with Michael Schneider

Greetings from Variety Awards Headquarters! Today is August 24, 2026, which means final-round Emmy voting is happening NOW, and it's 2 days until voting ends on August 26 at 10 p.m. And looking far ahead, it's 12 days until the first Emmys ceremony on September 5, and then 21 days until the 78th Emmy Awards on September 14 on NBC.

Two days left! Two days left! OK, procrastinators, get going. We've done about all we can now -- our Emmy extra issues are in, the final Variety Awards Circuit podcast episode of the season is uploaded and you've got this newsletter now on your screens -- so now it's all up to you!

It's still boiling outside, so it sure doesn't feel like the waning days of summer. But LAUSD is already back in school and we're getting close to Labor Day weekend, when I'll see many of you at the first Emmy ceremonies (formerly known as the Creative Arts Emmys) in a few weekends. Meanwhile, in this edition of AWARDS HQ we've got some fun chats with a few Emmy overachievers, some new predictions and a look at the lingering FYC events still taking place over the last week. Also, what's going to be in this year's Emmy gift bags? Scroll down for more.

Now, let's get going!

SHARE YOUR BURNING EMMY OR AWARDS QUESTIONS! Leave a message on the Emmy Emergency Hotline at 323-617-9110 or email mschneider@variety.com and we will answer your question on an upcoming episode of the Awards Circuit Podcast! 

Disney+'s recent special "The Muppet Show," which re-created the '70s- and '80s-era syndicated series into a revival with guest host Sabrina Carpenter, paid homage to the original in several ways — including the opening credits.

We all remember "It's time to play the music/ It's time to light the lights/ It's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight!" as the Muppets came marching through several stories of arches. To re-create that opening, just one physical row of arches were built — but then Emmy-winning editor Kelly Lyon, ACE (who's also nominated this year for "The Muppet Show" in the Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming category) and VFX editor Wynton Payne assembled approximately 10 visual layers to show the full Muppets team.

“I have been watching 'The Muppet Show' since I was a baby,” Lyon tells AWARDS HQ. “My parents still have the VHS tape I used to watch over and over. When I was offered the editor position, I was terrified to take on such a beloved show. I initially turned down the opportunity. Our incredible director, Alex Timbers, asked me to read the script before making my final decision. When I read it, I cried. It was so good. I had to do it.”

Among Lyon's other work on the episode: She created Gonzo’s backward-flying stunt through a combination of practical performance and green-screen photography, and helped seamlessly transform Carpenter from a server costume into her feather dress during “Manchild.”

“From the moment I was hired on The Muppet Show, I knew we had to work with Kelly Lyon,” director Alex Timbers adds. “She’s so smart and inventive and uniquely expert with all the varied styles that the special needed: single cam, multi cam and music video. Her comedic timing and her taste are unparalleled, and she elevates every project I bring to her.”

Jeff Kober pulled off a rare trick: Nominations for acting in both the Primetime Emmys and Daytime Emmys in the same year. The actor, who's been seen in all sorts of series over the years ("China Beach," "Kindred: The Embraced," "Sons of Anarchy," "The Walking Dead," "NCIS: Los Angeles," "New Girl" and more), won the Daytime Emmy for supporting actor in 2022 for "General Hospital" (as Cyrus Renault) and is nominated again this year as outstanding guest performance in a daytime drama series. Meanwhile, Kober also self-submitted in the Primetime Emmys this year as guest actor in a drama — and landed a nom for playing Duke, a motorcycle engineer and Dr. Robby's pal.

I asked Kober to talk a bit about the serendipity of being in both races at the same time:

How did you wind up being nominated for both Primetime and Daytime?
Just luck of the draw. The overlap of a great ending/death on "General Hospital" and a great role and storyline on "The Pitt."

What was your reaction?
My reaction was a little embarrassment, like, is it okay to have this much fun? And having to confront the message from my parents of "don’t get too big for your britches."

What are people saying about this feat?
People are saying it’s unique, as in evidently it’s not happened before. So maybe I get to be a "Jeopardy" question now. A lot of people seem very happy for me. Which is nice.

What does this mean to you as a working actor?
I do this work because I love doing the work. It’s been that way for 40 years. I love finding my way through a script then getting on set and challenging myself to not know how it’s supposed to go and getting to discover it along the way. The recognition is nice, but it’s the work that really turns me on. Hopefully this will mean more opportunities to do that.

Describe your experience on "The Pitt." Will you be back?
"The Pitt" was a great gig. Good people, A-plus level production, great writing and directing, and across the board great acting. Television at the top of its game. Will I be back? When I asked John Wells, he said, "well, you’re not dead yet." So there’s hope.

You're going to be busy going to all these Emmy ceremonies. What's your Emmy plan?
My plan is to enjoy the ride, regardless of outcome. It really is what so many others have said: it’s an honor to be nominated.

Emmy-nominated lyricist Daveed Diggs took to the stage at Prime Video's and Sony's recent "The Boys" Emmys nominees toast to perform "Raise Him Up" from Season 5 of the series. Also in attendance: Co-nominee Christopher Lennertz and showrunner Eric Kripke. 

Lennertz and Diggs are nominated in outstanding original music and lyrics; they're up against Carlos Rafael Rivera and David Stal for "Hacks" ("Mis Figuritas"), Gavin Brivik and Andrew Bird for "The Pitt" ("Need Someone"), Trey Parker for "South Park" ("Christian Woman"), Warren Oak Fielder, Sebastian Kole and Daniel Pemberton for "Spider-Noir" ("The Devil You Know"), and Lady Gaga, Andrew Watt and Henry Walter Russell for "Wednesday" ("The Dead Dance").

Click the photo above to watch, or go here.

Meanwhile, "South Park" recently released a new sing-along version of their Emmy® nominated song “Christian Woman," click above!

Last month’s news that the two rival TV academies are looking to reunite was welcome and overdue — but it won’t be as easy as flipping a switch. The Los Angeles-based Television Academy and the New York located National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences are run very differently, each having had 50 years to develop its own bureaucratic infrastructure. One insider tells me hundreds of items need to be ironed out before they can become one again. But that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t.

The original Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (which now calls itself the “Television Academy”) was founded by Syd Cassyd, an entertainment journalist who was excited by the potential of the new medium and realized it needed an industry organization. Cassyd wasn’t keen on the idea of his TV academy handing out awards, but the notion soon took hold and the first Emmys (with awards just for Los Angeles TV stations) took place in 1949.

Meanwhile on the other coast, New Yorkers took notice, and Ed Sullivan launched his own TV academy in 1955. With TV becoming more of a national medium, it didn’t make sense to have competing organizations — so the two merged in 1957, taking the name “National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.”

But over the next two decades, the tension between the org’s Los Angeles and New York chapters only grew. The combined Academy was first based in New York, but then moved out west — angering the folks in Gotham. Los Angeles members thought the Academy allowed too many people to vote on the Primetime Emmys, arguing that only members working in national programming should have a say. The New York faction disagreed.

Ultimately, they agreed to a divorce: The L.A. group would relaunch the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences and take ownership of the Primetime Emmys and L.A.-area awards, while the National Academy of Arts & Sciences would get the regional, daytime, news, documentary and sports Emmys. Both groups would control the Emmy trademark and receive 15% revenue share from each other’s Emmy telecasts.

Things remained chilly for decades after that. ATAS and NATAS came close to remerging in 2005, but wound up in another legal spat in 2008 over the idea of a broadband-centric Emmys show that NATAS wanted to launch. It wasn’t until this decade, under new leadership, that the two sides started cooperating again. In recent years they’ve traded categories, shared membership and done some joint marketing. NATAS has revamped rules for shows like the Daytime Emmys to mirror what the Primetime Emmys does, among other things.

That’s a good start. Read more about the potential reunion here.

Jack Dunn writes:

The Television Critics Association has unveiled the winners for the 42nd Annual TCA Awards, which honor exemplary series and stars from the 2025-2026 TV season.

HBO’s “Heated Rivalry” took home the top prize, Program of the Year, while “Widow’s Bay” had the most wins of the night with three. The Apple TV horror-comedy won for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, Outstanding New Program and Individual Achievement in Comedy for Kate O’Flynn.

HBO’s “The Pitt” was awarded Outstanding Achievement in Drama, and the Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries or Specials went to Netflix’s “Death by Lightning.” Additional winners were “Pluribus” star Rhea Seehorn for Individual Achievement in Drama, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” for Outstanding Achievement in Variety, Talk or Sketch and “The Traitors” for Outstanding Achievement in Reality.” Stephen Colbert was presented with the TCA's Career Achievement Award.

Apple TV led all streamers and networks with five wins, followed by Netflix with three and HBO with two.

Read more here.

Peacock finally landed a major scripted series program nomination at the Emmys this year, and it’s “All Her Fault.”

The NBCUniversal streamer has already won two outstanding reality competition series Emmys for “The Traitors,” and plenty of noms in categories like outstanding TV movie (“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” in 2025). But “All Her Fault” finally gave Peacock the breakthrough it had been looking for: seven Emmy nominations this year, including outstanding limited or anthology series, outstanding lead limited/anthology actress (Sarah Snook) and outstanding supporting limited/anthology actress (Dakota Fanning).

“This is a big milestone for us at Peacock,” says Pearlena Igbokwe, chairman of television studios, NBC Entertainment & Peacock Scripted. “It just really validates us. In this instance, it wasn’t just like one nomination in one category, it was seven of them. So yeah, when we popped on the scene, we popped on in a big way.”

“All Her Fault” was a tremendous breakthrough for Peacock, which was the platform’s biggest series launch ever; in its first three weeks of availability, the series hit 46 million hours watched. Based on Andrea Mara’s novel, the limited series stars Snook as a mother who must figure out what happened when her young son disappears.

“I was hooked from the very beginning,” Igbokwe says. “It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. I think for women, and especially working women, it really resonated because it speaks to something that doesn’t get spoken about a lot in public, that psychological load that working women carry. Either you don’t feel like you’re being a good enough mother, or you don’t feel like you’re doing a good enough job with your professional life, and you’re being judged on both sides. And then Sarah Snook and Dakota Fanning acted the heck out of their roles.”

Read more here.

I must confess, one of the appeals of Apple TV’s Emmy-nominated “Your Friends & Neighbors” is seeing how awful it is to be that wealthy. I mean, it’s a TV show, so I’m guessing it’s actually still pretty awesome to be rich. (And if you’re still a Variety subscriber and reading this in print, there’s a good chance you made it big in entertainment and are sitting on a hefty bank account. And if so, congratulations. I still want to be you.)

“Your Friends & Neighbors” gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to be in the 1%, especially in Season 2, as James Marsden joins the cast as a billionaire with plenty of questionable morals. At a time, of course, when it seems like all we’re confronting are billionaires with questionable morals who are taking over the government, the media and everything in between.

But are they truly happy? Sure, there’s occasional nuisance — on “Your Friends & Neighbors,” it’s Jon Hamm stealing some of their loot; in real life, it’s state attorneys general trying to slow down your desire to consume as much of Hollywood as possible. But the answer is yes, yes they are.

How upside down is this world now? HBO Max’s “The Gilded Age” is actually now wish fulfillment compared to 2026. OK, so there was great inequality, rampant corruption and poverty throughout much of the country even as America boomed in the 1880s — but at least the tycoons, magnates and moguls of the era at least pretended to care about the lower class. The Carnegies, the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers all funded stuff that was good for the public, including public libraries, education, medicine, science, parks and culture.

These days, they slam rockets into the side of the moon because it sounds cool and shut down global agencies meant to save the lives of millions of people. Or they stomp their feet and whine that they’re going to leave California if they don’t get their way. That “Gilded Age” sequel about the 2020s is gonna look a lot more like a tragedy.

It turns out most of this year’s outstanding drama series nominees at the Emmys have something to say about the state of our world, and it’s pretty telling that there’s so much to talk about. In the case of Apple TV’s “Pluribus,” creator Vince Gilligan has still not confirmed if the drama is a comment on artificial intelligence, or even inspired by it. But he doesn’t have to — viewers are connecting the dots that may or may not be there, and applying their fear of AI to the show.

HBO’s “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” might not overtly look like it has something to say about our present times, but it absolutely looks at the plight of ordinary people vs. the elites, and the exploitation of the working class.

Meanwhile, Netflix’s “The Diplomat” and Apple TV’s “Slow Horses” look at the decay of our global order and a lack of moral clarity — and just look around our real world, with the current White House administration cozying up to despots and authoritarians. Who’s there even to root for anymore?

HBO Max’s “The Pitt” continues to shine a light on the plight of first responders and the difficulties that medical workers face, while also amplifying the failures of America’s broken healthcare system. And star Noah Wyle tells me he’s hearing anecdotal evidence that it’s having an effect: “An attending physician in an emergency room here in Los Angeles wanted me to know that people are being nicer, and they’re treating their nurses and doctors with more kindness and more empathy,” he says. “And he thinks that’s a direct result of the show.”

Then there’s Hulu’s “Paradise,” which starts out with an apocalyptic event brought on by climate change — in this case, a dormant supervolcano unleashed by melting ice.

Read more here.

Daniel D'Addario writes:

Mariska Hargitay can’t help teasing one thing she might get to do on Emmys night.

“We’ve had five amazing ideas just for the opening,” she says, riffling through script pages she’s left atop a powder-pink binder on the coffee table. She’s welcomed me into her Manhattan home, and we’ve wended through various anterooms — an Emmy statuette hanging out on a shelf here, a needlepoint pillow a fan gave her at a Broadway stage door there, until we’ve gotten to the living room, where her shepherd mix Kaia sits perched on a settee. There are a few concepts Hargitay, slated to be the Sept. 14 telecast’s host, isn’t ready to share, but she’s been brainstorming with a group of writers during lunch breaks on the set of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” — Hargitay’s currently shooting Season 28. 

She stipulates that it’s all subject to change, but can’t hold in her favorite possibility. “I’ve always wanted to do ‘SVU: The Musical.’” 

Mariska Hargitay, song-and-dance woman? It seems hard to fathom, given the role that’s placed her in the modern pantheon of TV stars. On NBC’s “SVU,” all about the pursuit and prosecution of sex criminals, Hargitay’s Olivia Benson has risen through the ranks of the NYPD to captain, doing so with a stern approach to the perps she arrests and a heaping measure of empathy for their victims. 

But more than ever before, Hargitay’s trying new things. Her “SVU” job is all-consuming for 10 months a year, so hosting the Emmys is a welcome break from routine. “Chelsea Piers on a soundstage — that’s my life,” she says. “When I go to the Emmys, I get to see everyone — and shows that I get starstruck by.” She wants to meet the actors from “The Pitt” — “I couldn’t turn it off,” she says. “It was so money. I want to hang out with them.” 

We already knew that Hargitay could do the specific job of network-TV star as well as anyone alive. But, at 62, she’s experiencing a burst of adventuresome curiosity that many stars half her age can’t match — and operating at the peak of powers she never had to access on “SVU.” This year, she made her Broadway debut in the one-woman show “Every Brilliant Thing.” And at the Emmys, she isn’t just the host, but a nominee for directing and producing “My Mom Jayne,” the HBO documentary about the complicated legacy of Hargitay’s late mother, the actress Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay began shooting her film in 2023 while “SVU” was in production. “I don’t even know how I did it,” she says. “I just fucking started!” 

Read more here.

Jason Bateman is this year’s Emmy overachiever, nominated for lead limited series actor and limited series directing on Netflix’s “Black Rabbit,” and as both supporting actor and executive producer on another limited series, HBO Max’s “DTF St. Louis.” So where does the multi-hyphenate’s brain reside more in these days, as an actor or director?

“They are in both worlds at the same time, but they kind of always have been,” Bateman tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast. “That’s why I was so drawn to having the official job of directing. Acting at an early age became so comfortable for me that I was able to really observe all the incredible work going around me. All the technical work of the camera and sound and lighting and what might be happening with editing later. So I’ve always thought about all of that — what a team it takes.”

Bateman, of course, has been acting since he was a child — “Little House on the Prairie,” “Silver Spoons,” “It’s Your Move” and even “The Hogan Family” as a teen. But he also started looking at directing as a young actor.

“I’m enormously grateful that I’m still working in this industry in this town,” he says. “I mean, I’ve gained a lot of experience in this business, and one of the things that’s really clear to me is that the best people are not guaranteed employment.”

Bateman saw that firsthand in the lean years that came prior to “Arrested Development,” which set his career on a new, lucrative course that eventually included smashes like Netflix’s “Ozark,” his podcast “SmartLess” with buddies Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, and then most recently the back-to-back success of “Black Rabbit” and “DTF St. Louis.” Bateman talked about all that, as well as his next project — and he took the Awards Circuit Podcast 10 Questions Quiz! — on this edition.

Also in this episode, we look at the latest moves in the Emmy race as Phase 2 voting continues — and marvel at the variety special (prerecorded) category, which includes a showdown between Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande. Listen below!

10 QUESTIONS WITH JASON BATEMAN:

1. Childhood nickname: “’Jayco.’ My dad used to call me that.”

2. Something you loved as a kid but can’t believe you were into it now: “I would play arcade games, 10 hours a day, and I think I’d still do that if I had the time. In fact, the first time I made some money, I got my parents to let me buy a Donkey Kong machine, like a real stand-up arcade machine, and we put it in the garage. And I just played it all day, all night.”

3. Go-to karaoke or sing-in-the-shower song: “I’m so horrified with the sound of my own voice singing. I don’t even sing in the shower. Not even alone. I don’t sing. I cringe myself right out of the water!”

4. Give me an alternate title for ‘Black Rabbit’: “One and One Make None.”

5. What’s your secret talent?: “If I properly ball up a piece of chewing gum, I can tilt my head straight back and hover it above my lips by blowing a stream of air.”

6. Favorite ice cream flavor: “I’m a cookies and cream guy.”

7. The one item you couldn’t live without: “Classical music takes me to a place where I think the best part of me lives, and where my best thinking and processing and planning comes from. I just love it for many reasons, and I think it started with my dad getting me into it like he did with movies and television. But then really seeing how classical music is used in film and television, from ‘2001’ or ‘Apocalypse Now’ or ‘Amadeus’ or any of the John Williams films. It’s incredible. I listen to classical music almost all day every day.”

8. What TV show in all of history do you wish you were a cast member of?: “Fawlty Towers.”

9. Fictional character you most admire: “I don’t know. That’s millions and millions of characters. I have to take a pass on that one because there would be many right answers for me.”

10. Your favorite piece of advice: “This sounds a bit earnest and probably a bit cliché, but it really is true, and something that’s so needed for anybody that’s got the kind of complicated thing of fame and having a public job. But in any position of leadership, doing unto others as you would you want them to do to you. When I meet somebody on the street, and I might not be in some great mood, or I’m with the family, or that’s still the one moment that they have. They may have been watching me do stuff for years on television or film, and want to say ‘hi’ and say that they like show X or movie Y. If I were to be short or dismissive of that, that’s louder than anything that they’ve watched. I try to remember that. I’m certainly far from perfect and far from consistent, but I try to be better every day.”

”Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, produced by Michael Schneider, is your one-stop listen for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each week “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts. New episodes post weekly.

LA-based entertainment marketing company Distinctive Assets is back to curate the "Giving Suite" and gift bag for the 78th Emmy Awards. The suite is open backstage at the Peacock Theatre during rehearsals on Sept. 12 and 13, as well as during the live NBC telecast on Sept. 14.

Being asked to produce the official Emmys Giving Suite again this year is a privilege we do not  take for granted,” says Distinctive Assets founder Lash Fary. “It’s a joy to celebrate television’s brightest stars backstage on the industry’s biggest night, but what makes this partnership truly  special is the mission behind it. We acknowledge today’s luminaries while helping the Television  Academy Foundation shape the next generation of storytellers.”

Here's what will be passed out this year at the suite: the RingConn Gen 3 premium titanium smart ring;  custom-etched spill-proof Traveler Tumblers from HydroJug; Peelerz specialty candy and  TastySounds musical lollipops from Amos Sweets; patented dietary supplements featuring cell-regenerative technology from Glymate; privacy concierge and data removal services from Ironwall by Incogni; luxury fragrances "celebrating coastal femininity" from La Proue; the Hugs comfort blanket by Minky Couture; organic K-beauty vegan skincare from Ongredients; the Skullpanda Off Mode series plush doll pendants from Pop Mart; and a PETA x Save the Duck collaboration showcasing 100% animal-free outerwear.

Meanwhile, the Emmys Gift Bag will include a wide variety of goodies from brands including Alter Eco, Andara by Eraser Queen, Ballet, Bananagrams, Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center, BioHarmony, Bored Rebel, Brick, BUBS, Cann Social Tonics, Cynthia Occelli x The Seed  App, Danucera, Dove, Dr. Kellyann, essie, Flaus, Foot Petals, Garnier, Greens First, Gui Gui by Moose Toys, Havyn, Helight Sleep, Jennifer Lane Beauty, Lanolips, MARLEYLILLY, Monarch  Matcha, Motorola, Off We Glow, Out East Eyewear, Quen Imports, Refilled, RoC Skincare, Romonti, SANAME, Sauna Société, ShareAScan, SkinCeuticals, Slopehill Hair Tools, Spite House Studios, Tea Forté, TruFru, VAHDAM, White Rain+ and Wild Alaskan Company.

Our own Variety senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay moderated a panel for the Emmy-nominated NBCU special "Wicked: One Wonderful Night" at the Live at the Sun Rose space at the Sun Rose Hotel on Aug. 19. Panelists included Executive Producer Ben Winston, Executive Producer Raj Kapoor, Producer/Choreographer Christopher Scott and Music Director Stephen Oremus. (Photo Courtesy NBCUniversal)

I featured plenty of photos last week from the HBO Max Nominees event, but here's one more: Variety's Emily Longeretta chats with "Half Man" creator and star Richard Gadd. (Photo by David Jon Photography)

Sally Field and Peter Craig at a Netflix panel for "Remarkably Bright Creatures" on Aug 16 at the Santa Monica Proper Hotel. (Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Netflix)

One final mega mailer from Apple TV's "Pluribus," including donut mix, a sweatshirt, Bluetooth speaker and more.

On Friday, Aug. 14, Prime Video/MGM+'s "Spider-Noir" Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer/Writer Oren Uziel moderated three panels featuring the series’ Emmy-nominated artisans. That included Cinematographer Darran Tiernan and Production Designer Warren Alan Young; VFX Supervisor Hnedel Maximore, Prosthetics Designer Vincent Van Dyke, Supervising Stunt Coordinator Freddy Bouciegues, Stunt Performer Solomon Brende and Title Design Director Mason Nicoll; Composers Kris Bowers and Michael Dean Parsons, Musician Warren “Oak” Felder, Supervising Sound Editor Ethan Beigel, Re-Recording Mixer Nick Offord and Production Sound Mixer Matthew Sanchez. (Photo by Jay L. Clendenin, courtesy of Prime Video)

Jazz Tangcay writes:

It’s hard to imagine, but FX’s “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette” almost didn’t happen.

On August 14, an intimate tastemaker dinner held at Chateau Marmont's Penthouse 64 was hosted by Variety in partnership with FX, and celebrated the show’s seven Emmy nominations. Senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay introduced executive producer Nina Jacobson, who provided the night's opening remarks.

Jacobson revealed that while they had found their Carolyn Bessette in actress Sarah Pidgeon, the production was three weeks out from shooting and they hadn't cast an actor to play America's very own Prince Charming, their JFK Jr.

Jacobson said, “We were honestly thinking maybe we pull the plug because if we couldn't find him, we couldn't make this. And this couple that was so iconic — you couldn't have somebody who didn’t really perfectly fit."

But then Paul Anthony Kelly came in, and the magic happened. She added, “These two people felt so right together. Sarah was the one who got to tell him that he got the part after they read together.”

The nine-episode series tells the romantic and tragic story of JFK Jr. and Bessette, starting with the day they met. The series also stars Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy, Naomi Watts as Jackie O, Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein and Constance Zimmer as Ann Marie Messina, Bessette’s mother.

Joining Jacobson at Saturday's event were Kelly, Pidgeon, Zimmer and the show's casting directors Courtney Bright and Nicole Daniels.

Read more here.

Clayton Davis writes:

Final Emmy voting is still underway, with two days left until it closes. Anything can still (and will) happen.

Start with outstanding variety series, a category many assumed could produce more than one winner now that it’s deemed an “area award,” where voters put a “Yes” or “No” next to each name and more than one “yes” can carry the day. But the hosted nonfiction category, since being classified as an “area award,” has produced only one winner in the two years I’ve clocked it under that designation. With the 90% threshold required for multiple winners, a multiseries outcome feels increasingly unlikely. I expect one winner, and I’m giving the edge to Stephen Colbert in his final season.

The major program races otherwise look like head-to-head fights. In comedy, it’s “Widow’s Bay” vs. “Hacks,” while limited series comes down to “Beef” vs. “DTF St. Louis.” Every major streaming player spent heavily during the phase-two period, and they want these trophies badly. At this point, campaign muscle is up against voter preference.

Then there are the acting categories, where we’re waiting for this year’s version of the Jeff Hiller surprise. Last year, his work in “Somebody Somewhere” won supporting comedy actor to the shock of everyone in the room, including Hiller himself. It reminded us that consensus can evaporate quickly once voters make their final choices. In searching for the category most vulnerable to a shock this year, we’re circling the same one again. Many have narrowed it to Harrison Ford (“Shrinking”) vs. Stephen Root (“Widow’s Bay”), but double nominee Nick Offerman — nominated in supporting actor, limited for “Death by Lightning” and in this category for “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” — is a former winner for “The Last of Us” and could absolutely get another trip to the stage.

Limited supporting actress may be another trapdoor. Linda Cardellini has emerged as the apparent front-runner for “DTF St. Louis,” but Dakota Fanning (“All Her Fault”), Constance Zimmer (“Love Story”) and Youn Yuh-jung (“Beef”) each hold legitimate pockets of support. May that means “DTF” co-star Joy Sunday becomes the shocker waiting to be read aloud?

That is the fun when predicting the Emmys. The obvious choice is not always the one that voters will ultimately make.

Final-round voting runs Aug. 17-26 ahead of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards and Governors Gala on Sept. 5-6. The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards air Sept. 14 on NBC.

Here's Clayton's current picks:

Drama Series: “The Pitt” (HBO Max)
Comedy Series: “Widow’s Bay” (Apple TV)
Limited or Anthology Series: “Beef” (Netflix)
Outstanding Movie: “Remarkably Bright Creatures” (Netflix)
Lead Actor (Drama): Noah Wyle, “The Pitt” (HBO Max)
Lead Actor (Comedy): Matthew Rhys, “Widow’s Bay” (Apple TV)
Lead Actor (Limited/Movie): Oscar Isaac, “Beef” (Netflix)
Lead Actress (Drama): Rhea Seehorn, “Pluribus” (Apple TV)
Lead Actress (Comedy): Jean Smart, “Hacks” (HBO Max)
Lead Actress (Limited/Movie): Carey Mulligan, “Beef” (Netflix)
Supporting Actor (Drama): Tom Pelphrey, “Task” (HBO Max)
Supporting Actor (Comedy): Stephen Root, “Widow’s Bay” (Apple TV)
Supporting Actor (Limited/Movie): David Harbour, “DTF St. Louis” (HBO Max)
Supporting Actress (Drama): Sepideh Moafi, “The Pitt” (HBO Max)
Supporting Actress (Comedy): Kate O’Flynn, “Widow’s Bay” (Apple TV)
Supporting Actress (Limited/Movie): Linda Cardellini, “DTF. St. Louis” (HBO Max)
Guest Actor (Drama): Colman Domingo, “Euphoria” (HBO Max)
Guest Actress (Drama): Brittany Allen, “The Pitt” (HBO Max)
Guest Actor (Comedy): Rob Reiner, “The Bear” (FX)
Guest Actress (Comedy): Betty Gilpin, “Widow’s Bay” (Apple TV)
Variety Series: “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS)
Variety Special (Live): “The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny” (NBC)
Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): “Taylor Swift | the Eras Tour | the Final Show” (Disney+)
Directing (Drama): Vince Gilligan, “Pluribus” (Apple TV) — “We Is Us”
Directing (Comedy): Hiro Murai, “Widow’s Bay” (Apple TV) — “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!”
Directing (Limited/Movie): Lee Sung Jin, “Beef” (Netflix) — “Oh, the Comfort, the Inexpressible Comfort”
Directing (Documentary/Nonfiction): Alexandria Stapleton, “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” (Netflix)
Directing (Variety Series): Yvonne De Mare, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS) — “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Series Finale”
Directing (Variety Special): Hamish Hamilton, “The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny” (NBC)
Directing (Reality Program): Ben Archard, “The Traitors” (Peacock)
Writing (Drama): “The Pitt” (HBO Max) — “1:00 P.M.” by Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman and R. Scott Gemmill
Writing (Comedy): “Hacks” (HBO Max) — “Hacks (Finale)” by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky
Writing (Limited/Movie): “DTF St. Louis” (HBO Max) by Steven Conrad
Writing (Variety Series): “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS)
Writing (Variety Special): “Wanda Sykes: Legacy” (Netflix) by Wanda Sykes
Writing (Nonfiction): “The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize” (Comedy Central)
Game Show: “Jeopardy!” (ABC)
Host (Reality or Reality Competition): Jeff Probst, “Survivor” (CBS)
Host (Game Show): Jimmy Kimmel, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” (ABC)
Competition Program: “Survivor” (CBS)
Structured Reality Program: “Queer Eye” (Netflix)
Unstructured Reality Program: “Love on the Spectrum” (Netflix)
Documentary or Nonfiction Special: “My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay” (HBO Max)
Documentary or Nonfiction Series: “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” (Netflix)
Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special: “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman” (Netflix)
Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking: “The Librarians” (PBS)
Animated Program: “South Park” (Comedy Central) — “Sermon on the ‘Mount”

Send your questions, comments and thoughts to mschneider@variety.com — or drop a line at the EMMY EMERGENCY HOTLINE: 323-617-9110. See you next week!