LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 11: A view of the Emmy statue is seen during the 77th Primetime Emmys Press Preview at Peacock Theater on September 11, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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The post-Covid rhetoric in Hollywood is that content based on existing IP is safer, but the 2026 Emmy Awards show a preference for original concepts. Of the 36 unique scripted shows nominated for a 2026 Emmy Award, 24 are original concepts.
This is not only a significantly higher ratio of original concepts to existing IP, but it is also the highest number of original shows nominated since 2021. Before the pandemic, original concepts represented roughly 60% to 75% of the unique scripted shows nominated for an Emmy Award. Since 2021, the average has lingered closer to 50%, dipping as low as 44.1% in 2024.
With 24 original concepts nominated for an Emmy Award, 2026 shows a shift toward pre-Covid figures.
But is this enough to combat the Hollywood narrative that original ideas are a risky investment?
To answer this question, it is useful to examine the financial impact of Emmy recognition and whether winning can contribute to a show’s commercial success. According to Luminate, winning shows experience a significant increase in minutes watched on streaming platforms immediately following the awards show. This is a big deal for streamers, which are currently increasing ads in an attempt to “squeeze more value out of existing subscribers.” The more eyes on a show, the more eyes on the ads associated with that show.
The Emmy Awards do not have the power to choose which shows get made, but the bump they provide does have the opportunity to influence how Hollywood executives look at original content. If original concepts win Emmy Awards and experience the subsequent viewership bump identified by Luminate, their performance could strengthen the business case for executives investing in original programming.
Luminate’s metric looks specifically at shows winning in major categories: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. This year, nominees include the following shows:
Outstanding Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (FX)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple TV)
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Shrinking (Apple TV)
Widow’s Bay (Apple TV)
Outstanding Drama Series
The Diplomat (Netflix)
The Gilded Age (HBO)
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO)
Paradise (Hulu)
The Pitt (HBO Max)
Pluribus (Apple TV)
Slow Horses (Apple TV)
Your Friends & Neighbors (Apple TV)
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
All Her Fault (Peacock)
The Beast in Me (Netflix)
Beef (Netflix)
DTF St. Louis (HBO Max)
Love Story (FX/FX on Hulu)
When the 2026 Emmy Awards stream Monday, September 14, the results will reveal whether this year’s preference for original concepts extends from nominations to wins.
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