The Walt Disney Company picked up 125 Emmy nominations for the 78th Emmy Awards, spread across ABC, FX, Hulu, National Geographic, Disney Television Studios, and the Walt Disney Studios, including Lucasfilm, Marvel Television, 20th Century Studios, and Searchlight Pictures. Disney+ and Hulu alone accounted for 109 of those nominations, underscoring just how much of Disney’s awards presence now runs through streaming rather than traditional broadcast.
The Top Nominees
The Oscars on ABC and The Beast in Me on 20th Television each led the pack with 9 nominations apiece, with The Beast in Me picking up acting nods for Matthew Rhys and Claire Danes alongside a nomination for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. The Bear followed with 8 nominations, including a fourth straight Outstanding Comedy Series nod and acting recognition for Ayo Edebiri, Rob Reiner, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Abbott Elementary and Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette each earned 7 nominations. Abbott Elementary landed its fifth consecutive Outstanding Comedy Series nomination along with acting nods for Quinta Brunson, Janelle James, and Tyler James Williams, while Love Story picked up a nomination for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series plus a lead actress nod for Sarah Pidgeon. Paradise also earned 7 nominations, including its second Outstanding Drama Series nod and performance nominations for Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, and Shailene Woodley.
The Muppet Show Earns 6 Emmy Nominations
Of all the nominations on this list, The Muppet Show is the one that hits closest to home for FLN readers. The special picked up 6 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Variety Special and a voice performance nomination for Matt Vogel, who has voiced Kermit the Frog since 2017.
We were on this one from the start. The Muppet Show 2026 special premiered on Disney+ and ABC on February 4, and it landed hard right out of the gate. Within its first eight days, the special had already pulled in nearly 8 million viewers across both platforms, a number strong enough that fans immediately started pushing for a full series order. That viewership, paired with a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score at the time, made it one of the most talked-about specials Disney put out all year. Seeing that translate into 6 Emmy nominations is not a surprise if you were paying attention back in February, and it only strengthens the case for bringing the Muppets back full time.
The Rest of the Top Nominees
Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show also landed 5 nominations for Disney+ and the Walt Disney Studios, including Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. On the Lucasfilm side, Star Wars: Visions (Vol. 3) earned a nomination for Outstanding Animated Program and Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord also picked up recognition. On the unscripted side, Dancing with the Stars earned its first Outstanding Reality Competition Program nomination in a decade, and ABC swept most of the game show categories across Celebrity Family Feud, Jeopardy!, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Streaming Leads the Way
With Disney+ and Hulu combining for 109 of the company’s 125 total nominations, this year’s list makes clear that streaming originals are now doing the heaviest lifting for Disney’s Emmy presence. Only Murders in the Building picked up its fifth straight Outstanding Comedy Series nomination, Alien: Earth scored 4 nominations in its first eligible season, and National Geographic brought in 12 nominations of its own, led by Ocean with David Attenborough and Tucci in Italy.
What stands out most here isn’t just the total count; it’s how spread out the recognition is across Disney’s brands. A company that used to lean on ABC and its film studios for awards attention is now getting real Emmy traction from Hulu true crime dramas, National Geographic documentaries, and even a Muppets variety special, which says a lot about how differently Disney is building its content slate compared to a decade ago.
The 78th Emmy Awards ceremony date has not been confirmed as of this writing. For more Disney and entertainment coverage, visit our Star Wars hub on Fantasy Land News.
The Muppet Show Gets 6 of Disney’s 125 Emmy Nominations in 2026
