Emmys 2026: Outstanding Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees!

The start of summer might usher in thoughts of barbecues, pool parties, and days at the beach. For us? It's Emmy nomination season, baby.

Later this month, Emmy voters will pick the TV shows and performers they feel deserve a nod this year, with the full list of Primetime Emmy nominations set for announcement on Wednesday, July 8. Enter our annual plea to voters to consider some of our favorite series and actors from the past year — better known as TVLine's Dream Emmy Nominees series.

First up: Outstanding Drama Series. HBO Max's gripping medical drama "The Pitt" picked up this trophy at the 2025 Emmys ceremony, and the show's sophomore run did make our list of dream nominees below. But there are seven other worthy dramas we'd like to see get a nod in 2026, a whopping six of which are eligible for the very first time.

Scroll down to check out all of our Dream Nominees (remember, these aren't predictions; they're wish lists) and then tell us if our picks warrant a "Heck, yes!," "Um, no" or "How could you leave off such-and-such?!"

For the record, 2026 Emmy nominations will be voted on from June 11-22, and unveiled on July 8. The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is scheduled to air on Monday, Sept. 14, on NBC.

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: The "Alien" franchise is one of the more enduring and awe-inspiring in modern science fiction, so it's no small compliment to say that Noah Hawley's ambitious FX series earned a place in that storied legacy right away. Densely cerebral and viscerally thrilling, "Earth" delivered the bloody xenomorph scares we expect from an "Alien" show while also building out a vast new universe of characters and rich storytelling avenues, with Sydney Chandler instantly commanding our attention as curious human-robot hybrid Wendy. Through her, Hawley explored what it truly means to be human, but he also scared the bejeezus out of us with some truly terrifying moments as a ship full of deadly alien specimens — including some creepy new additions — crash-landed on Earth. Season 1 just scratched the surface of where this story could lead, and we're strapped in for whatever comes next. — Dave Nemetz

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: Four seasons in, Mickey Down and Konrad Kay's drama continued chronicling the sheer madness of London's finicky finance world. From Yasmin's epic downward spiral to Henry's familial bombshell and Eric's abrupt exile from England, the British series had us on pins and needles as Harper (played by the excellent My'hala) set out to win big on a long game. Per usual, all its actors fired on every cylinder with controlled and chaotic emotions that punched us squarely in the face time and time again. It's a shame Emmy voters have been asleep at the wheel with "Industry" thus far; here's hoping that changes this time around. — Nick Caruso

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: We were delighted and terrified to go back down to the sewers with Andy Muschietti, who previously helmed the feature films "It" and "It: Chapter Two." As Muschietti expanded his universe, relocating to 1962 for an earlier tale of Pennywise's horrifying grip on Derry, many elements from the movies reappeared on the small screen: Bill Skarsgård was back, and in fine form, as the unstoppably wicked dancing clown, and Muschietti leaned into the same grotesque and haunting imagery that his movies delivered, making way for plenty of watch-through-your-fingers sequences. (Marge! Your eye!) But the series wisely centered on a group of Derry adolescents who mustered all the bravery they possessed in order to keep Pennywise underground; the result was a moving (though chilling) examination of friendship and loyalty, anchored by tremendous performances from young stars like Clara Stack and Matilda Lawler. — Rebecca Luther

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: Yes, yes: The "Game of Thrones" prequel looks gorgeous, is perfectly cast, and boasts some of the most gripping performances we've seen this year. But above all that, the series adaptation of George R.R. Martin's Dunk and Egg novels is fun. The low-stakes story of a hedge knight with legendary aspirations and the prince-in-hiding who decides to be his squire — consummately portrayed by Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell, respectively — never forgets that it's a crowd-pleaser. Because of that, its jokes land well and its heart beats true. What more could we want of a knight on a quest? — Kimberly Roots

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: Starz's prequel to its wildly popular "Outlander" adaptation does a few tricky things very well. It makes us care, deeply, about characters the original series only mentioned in passing: Claire's and Jamie's parents (played by Harriet Slater, Jamie Roy, Hermione Corfield, and Jeremy Irvine). It takes a big swing right away and manages to consolidate the love stories of two couples hundreds of years apart, giving the foursome a chance to interact in the same time period — no small feat. The drama's quietly powerful moments, such as Ellen and Brian's first time together in an abandoned church, pair nicely with larger, visually striking set pieces like Henry's hellish experience in the trenches of World War I. And the action built as Season 1 progressed, ending with a cliffhanger that has us ticking down the days until this new iteration of #Droughtlander (aka the waiting time between seasons) is over. — K.R.

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: There was no sophomore slump in sight for the Noah Wyle-led series, which followed up its Emmy-winning first season with an even richer, more devastating Season 2. TV's most visceral hospital show dug deeper into Robby's suicidal ideation, giving Wyle another sublime showcase. But as tremendous as he continues to be, "The Pitt" remains far more than a one-man show. Katherine LaNasa remained devastating as Dana returned after her assault determined to suppress her trauma; Patrick Ball brought palpable weight to Langdon's post-rehab return; and newcomer Sepideh Moafi revealed surprising vulnerability beneath Dr. Al-Hashimi's carefully guarded composure. It's that depth across the ensemble that continues to elevate "The Pitt" beyond a real-time medical drama into something far more emotionally immersive. — Ryan Schwartz

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: "Mare of Easttown" creator Brad Ingelsby went back to the same Pennsylvania backwoods for his new HBO crime drama, and though Kate Winslet wasn't around this time, Ingelsby still spun a beautifully tragic tale packed with sharp emotional insight and powerhouse performances. The action centered on the cat-and-mouse game between Mark Ruffalo's FBI agent Tom and Tom Pelphrey's thief Robbie, but Ingelsby never played favorites, carefully exposing the wounded humanity on both sides of the law. Both Ruffalo and Pelphrey were terrific here, and Ingelsby managed to generate real nail-biting tension while also giving his characters room to breathe and evolve at their own pace. HBO did renew "Task" for a second season, but Season 1 stands as a gorgeously crafted story all on its own. — D.N.

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: After "The Handmaid's Tale" wrapped in 2025, our tolerance for power-hungry patriarchies and their misogynistic ways was at a real low. But then along came Hulu's sequel series, based (like the original) on a Margaret Atwood novel, and — praise be! — we were right back in the fight. Our renewed fervor was stoked by the artful way the drama captures both the universal wonder of adolescence and the crushing awareness that the world is not always as it should be. Add in magnificently spare dialogue, delivered by a cast of notable pros including Ann Dowd, Chase Infiniti, and Lucy Halliday. Don't forget the cinematography, which evokes "Handmaid's" but still manages to create its own distinctive look. In the end, "The Testaments" does what great art always has: makes us notice a situation we'd rather not see, and energizes us to do something about it. — K.R.