Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Every year, American television shows can win awards called Emmys. In mid-July 2026, the Television Academy announced this year's Emmy nominations.
A show called 'The Pitt' got the most nominations of any show. It got 25 nominations in total.
Another show called 'Hacks' got 24 nominations. This is a new record. No comedy show has ever gotten this many nominations in one year.
The Emmy Awards celebrate the best American television shows each year. Many actors, writers, and shows hope to win.
- nomination
- An official mention of someone or something as being considered for an award
- award
- A prize given for doing something very well
- television
- A screen and system used to broadcast shows
- comedy
- A type of show made to be funny
- drama
- A type of show that tells a serious story
- record
- The best or highest result ever reached
- announce
- To tell people about something new, often officially
- celebrate
- To do something special to show that something is important
Level 2 — Elementary
In mid-July 2026, the Television Academy announced the nominations for the 2026 Emmy Awards. The Emmys are the top awards for American prime-time television, given out every year.
The medical drama 'The Pitt' led all shows this year, earning 25 total nominations across acting, writing, and other categories.
The comedy series 'Hacks' was close behind, with 24 nominations. This number set a new record: no comedy series has ever received this many nominations in a single year.
Emmy nominations are chosen by members of the Television Academy, a group of television professionals. Winners will be announced later, at the Emmy Awards ceremony.
- nominee
- A person or show that has been nominated for an award
- prime-time
- The evening hours when the most people watch television
- category
- A group that things are sorted into, such as an award category
- ceremony
- A formal event held to mark something important, like giving awards
- professional
- A person who works skillfully in a particular field
- voter
- A person who chooses or decides between options
- medical drama
- A television show focused on doctors, patients, and hospital life
- achievement
- Something successfully done through skill or effort
Level 3 — Intermediate
The Television Academy unveiled its nominations for the 2026 Emmy Awards in mid-July, kicking off months of anticipation ahead of the ceremony honoring the finest achievements in American prime-time television.
'The Pitt,' a medical drama that has drawn attention for its intense, hour-by-hour depiction of an emergency room, emerged as the nomination leader, accumulating 25 nods spanning acting, writing, directing, and technical categories.
Close behind, the comedy 'Hacks' collected 24 nominations, a tally that establishes a new record for the most nominations ever received by a comedy series in a single year, surpassing prior benchmarks for the genre.
The nominations are determined through a peer-review voting process conducted by thousands of Television Academy members working across the industry, a system designed to reflect the collective judgment of television professionals rather than the verdict of a single panel.
- unveil
- To reveal or make something known publicly for the first time
- anticipation
- A feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen
- accumulate
- To gradually gather or build up in quantity
- nod
- An informal term for a nomination or acknowledgment
- tally
- A running count or total of something
- benchmark
- A standard or point of reference used for comparison
- peer-review
- An evaluation process carried out by others working in the same field
- genre
- A category of artistic work defined by a particular style or subject
Level 4 — Advanced
The Television Academy's mid-July unveiling of the 2026 Emmy nominations reaffirmed television's enduring appetite for prestige drama even as comedy staked its own claim to institutional recognition, with two series, one grave, one wry, dominating the field.
'The Pitt,' the medical drama whose unrelenting, real-time portrayal of hospital emergency care has resonated with critics and audiences alike, topped the field with 25 nominations, a haul spanning acting, writing, and craft categories that underscores the breadth of the show's acclaim.
'Hacks,' the comedy that has spent several seasons sharpening its portrait of an aging comedian and her fraught mentorship of a younger writer, trailed narrowly with 24 nominations, a total that eclipses any comedy series' nomination haul in Emmy history.
The Emmy Awards, administered annually by the Television Academy to honor achievement in American prime-time television, derive their nominations from a broad, peer-driven voting process, a structure intended to lend the results the imprimatur of industry-wide consensus rather than the verdict of a narrow committee.
- unveiling
- The act of making something public or revealing it formally
- prestige
- Widespread respect and admiration based on achievement or reputation
- institutional
- Relating to established organizations or systems rather than individuals
- unrelenting
- Not easing in intensity, effort, or persistence
- acclaim
- Enthusiastic public praise or approval
- mentorship
- The guidance and support given by an experienced person to a less experienced one
- eclipse
- To surpass or outshine something, often dramatically
- imprimatur
- An official mark of approval or endorsement
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