Emmy Episode Submissions Reveal Actor Campaign Strategies
The 2026 Emmy acting nominees have submitted their chosen episodes for consideration, offering insight into their campaign strategies. Noah Wyle selected The Pitt's season finale "9:00 P.M.," where his character Dr. Robby externalizes his emotional meltdown. Taylor Dearden and Sepideh Moafi also chose high-intensity episodes, while Fiona Dourif and Katherine LaNasa submitted episodes highlighting their characters' compassion. The article analyzes common submission tactics, including series premieres, finales, and episodes featuring grief, trauma, monologues, and victories. Notable choices include Harrison Ford submitting Shrinking's finale, Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder both submitting Hacks' series finale, and Lisa Kudrow submitting The Comeback's "Valerie Faces Reality." The piece also notes potential missteps, such as Sterling K. Brown submitting an episode where Shailene Woodley shines, and praises Kate O'Flynn's submission of Widow's Bay's "Beach Reads" as a defining episode.
Key facts
- Noah Wyle submitted The Pitt's season finale '9:00 P.M.'
- Taylor Dearden and Sepideh Moafi chose high-emotional-intensity episodes for The Pitt
- Fiona Dourif submitted the episode where Dr. McKay treats an unhoused patient
- Katherine LaNasa selected the episode where Nurse Dana administers a rape kit
- Harrison Ford submitted Shrinking's season finale 'And That's Our Time'
- Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder both submitted Hacks' series finale 'Hacks'
- Lisa Kudrow submitted The Comeback's 'Valerie Faces Reality'
- Kate O'Flynn submitted Widow's Bay's 'Beach Reads'
Entities
Artists
- Noah Wyle
- Taylor Dearden
- Sepideh Moafi
- Fiona Dourif
- Katherine LaNasa
- Gerran Howell
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
- Rhea Seehorn
- Mark Ruffalo
- Chase Infiniti
- Elle Fanning
- Carrie Coon
- Harrison Ford
- Julianne Nicholson
- Keri Russell
- Rufus Sewell
- Shawn Hatosy
- Jean Smart
- Hannah Einbinder
- Zendaya
- Lisa Kudrow
- Billy Crudup
- Tom Pelphrey
- Jessica Williams
- Matthew Rhys
- Gary Oldman
- Nick Offerman
- Stephen Root
- Jason Segel
- Martin Short
- Quinta Brunson
- Ayo Edebiri
- Dale Dickey
- Kate O'Flynn
- Michelle Pfeiffer
- Michael Urie
- Tyler James Williams
- Carlos Manuel Vesga
- Sterling K. Brown
- Patrick Ball
- Shailene Woodley
- Jason Sudeikis
- Glenn Close
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- Julia Garner
- Damian Lewis
- Ben Mendelsohn
- Kyle Chandler
- Jon Hamm
- Peter Dinklage
- Dan Levy
- Jennifer Coolidge
- Elizabeth Debicki
- Anna Sawai
- Kieran Culkin
- Billy Porter
- Lee Jung-jae
- Julianna Margulies
- Bryan Cranston
- Allison Janney
- Jeremy Allen White
- Jeff Hiller
- Kate McKinnon
- Jeff Daniels
- Viola Davis
- Rachel Brosnahan
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach
- Jeremy Strong
- Matthew Macfadyen
- Sarah Snook
- Benito Skinner
- Greg Kinnear
- Sherry Cola
Institutions
- Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
- Emmys
- The Pitt
- Pluribus
- The Testaments
- Margo's Got Money Troubles
- The Gilded Age
- Shrinking
- Paradise
- The Diplomat
- Hacks
- Euphoria
- The Comeback
- The Morning Show
- Task
- Slow Horses
- Only Murders in the Building
- Abbott Elementary
- Widow's Bay
- The Bear
- Somebody Somewhere
- Mom
- The White Lotus
- The Crown
- Shōgun
- Succession
- Pose
- This Is Us
- Squid Game
- The Good Wife
- Breaking Bad
- The Newsroom
- How to Get Away with Murder
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Friday Night Lights
- Mad Men
- The Americans
- Game of Thrones
- Schitt's Creek
- Ted Lasso
- Damages
- Veep
- Ozark
- Homeland
- Bloodline
- Wonder Man
Locations
- Manhattan
- South America
- Vegas
- Warner Bros. back lot
- New York City