Another year, another Emmy nomination domination for HBO. The network tallied a whopping 122 nominations on Wednesday morning, with its closest competitor, Netflix, earning 111 nods. It’s the seventh year within the last decade that HBO has scored the most Emmy nominations of any platform, with CEO Casey Bloys at the helm for all 10.
“It’s particularly nice today after 10 years, just looking back. I’m very proud of the team that we’ve got assembled, and the fact that against unprecedented competition and change in the industry, and obviously change within our own company that this team continues to deliver,” Bloys told TheWrap on Wednesday afternoon. “It’s just a really nice validation of the team and who they choose to get in business with, and how they develop, and how we produce, and I’m proud for them. I’m thrilled for the artists that we work with.”
About a fifth of those nominations were from Emmys favorite “The Pitt,” which jumped from 13 total nominations in 2025 to 25, the most of any series this year.
“I’m very proud of the show returning on an annual basis, and that John [Wells], Scott [Gemmill] and Noah [Wyle] are able to do 15 episodes and assemble a cast that has been so widely recognized,” Bloys said. “What viewers care about, what Emmy voters care about is a good show, and they put together an incredible show week to week, so it’s great to see to see a show like this emerge and dominate.”
Behind “The Pitt” for the most nominations for the 78th Emmys was “Hacks,” which closed out its five-season run with 24 nods — the most of any comedy series ever for a single season. Bloys said the success shows the payout of “betting on people with a real vision for the show and incredibly talented performers.”
“It is so hard to do a good show, but the fact that Paul [W. Downs], Jen [Statsky] and Lucia [Aniello] could do it consistently for five seasons and then stick the landing like that, I think these nominations are a real testament to what they pulled off,” Bloys said, adding that HBO is kicking around what the trio would like to do next.
TheWrap: “Euphoria” earned a couple nods, and Sam [Levinson] has said it’s the last season. What did those conversations look like and did you hope the show would continue further?
Bloys: It was so difficult to get everything lined up for a third season … I’ve talked about this before, but you’ve got young actors who have gone on to have huge theatrical careers, and … you had to come up with almost a whole new show post-high school, so I’m very proud that Sam and the cast were able to figure it out. But I think practically and creatively it felt like the right time to say “let’s let those characters kind of go off into the world.”
You’ve continued to see success for “Last Week Tonight,” though some folks have been concerned about the longevity of the show as Paramount takes over.
I don’t anticipate any problems with corporate change and ownership with “Last Week Tonight” or Bill Maher.
Brittany Allen and Jeff Kober both self-submitted for “The Pitt” and landed nominations. What went behind not including them in the Emmys push and will you be considering that caliber of actors for awards pushes next season?
The reality is there are hundreds of performers on shows like “The Pitt,” with the cast that big, so we just can’t nominate everybody. But we encourage people to self-nominate, so I was thrilled to see them be recognized.
Apple saw success with some of its prestige shows. Are you seeing them more as a competitor nowadays?
I would say my friends at Apple had a very good day. Going back not just 10 years but my 22 years at HBO, there was always somebody who was going to catch us. Remember, it was Showtime, FX, Netflix in the early years and Amazon. Everybody is obviously putting out good shows, and the competition has clearly been very good for us, because … seven out of the last 10 years, we got more nominations than anybody else. So, I welcome the competition. I enjoy their shows. We’ve had a lot of competitors. I’d say they’re a very, very worthy competitor, but it’s no different than it’s always been.
We didn’t see any nods for “Industry,” which disappointed that fan base. Why do you think it’s yet to make the cut?
Very good question. The work has been extraordinary. I would love to see it recognized. The good news is we’ve got another season where we can showcase the talent in front of and behind the camera, but this is how it goes with the Emmys … you have to put out your best work and hope for the best and accept the results.
Looking to 2027, are you looking at “Harry Potter” as a potential big Emmy contender next year?
Sure. We’ve got a lot of terrific shows, we’ve got “House the Dragon,” we’ve got “Lanterns” coming out. Sharon Horgan is doing a new show for us. A new season of “Gilded Age” is coming. A new season of “The Pitt” is coming. “The White Lotus” is coming. “Rooster” is coming back. “I Love LA” is coming back — hopefully, we’ll get some love next year.
So, “The White Lotus” will be back in time for next year’s Emmys?
I certainly hope so.
Emma D’Arcy is getting raves for their “House of the Dragon” performance this season. That show missed out much Emmys love last season, but are you planning a big push for Emma next year?
Emma and the entire cast. I think everybody is doing amazing work.
What’s the status of the next season of “True Detective?”
[Issa López] is working hard on on the take and scripts. She’s been amazing to work with.
What about “It: Welcome to Derry?” Andy and Barbra have said they’re already prepping. What’s the holdup on an official renewal?
Well, there’s not really a hold up — they’re working on the take for Season 2. So they got to make sure that they are excited by and have something they want to do, so they’re writing and I’m feeling good about what they’re thinking, but just letting them do their work and present us with what they’re excited by.
Will “The Last of Us” Season 3 premiere in this next Emmys eligibility window?
That we have not announced yet.
Is it the last season of “The Last of Us?”
Craig is still thinking about what he wants Season 3 to look like.
Anything you can say about “Baldur’s Gate”? That’s a big show for you guys.
That will be hopefully what Craig works on when he finishes “Last of Us,” but he is deep in “The Last of Us” right now.
“DTF St. Louis” also got some Emmys love. What did you learn from that success, and is that definitely going to stay as a limited series?
Well, we’re talking in general to Steve [Conrad] about what he wants to do next. He’s got a lot of ideas. I was particularly happy to see Steve, the show and the performers recognized, because I would say it’s a very unique tone, hard to pull off.
With the Paramount merger upcoming, how are you looking at programming this next couple years? Is it changing anything?
No. Keep in mind this is my third merger, and keep in mind this, the team that I’m talking about, obviously the programming team, in comedy and drama and late night and documentaries, we talk a lot about them, and they do an incredible job. But it’s also the production team, the business affairs team, the publicity and marketing talent relations. This management team came from HBO, took over an integrated HBO Max, we’re overseeing now international programming, business affairs, production. Also, when I talk about the team, it’s also acquisitions, the people who are doing the pay one movies from Warner Brothers and A24 and we pick up opportunistic pay one movies — obviously, when things like “Heated Rivalry” come around, this team also does that, so it’s a really big and capable team doing extraordinary work. We’re doing our thing, and we’ll continue to do it.
You mentioned “Heated Rivalry,” which fans were disappointed to learn wasn’t eligible at the Emmys. Has there been any effort to shift its eligibility?
No. It’s very clear that the show is a Canadian show. They’re very proud of it being a Canadian show, as they should be. I’m thrilled to have it on the platform, but the rules are pretty clear, so and they did very well in their award ceremony in Canada, so the show is being recognized, so I’m happy about that
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
