British actors dominate this year’s Emmy nominations, with Matthew Rhys becoming the only performer nominated for two lead acting awards – for the comedy Widow’s Bay and the limited series The Beast In Me – as the medical drama The Pitt races ahead with 25 nods. The final season of Hacks is close behind with 24 nominations, but the biggest shock of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards is the complete shutout of Stranger Things and Euphoria from the top categories.
Stranger Things, which ended its run this year, earned seven nominations – all in technical fields. Euphoria fared even worse: only Zendaya made the main acting shortlist, despite the show’s star-studded cast. The Bear, another recently concluded hit, was nominated for best comedy, but its lead Jeremy Allen White – winner of best lead comedy actor at both the 2024 and 2025 Emmys – was snubbed entirely.
“British stars Matthew Rhys leads with two acting nods as The Pitt tops Emmys with 25 nominations.”
Other British nominees include Riz Ahmed (Bait), Carey Mulligan (Beef), Gary Oldman (Slow Horses) and Rufus Sewell (The Diplomat). The Pitt’s cast also scored heavily: last year’s guest actor winner Shawn Hatosy has been promoted to the supporting actor category, where he will compete against co-stars Patrick Ball and Gerran Howell. Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif and Sepideh Moafi each received their first nominations as best supporting actress in the HBO Max drama.
Meanwhile, Widow’s Bay – which also stars Matthew Rhys – collected 19 nominations for its freshman season. In a unusual twist, actors Brittany Allen and Jeff Kober, who appeared as ER patients on The Pitt’s second season, submitted their own work for consideration and each earned a guest-acting nomination. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Los Angeles on 14 September.