Emmy Predictions 2026 - Who Will Likely Be Nominated for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series?

From June 11 to 22, 2026, voting is taking place for The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. As such, it's fun to look at which actors and shows have the best chances of actually being nominated this year. So, these are my predictions for which performers will be nominated for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Performers most likely to be nominated:

1. Jason Segel for Apple TV's Shrinking
2. Martin Short for Hulu's Only Murders in the Building
3. Jeremy Allen White for FX's The Bear
4. Steve Carell for HBO's Rooster
5. Matthew Rhys for Apple TV's Widow's Bay

Serious threats that could break through:

1. Steve Martin for Hulu's Only Murders in the Building
2. Adam Brody for Netflix's Nobody Wants This
3. Ethan Hawke for FX's The Lowdown
4. Ted Danson for Netflix's A Man on the Inside
5. Tim Robinson for HBO's The Chair Company
6. Dan Levy for Netflix's Big Mistakes
7. Tracy Morgan for NBC's The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins
8. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II for Disney+'s Wonder Man

Some considerable long-shots:

1. Nicolas Cage for MGM+'s Spider-Noir
2. Chad Powell for Hulu's Chad Powers
3. Domhnall Gleeson for Peacock's The Paper
4. Matthew Macfadyen for Peacock's The Miniature Wife
5. Seth Rogen for Apple TV's Platonic
6. Kevin Kline for MGM+'s American Classic
7. Owen Wilson for Apple TV's Stick
8. Jack Whitehall for Peacock's The 'Burbs

Colorful oddities that still have an outside chance:

1. Josh Charles for FOX's Best Medicine
2. Alexander Skarsgård for Apple TV's Murderbot
3. Frankie Muniz for Disney+'s Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair
4. Zach Braff for ABC's Scrubs
5. David Alan Grier for NBC's St. Denis Medical
6. Hero Fiennes Tiffin for Prime Video's Young Sherlock
7. John Cena for HBO Max's Peacemaker
8. Tim Allen for ABC's Shifting Gears

The nominations for The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, July 8. The winners will be awarded in a ceremony broadcast on NBC on Monday, September 14.