Under creative chief Casey Bloys, as his staff is quick to remind, HBO has been dominating the Emmys for a while now. In the decade since the former development exec ascended to the top entertainment role (current title: chair and CEO of HBO and Max Content), the platform has had more nominations than any other in all but three years.

That trend continued this year. Thanks to shows like The Pitt and Hacks, which collected the most (25) and second-most (24) noms, HBO garnered 122 total slots, eleven more than second-place Netflix, which some thought might take the 2026 crown. 

AppleTV+ also had a very strong year — its 87 total noms were enough to lead combined drama and comedy categories — but it’s hard to deny that HBO still rules the game. And that’s without the platform’s buzziest show, Heated Rivalry, eligible for prizes. (The network acquired the Canadian series, and only U.S. productions are eligible.)

Of course, things in television can change in a Pitt-like minute. And they well might, given that next year at this time HBO could be owned by David Ellison’s Paramount.

With all the success and all the uncertainty, The Hollywood Reporter chatted with Bloys about where HBO has been and where it’s going. Also, should I Love LA have really gotten nothing?

Nominations morning is always a little crazy. Shows we thought would be in are out and the never-happenings are suddenly in. You got a lot of love for The Gilded Age, which few expected, but no love for Industry, which many expected.

It’s a reminder every year that none of us know anything. It’s nice to be surprised when shows we thought wouldn’t be there are — it reminds us there’s a lot of terrific work across the board.

The love for The Pitt, which is only in its second season, and Hacks, which has come to the end of a pretty incredible run, have to feel satisfying. Two very different shows, both on HBO, going 1-2 in the nom count.

I think it speaks to how we can be successful in comedies and dramas, as well as of course limited and late night [Last Week Tonight With John Oliver has won its category ten years running and will try for an 11th]. in the face of unprecedented competition I couldn’t be prouder of the team across all categories.

Two shows that I think fans were really hoping for love for were Task, which got acting and writing and directing but not best drama, and I Love LA, which came away totally empty even though you submitted in 18 categories. Does that disappoint you?

Sometimes with the Emmys you need to keep trying. I’m incredibly proud of both shows. And the good news is both are either shooting or about to shoot their second season.

It’s now been a decade since you ascended to this role. There have been a lot of Emmys noms in that time — 1,208, which is a little mind-boggling. Does it feel harder now, given the tech entrants and all their money?

There has always been competition. There was Showtime and FX and everyone else in the early years doing such good work, and now all our competitors continuing to do their good work. What I look at is how experienced our team is — the shows we choose to develop and produce. I’m very proud of the consistency.

One show that hit right at where the industry is right now is The Comeback — just a searing take on the world we’re fast approaching of AI generation, from Lisa [Kudrow, nominated for lead actress in a comedy] and Michael [Patrick King, nominated with Kudrow on writing in a comedy series]. What does it mean to have such a handmade show at a handmade network about the digital takeover — is it almost its own best rebuttal?

What I was really impressed was how Lisa and Michael looked at it, just in a very open-minded way. When you’re going at a subject like [that] you need to make it feel real. And you can see somebody doing this thing very soon. That’s what is so scary — it’s not years away. It’s entirely plausible. It would not surprise me if somebody announced this [idea of AI generating sitcom jokes] next month. This wasn’t science fiction but a grounded look at what could happen in the industry.

This is not new for them and the show over three seasons and 20 years — it almost feels like they come in once a decade to give us a temperature-read.

They’ve been a pretty accurate barometer about the challenges facing the industry, almost like a sixth sense. Maybe others thought about these issues. But they can incorporate them into a very funny show.

So you had a very minor, niche show that got no attention at all this year in Heated Rivalry.

(Laughs.) None.

And of course it wasn’t eligible because it’s not produced here. Does that stick in your craw at all or have you made your peace?

That is a proudly Canadian show and I’m very happy we acquired it. The rules are what they are. They did well in their award season. I’m just proud to have season two. I mean, Emmys would be nice, but this is first and foremost a Canadian show. They’re gearing up for production and I’m excited it will be on our platform.

Did Connor [Storrie] getting a nomination for hosting SNL feel like a laurel for the show?

(Laughs.) If it’s a laurel for us, I’ll take it.

One of the wilder stories this year has been you guys not submitting Brittany Allen for her arc as a terminal cancer patient on The Pitt, her deciding to go out and self-submit — and then landing a guest-acting nomination today. Do you have any regrets about your decision on that?

The Pitt has hundreds of performers and we simply, just strategically, can’t submit everybody. It’s just the reality. But we encourage people to self-submit and I love that she got nominated.

One point that is hard to escape right now is the changing business landscape — David Ellison’s Paramount is in the process of buying HBO as part of the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition. Do the Emmys feel melancholy at all because your whole company could look different very soon?

Well, think about it this way. Over the last ten years we’ve had the most nominations of any platform, and that’s over two corporate mergers [AT&T and Discovery]. I don’t automatically see a merger changing our performance. I just see our team continuing to deliver and putting out our best work.

There is so much uncertainty in the industry, with AI and mergers and production slowdowns and changing consumer habits. But I think people treat HBO and you almost like flight attendants on a turbulent plane — if you’re still up with the drinks cart, everything will be OK.

I’m here, serving alcoholic beverages to everybody.