the Eligibility Window
Several other buzzy titles missed out simply because they premiered too late. The Legally Blonde prequel Elle, along with Every Year After, The Vampire Lestat and Cape Fear, all debuted after this year's eligibility window closed on May 31, so none could be considered.
The same cutoff caught House of the Dragon's third season and The Bear's fifth and final season, both of which will instead be eligible for the 2027 Emmys. The Bear's 2026 nominations actually recognize its fourth season, which premiered back in the summer of 2025.
Netflix Movies Wait Until Next Year
Two of the summer's most popular Netflix films, Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein's rom-com Office Romance and Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson's Voicemails for Isabelle, also premiered after May 31. That means they'll compete next year in the newly renamed Outstanding Movie category, formerly known as Outstanding Television Movie. This year's field in that category instead includes Sally Fields' Remarkably Bright Creatures and the Emily Henry adaptation People We Meet on Vacation.
Nicola Coughlan and Other Absences
Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, who had a leading role in season three but a reduced part in season four when it premiered in January, wasn't submitted as a contender by Netflix this year, according to Gold Derby, meaning she never appeared on the initial nominations ballot.
Meanwhile, Taylor Sheridan's Landman and Netflix's third and final season of Squid Game turned up empty-handed as well. Unlike the shows above, both were actually eligible; they simply didn't make the cut among nominees.
Biggest Snubs and Surprises
Elsewhere on the ballot, The Amazing Race missed an Outstanding Reality Competition Program nomination for the first time since the category began in 2003, a run that included 108 nods and 15 wins.
Euphoria pulled off a surprise with seven nominations despite its third season drawing weaker reviews than its first two. Zendaya was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, a prize she previously won in 2020 and 2022, and Colman Domingo earned a nod for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. The series, which also stars Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney and Maude Apatow, picked up additional nominations for picture editing, production design, cinematography, and contemporary hairstyling and makeup.
Stranger Things closed out its fifth and final season with nominations for special visual effects, production design and sound mixing, but no acting or directing nods, a quiet end for a show that has won 12 Emmys since debuting in 2016.
The Bear brought in nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series and a lead actress nod for Ayo Edebiri, but Jeremy Allen White missed a lead actor nomination after winning in 2023 and 2024 for playing Carmy Berzatto. His costar Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2023 and 2024 and was nominated again in 2025, also failed to make this year's list.
Chase Infiniti scored a surprise nod for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series playing Agnes, daughter of Elisabeth Moss's character, in Hulu's The Testaments. The nomination follows her film debut in One Battle After Another, which brought her Golden Globe and Actor Awards nominations.
In FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, Sarah Pidgeon was nominated for playing Carolyn Bessette as the limited series picked up six nominations overall, but Paul Anthony Kelly's portrayal of John F. Kennedy Jr. wasn't recognized.
Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, both strong contenders at last year's ceremony, didn't land lead acting nods for Nobody Wants This, though the show itself was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. Jenna Ortega's Wednesday, nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for its first season in 2022, earned no acting or directing nominations this year, though a third season is in the works. Fallout picked up nine nominations, including for Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes and Stunt Performance, but nothing beyond that despite its well-reviewed second season.
On the reality side, Bravo's Summer House earned its first-ever Emmy nomination, for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, following the season 10 fallout between stars Amanda Batula and West Wilson.
The 2026 Emmy Awards telecast airs live on NBC and streams on Peacock September 14 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, with E!'s red carpet coverage starting at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.
