The 2026 Gotham TV Awards spotlight breakout comedies, prestige dramas, and limited series heavyweights, with Big Mistakes and Death by Lightning leading the field.

The Gotham TV Awards have unveiled their 2026 nominations, setting the stage for one of television’s earliest major awards indicators of the season, with Big Mistakes and Death by Lightning emerging as the most-nominated titles of the year.

Both series earned four nominations each, anchoring a competitive field that spans breakout comedies, prestige dramas, and a deep lineup of limited series contenders. Close behind are several three-time nominees, including I Love LA, Beef, DTF St. Louis, Alien: Earth, and Pluribus, signaling a broad spread of critical attention across both established creators and emerging voices.

In the comedy categories, Big Mistakes leads the pack with nominations for breakthrough comedy series as well as two lead performance nods for Dan Levy and Taylor Ortega, alongside a supporting nomination for Laurie Metcalf. The series is joined in the breakout comedy race by I Love LA, The Chair Company, Long Story Short, and Too Much, reflecting a strong year for creator-driven ensemble comedies.

I Love LA also secured individual performance recognition for Rachel Sennott and Odessa A’zion, reinforcing its position as one of the most visible new comedy entries of the year.

On the drama side, Alien: Earth and Pluribus dominate the breakthrough category alongside A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Dept. Q, and Task. Both series also landed acting nominations, with Sydney Chandler and Babou Ceesay representing Alien: Earth, while Rhea Seehorn and Karolina Wydra earned recognition for Pluribus.

Limited series competition is led by Death by Lightning, Beef, and DTF St. Louis, each continuing their awards momentum into another cycle. Death by Lightning alone secured nominations for Matthew Macfadyen, Michael Shannon, and Nick Offerman, underscoring its strong ensemble recognition. Meanwhile, Beef adds Carey Mulligan and Cailee Spaeny to its continued awards-season presence, while DTF St. Louis earns supporting nods for Linda Cardellini and David Harbour.

Gotham Awards executive director Jeffrey Sharp described the slate as reflective of a “breakthrough year” for television storytelling, emphasizing the expanded scope of limited and anthology series in particular.

“As the first awards show of the new television season, we’re proud to bring together the industry’s most exciting voices,” Sharp said, highlighting the Gotham’s role in setting early awards momentum ahead of Emmy season.

The Gothams also continue to serve as an early indicator of industry trajectory. Past winners, including Beef, went on to dominate their respective categories, signaling the awards’ growing influence in shaping early narrative momentum.

The 2026 Gotham TV Awards will take place on June 1 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, with additional honorees, including previously announced recipients such as Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer, to be featured in the coming weeks.

A complete list of this year’s nominees follows:

Breakthrough Comedy Series

Big Mistakes
Dan Levy, Rachel Sennott, creators; Etan Frankel, Timothy Greenberg, Dean Holland, Dan Levy, Anne-Marie McGintee, Rachel Sennott, executive producers (Netflix)

The Chair Company
Zach Kanin, Tim Robinson, creators; Andrew DeYoung, Zach Kanin, Adam McKay, Tim Robinson, Todd Schulman, Igor Srubshchik, executive producers (HBO Max)

I Love LA
Rachel Sennott, creator; Emma Barrie, Aida Rodgers, Lorene Scafaria, Rachel Sennott, Max Silvestri, executive producers (HBO Max)

Long Story Short
Raphael Bob-Waksberg, creator; Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Noel Bright, Steven A. Cohen, executive producers (Netflix)

Too Much
Lena Dunham, Luis Felber, creators; Tim Bevan, Michael P. Cohen, Lena Dunham, Eric Fellner, Surian Fletcher-Jones, Bruce Eric Kaplan, executive producers (Netflix)

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Breakthrough Drama Series

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
George R.R. Martin, Ira Parker, creators; Sarah Bradshaw, Ryan Condal, Vince Gerardis, Owen Harris, George R.R. Martin, Ira Parker, executive producers (HBO Max)

Alien: Earth
Noah Hawley, creator; Dana Gonzales, Noah Hawley, Joseph E. Iberti, Clayton Krueger, Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, executive producers (FX/Hulu)

Dept. Q
Scott Frank, Chandni Lakhani, creators; Rob Bullock, Scott Frank, Andy Harries, Charlotte Moore, executive producers (Netflix)

Pluribus
Vince Gilligan, creator; Jeff Frost, Vince Gilligan, Diane Mercer, Allyce Ozarski, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock, executive producers (Apple TV)

Task
Brad Ingelsby, creator; David Crockett, Brad Ingelsby, Paul Lee, Mark Roybal, Mark Ruffalo, Ron Schmidt, Salli Richardson Whitfield, Jeremiah Zagar, executive producers (HBO Max)

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

Beef
Lee Sung Jin, creator; Sam French, Oscar Isaac, Lee Sung Jin, Ethan Kuperberg, Charles Melton, Anna Ouyang Moench, Carey Mulligan, Ravi Nandan, Alli Reich, Kitao Sakurai, Jake Schreier, Cailee Spaeny, Ali Wong, Steven Yeun, executive producers (Netflix)

Death by Lightning
Mike Makowsky, creator; David Benioff, Bernadette Caulfield, Mike Makowsky, Matt Ross, D.B. Weiss, executive producers (Netflix)

DTF St. Louis
Steven Conrad, creator; Molly Allen, Jason Bateman, Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steven Conrad, Michael Costigan, David Harbour, James Lasdun, Michael Nelson, Jennifer Scher, Bruce Terris, Steve Tisch, K.C. Wenson, executive producers (HBO Max)

Half Man
Richard Gadd, creator; executive producers to be determined (HBO Max)

Lord of the Flies
Jack Thorne, creator; Jamie Campbell, Amanda Duthie, Nawfal Faizullah, Marc Munden, Cailah Scobie, Jack Thorne, Joel Wilson, executive producers (Netflix)

Breakthrough Nonfiction Series

High Horse: The Black Cowboy
Kadine Anckle, Tom Casciato, Mari Keiko Gonzalez, Sacha Jenkins, Liz Yale Marsh, Keith McQuirter, Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Keisha Senter, Jamal M. Watson, executive producers, Jason Perez, director (Peacock)

Katrina: Come Hell and High Water
Geeta Gandbhir, Spike Lee, Sam Pollard, executive producers (Netflix)

Mr. Scorsese
Damon Cardasis, Chris Donnelly, Rebecca Miller, Cindy Tolan, Julie Yorn, Rick Yorn, executive producers (Apple TV)

Sean Combs: The Reckoning
Brad Bernstein, Ariel Brozell, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, David Karabinas, Stacy Scripter, Alexandria Stapleton, executive producers (Netflix)

The Yogurt Shop Murders
Nancy Abraham, Avi Belkin, Margaret Brown, Beth Garrabrant, Lisa Heller, Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emily Osborne, Sara Rodriguez, Limor Gott Ronen, Mickey Stanley, Emma Stone, Nicole Stott, executive producers (HBO Max)

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Comedy Series

Elle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple TV)
Dan Levy, Big Mistakes (Netflix)
Taylor Ortega, Big Mistakes (Netflix)
Tim Robinson, The Chair Company (HBO Max)
Rachel Sennott, I Love LA (HBO Max)

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Drama Series

Malin Akerman, The Hunting Wives (Netflix)
Sydney Chandler, Alien: Earth (FX/Hulu)
Peter Claffey, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO Max)
Chase Infiniti, The Testaments (Hulu)
Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus (Apple TV)

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Limited or Anthology Series

Riz Ahmed, Bait (Amazon Prime Video)
Jamie Bell, Half Man (HBO Max)
Matthew Macfadyen, Death by Lightning (Netflix)
Carey Mulligan, Beef (Netflix)
Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette (FX/Hulu)
Lili Reinhart, Hal & Harper (MUBI)
Michael Shannon, Death by Lightning (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Comedy Series

Odessa A’zion, I Love LA (HBO Max)
Erika Alexander, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (NBC)
Laurie Metcalf, Big Mistakes (Netflix)
Michelle Pfeiffer, Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple TV)
Daniel Radcliffe, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (NBC)
Haley Lu Richardson, Ponies (Peacock)

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama Series

Dexter Sol Ansell, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO Max)
Babou Ceesay, Alien: Earth (FX/Hulu)
Zach Galifianakis, The Audacity (AMC)
Tom Pelphrey, Task (HBO Max)
Karolina Wydra, Pluribus (Apple TV)

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Limited or Anthology Series

Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis (HBO Max)
David Harbour, DTF St. Louis (HBO Max)
David McKenna, Lord of the Flies (Netflix)
Nick Offerman, Death by Lightning (Netflix)
Cailee Spaeny, Beef (Netflix)

Outstanding Original Film, Broadcast or Streaming

Color Theories by Julio Torres
Julio Torres, director; Matthew Vaughan, producer (HBO Max)

People We Meet on Vacation
Brett Haley, director; Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner, producers (Netflix)

Reflection in a Dead Diamond
Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani, directors; Pierre Foulon, producer (Shudder)

Remarkably Bright Creatures
Olivia Newman, director; Peter Craig, David Levine, Bryan Unkeless, producers (Netflix)

Skyking
Patricia E. Gillespie, director; Christopher G. Cowan, Patricia E. Gillespie, David Sloan, Claire Weinraub, producers (Hulu)

Outstanding Performance in an Original Film

Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures (Netflix)
Allison Janney, Miss You, Love You (HBO Max)
Cassandra Naud, Influencers (Shudder)
Yannick Renier, Reflection in a Dead Diamond (Shudder)
Cory Michael Smith, Mountainhead (HBO Max)