Apple TV Dominates 2026 Emmy Noms with Brit & British-ish Fare
British-ish show nominations outnumbered nods landed by actual British shows, but Apple TV's dominance is the big story.
The Primetime Emmys, and their Creative Emmys counterpart, are a frustrating beast at best. One of the most conservative voting bodies in Hollywood, the awards are famous for all the wrong reasons – failing to recognize game-changing shows when they arrive, multiple repeat nominations for shows year after year when they’re long past their prime, and voting for the same actor/actress multiple years in a row.
However, they are the biggest awards night in Hollywood, simply in terms of size and scale. There are ~120 categories that encompass small screens of every kind, including adverts, YouTube shows, and even VR, a far more thorough list than any other TV awards body.
The Emmys also love British actors and actresses; much like regular viewers, Americans tend to assume a British accent equals intellectual, and a British-accented performer to be somehow superior to an American one. In 2025, the U.K. broke records, with more nominations going to artists and shows that originated on a tiny island across the pond than to those from the vast swathes of the 50 states.
For 2026, nominations have returned to a more normal level, with HBO Max’s American series The Pitt proving voters’ new favorite, with its second season receiving 25 nominations, at least 10 more than it actually deserved. HBO Max also walked away with the most nominations (122), but the once-dominant force in TV is on the wane as it prepares to be turned into State TV. Netflix and Apple TV are both hot on its heels; the former landed 111, and Apple scored 87.
But all three had one thing in common – a plethora of British and British-ish shows helping to push them into the top spots. Here now is a full rundown of the nominations for all our favorite British (and British-ish) shows, as well as our favorite actors.
