Emmy Awards: Variety & Talk Series to Merge for 2026 Competition

The Television Academy has announced a significant shift in its Emmy Awards structure, merging the Outstanding Scripted Variety Series and Outstanding Talk Series categories into a single Outstanding Variety Series category, effective for the 2026 competition. This decision, made by the Academy’s Board of Governors, comes as submissions to both individual categories have decreased in recent years.

A Response to Declining Submissions

The move to consolidate the categories is being framed as a proactive measure to address dwindling participation. To ensure fair representation, the Academy will track submissions for both Scripted Variety and Talk Series formats. Nominee numbers will then be proportional to the volume of submissions received in each format. Had this system been in place last year, the merged category would have seen two nominees from Scripted Variety and three from Talk Series.

Did You Know? Emmy rules allow for an automatic split of a tracked category back into its original forms when both variety and talk formats each receive 20 or more submissions in a given year.

A New Approach to Winning

Beyond the category merge, the Academy is also reclassifying the Outstanding Variety Series award as an “area award.” This change introduces a new voting system. Instead of voters selecting a single winner, they will now evaluate each nominee individually, answering a simple “Yes/No” question: “Does this nominee merit an Emmy?”

Any nominee receiving a “Yes” vote from 90 percent of voters will win an Emmy, potentially leading to multiple winners in the category. If no nominee reaches the 90 percent threshold, the nominee with the highest percentage of “Yes” votes will be awarded the Emmy.

Expert Insight: The shift to an “area award” system represents a significant change in Emmy voting, potentially recognizing a broader range of excellence within the variety format and moving away from a single, definitive “best” selection.

Implications for Late Night and Beyond

This change could offer a boost to traditional late-night talk shows, which have struggled for Emmy recognition. Until last year, when “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” won the Outstanding Talk Series Emmy, cable series had dominated the category for two decades, since 2003. That win for Colbert coincided with the announcement of the show’s cancellation.

It’s possible that the new voting system, combined with the broader category, could increase the chances of late-night programs receiving Emmy awards. However, the ultimate outcome will depend on the quality of submissions and the preferences of the voting body.

Frequently Asked Questions

What prompted the Television Academy to merge these two Emmy categories?

The decision was prompted by a decline in submissions to both the Outstanding Scripted Variety Series and Outstanding Talk Series categories in recent years.

How will the number of nominees be determined in the merged category?

The number of nominees will be proportional to the number of submissions received for each format: Scripted Variety and Talk Series.

What is an “area award” and how does it change the voting process?

An “area award” means nominees are judged individually. Voters answer “Yes” or “No” to whether each nominee merits an Emmy, and any nominee reaching a 90 percent “Yes” threshold wins. If no nominee reaches 90 percent, the nominee with the highest percentage of “Yes” votes wins.

Will this change impact the types of programs eligible for an Emmy in the Variety Series category?