EXCLUSIVE: As Hacks signs off today with its series finale, the HBO Max comedy is getting ready for one last Emmy run with its fifth and final season. The submissions are in, and they include returning favorites and first-time hopefuls.

Top among them is star Jean Smart who is looking to extend her winning streak in the Lead Actress In a Comedy Series category after taking home the Emmy for each of the series’ first four seasons to date. Meanwhile, The Summer I Turned Pretty heartthrob Christopher Briney is seeking his first major awards recognition.

Five Hacks cast members will be competing in the supporting fields. They are led by Hannah Einbinder, a four-time nominee and reigning winner as Supporting Actress In a Comedy Series. She is joined by fellow series regulars Megan Stalter, Carl Clemons-Hopkins and Paul W. Downs — who is also Hacks’ co-creator/executive producer — as well as recurring player Robby Hoffman who, in her first season on the show last year was nominated for Guest Actress In a Comedy Series. Like with The Pitt’s recurring cast member Shawn Hatosy, who also is changing categories, the extent of Hoffman’s presence in Season 5 of Hacks allowed her to switch from a Guest Star to Supporting for the 2026 Emmys.

Of Hacks‘ 2026 supporting acting contenders, somewhat surprisingly, it is standout Stalter who is yet to land an Emmy nomination. She and Downs have become a popular awards show duo with memorable red carpet appearances and presenter bits.

In addition to Supporting Actor, Downs will compete in two other categories alongside fellow Hacks co-creators and executive producers Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky: Outstanding Comedy Series and Writing For a Comedy Series for the series finale, which the trio penned together.

Like her husband Downs, Aniello also is running in four categories. In addition to the shared Comedy Series and Writing For a Comedy Series, that includes Directing For a Comedy series for helming the finale. Aniello, Downs and Jen Statsky have won an Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy and two Writing for a Comedy Series Emmys, including one for the series premiere that also earned Aniello a Directing Emmy.

Hacks is known for its flashy guest starring roles, with fourteen performers submitted in the Guest Actor/Actress categories this year. That includes recurring guest stars who have been nominated for the show before, Laurie Metcalf, who won in 2022, Jane Adams, Kaitlin Olson and Christopher McDonald, fellow recurring guest performers J. Smith-Cameron, Tony Goldwyn and Lauren Weedman as well as new Season 5 additions Briney, Leslie Bibb, Ann Dowd, Cherry Jones, Anna Konkle, Alanna Ubach and playwright Tony Kushner playing a version himself.

Other 2026 Emmy categories with Hacks presence include Casting For a Comedy Series, Cinematography for a series (Half-Hour), Picture Editing For a Comedy Series (five individual submissions for John Daigle, Joseph Ettinger, Rob Paglia, Jon Philpot and Peggy Tachdjian), Production Design For A Narrative Contemporary Program (Half-Hour), Contemporary Costumes, Contemporary Hairstyling, Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic), Original Music and Lyrics for the song “Mis Figuritas”, Music Composition, Music Supervision, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Special Visual Effects In a Single Episode.

Hacks has been nominated six times for Picture Editing, four times for Contemporary Costumes with Costume Designer Kathleen Felix-Hager and Costume Supervisor Keely Crum winning in 2022, four times for Production Design, four times for Casting, four times for Cinematography (Adam Bricker), three times for Contemporary Hairstyling, three times for Sound Mixing, and once each for Music Supervision and Contemporary Makeup.