Connor Storrie, the breakout star of Canadian hockey romance Heated Rivalry, has landed his first Emmy nomination — just not for the role that made him famous. The 2026 Emmy nominations, covering television broadcast between June 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026, were announced in the early hours of Wednesday morning Australian time, confirming that while Heated Rivalry itself remains ineligible for the Primetime Emmys, Storrie managed to sneak into the race through a different door entirely.
Why Heated Rivalry missed out — and how Storrie got in anyway
Despite dominating the first months of 2026 and turning Storrie into a household name with his portrayal of steely Russian ice hockey player Ilya, Heated Rivalry was never going to receive an Emmy nomination. The Primetime Emmys require a show to be at least co-produced by a US partner, and Heated Rivalry is an entirely Canadian production — making it categorically ineligible.
Storrie, however, found his path into the nominations through his hosting appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he demonstrated a very different set of skills. His comedic turn impressed Emmy voters enough to earn him a nomination in what shapes up as a fiercely competitive category. He faces formidable opposition, including Michael J Fox, who made a rare and widely praised return to acting on Shrinking, as well as a posthumous nomination for Rob Reiner, who died alongside his wife Michele Singer Reiner late last year.
Widow's Bay and Hacks lead the big nomination tallies
The biggest surprise package of the nominations announcement was Widow's Bay, the genre-bending workplace comedy and supernatural horror hybrid from creator Katie Dippold. The show very nearly missed out on eligibility altogether — three of its episodes fell outside the qualifying window, including its acclaimed penultimate episode. Despite that, it still amassed 19 nominations, picking up a Best Comedy nod along with acting nominations for lead Matthew Rhys and supporting players Stephen Root, Kate O'Flynn and Dale Dickey.
Widow's Bay arrived on Apple TV+ at the end of April and quickly exploded through word of mouth, following a trajectory similar to fellow Apple hit Severance, which also generated a significant nominations haul in its first season.
Meanwhile, long-running Emmy favourite Hacks made history with its fifth and final season, pulling in 24 nominations — the most ever awarded to a single season of a comedy series. Jean Smart, who has claimed Best Comedy Actress for four consecutive years for her role as veteran stand-up Deborah Vance, is widely expected to take home a fifth consecutive win. Co-star Hannah Einbinder is also in contention for back-to-back supporting wins.
Euphoria's messy finale season and a historic host
Sam Levinson's teen drama Euphoria closed out its run with a third season that attracted considerable criticism for being unfocused and derivative, though Zendaya and Colman Domingo both received acting nominations for their performances. Former nominee Sydney Sweeney, Australian actor Jacob Elordi and Levinson himself were all overlooked by voters.
Away from the nominations themselves, it was also confirmed that Mariska Hargitay, best known for her long-running role on Law & Order: SVU, will host this year's ceremony — making her the first woman to host the Emmys since Jane Lynch in 2011. The awards will be handed out at the ceremony on Monday, September 15 (Australian time).
The Muppets also received their first Emmy nomination in a decade, rounding out a morning of announcements full of surprises, near-misses and a few well-earned victories.
