78th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations are in, with The Pitt emerging as this year's frontrunner after earning 25 nominations, while Hacks followed closely with 24, setting up a competitive race ahead of the September ceremony.

The nominations for television's biggest awards were announced on Wednesday, July 8, by Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller.

The Pitt will compete for Outstanding Drama Series alongside The Diplomat, The Gilded Age, Pluribus, Slow Horses, The Testaments, The White Lotus and Andor. 

Noah Wyle also secured a Lead Actor nomination for his performance in the Max medical drama.

The comedy race remains equally competitive, with Hacks, The Bear, Abbott Elementary, Shrinking and newcomer Widow's Bay earning Outstanding Comedy Series nominations. 

Jean Smart received another Lead Actress nod, joined by returning nominees Quinta Brunson and Ayo Edebiri.

In the Limited or Anthology Series category, nominees include Beef, All Her Fault, The Beast in Me, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette and Dying for Sex. Acting nominations went to performers including Oscar Isaac, Claire Danes, Sarah Pidgeon, and Jason Bateman.

Among the biggest surprises was the breakout success of Pluribus, which scored nominations across several major categories, while returning favourites The White Lotus and Slow Horses extended their strong Emmy runs.

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will be hosted by Mariska Hargitay, making the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star the first woman in 15 years to host the ceremony. The awards will be held on September 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.