Image source, Reuters

Outside of Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, here's a look at some of the other famous couples who have been nominated side-by-side in past years at the Emmys:

• Billy Crudup (The Morning Show) and Naomi Watts (Feud)
• Tracy Letts (Winning Time) and wife Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age)
• Sarah Paulson (Mrand Mrs Smith) and Holland Taylor (The Morning Show)
• Fargo’s Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons
• and Hacks duo Lucia Aniello and Paul W Downs

Nardine Saad
at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards

Image source, Getty Images

Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell fell in love while portraying spies on the Emmy-nominated series The Americans, but tonight they’re both up for acting awards in different projects.

Welsh actor Rhys is nominated for his lead roles in the Netflix limited series The Beast in Me and Apple TV horror-comedy Widow’s Bay, while Russell is up for her lead role as a US ambassador to the UK in the Netflix drama The Diplomat. (Both also have nods for their executive producer roles.)

This will be the fourth time the pair has attended the awards show when they're both up for nominations. From 2016 to 2018, they both received nods for their lead roles in the FX series The Americans.

The long-term couple, who are not legally married, met on the set of that drama and sparked rumours of an on-set romance in 2014. They made their relationship red-carpet official that same year. Russell, who has two children from her previous marriage, welcomed her first child with Rhys in 2016.

When Rhys won the Emmy for his role in The Americans in 2018, he joked during his acceptance speech that Russell would punch him “clean in the mouth” if he proposed onstage - a riff on an earlier marriage proposal during that telecast.

When Russell accepted an Actor Award earlier this year, she ended her speech with a nod to her former co-star and partner, saying "Happy St David's Day to my Welsh guy”.

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter

Image source, Reuters

You might have noticed the buzziest show of the last year, Heated Rivalry, starring Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, is missing from this year's Emmy nominations.

The ice hockey romance did not qualify because it is a fully financed Canadian production, without the US involvement needed to be recognised at the Emmys.

Its ineligibility puzzled many who remember Schitt's Creek, a show more Canadian than maple syrup, dominating the Emmys in 2021.

But that qualified because of its financial and broadcast partnerships in the US, including creator and star Dan Levy's own American-based production company.

Heated Rivalry will instead be eligible to compete for the next International Emmys, which take place in New York in November.

The final series of Stranger Things is absent in the top categories this year, scoring only seven nominations in technical categories.

And despite its star-packed cast, Euphoria's last season managed only one acting nomination for former winner Zendaya.

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter

Image source, Reuters

Whenever a particular show gets a truckload of Emmy nominations, it’s usually a show of strength and a sign that it will score at least some prizes on the night.

But it also can create a tricky situation for the stars, who often find themselves nominated against each other.

Medical drama The Pitt has a whopping eight acting nominations this year, seven of which are across the same two categories - best supporting drama actor and actress.

This can actually harm a show's chances, because it can split the vote. The Pitt might have a lot of love in the Television Academy, but if voters are all opting for different actors to win, that leaves the pathway clear for a nominee from a totally different show to come through the middle and snatch the win.

The Pitt’s lead star Noah Wyle is the only one unaffected by the show’s abundance of nominations, as he’s the only nominee from the series in the leading actor category.

But nominees from the same shows or films often publicly champion each other - so hopefully the dynamic hasn’t been too awkward on set.

We broke down the stats on the nominated shows earlier, you can find it here.

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter

Image source, Getty Images

There’s a respectable showing for the Brits this year, but the UK isn’t leading the way in the same way it has at some recent Emmy ceremonies.

Baby Reindeer and Adolescence dominated the limited series categories (and news headlines) for the last two years, but this year there is no equivalent show expected to bring a load of trophies back across the Atlantic.

Having said that, there are plenty of individual acting nominations for Brits from a variety of other shows, including:

• Carey Mulligan (Beef)
• Riz Ahmed (Bait)
• Rufus Sewell (The Diplomat)
• Jack Lowden (Slow Horses)
• Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)

Many are keeping a particularly close eye on Welsh star Matthew Rhys, who is nominated in two different lead actor categories - for comedy Widow’s Bay and limited series The Beast in Me.

Two categories have been merged this year - best talk series and best scripted variety series are now combined in a single category: outstanding variety series.

That means chat show hosts such as Jimmy Kimmel will compete against topical variety shows such as Saturday Night Live and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.

Some other categories were also moved out of the telecast this year and have already been handed out, in an effort to revitalise the ceremony and leave more time for entertainment.

For example, best supporting actor and actress in a limited series, usually awarded during the main ceremony, were moved to the earlier Creative Arts Emmys ceremonies this year.

The total number of trophies awarded on the big night has been reduced from 26 to 19, a move the Academy said was intended to leave room for more musical performances, comedic sketches and unexpected acceptance speeches.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, NBC via Getty Images

Mariska Hargitay, star of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, is this year's Primetime Emmys Awards host.

Hargitay has become synonymous with her small-screen alter ego, Captain Olivia Benson, a New York police detective who has entered the American television annals as the longest-running female character in a primetime live-action series.

The actress, producer and director also earned an Emmy Award for the role back in 2006.

Image source, Getty Images

NBC, which is televising the awards show in the US, selected its drama star to emcee the ceremony as part of the network's centennial.

"Bringing important stories into the light has been the heartbeat of my career," Hargitay said in July, adding that it is her "great honour" to lead the festivities and "celebrate this extraordinary community of storytellers".

Her selection marks a departure from the ceremony's recent slate of comics to front the gig and is the first time in 15 years a woman has hosted the show. Glee alum Jane Lynch was the last woman to host back in 2011.

The ceremony went without a host in 2019 after the Oscars famously went host-less earlier that year.

Image source, Getty Images

Leading the pack at this year's Emmys is the hit drama series The Pitt, which has earned 25 nominations and will also be defending its title as best drama for the second year in a row.

Not far behind is Hacks, with its fifth and final season receiving 24 nominations, which is the most ever for a comedy series in a single year.

Here's a look at the other shows with the most nominations:

• Widow's Bay - 19
• Pluribus - 18
• Beef - 16
• DTF St Louis - 13

Doctors and others in the medical profession say, for them, The Pitt is the most realistic medical drama yet, which may have helped boost its popularity.

Nardine Saad
at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards

Image source, Getty Images

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, the biggest night in the television industry, is set to get under way in downtown Los Angeles in just a few hours.

Stars from this year's most popular programmes - including The Pitt, Hacks, Slow Horses, Widow's Bay and more - will soon be pulling up to the red carpet outside the Peacock Center, starting at around 15:00 local time (18:00 ET, 23:00 BST).

Our reporters, similarly poised to strike a selfie or two, will also be bringing you live coverage from outside the show, as well as backstage.

We'll be catching up with the winners and bringing you fresh analysis on the biggest surprises and upsets of the night when things get going at 20:00 EDT (01:00 BST). For now, we'll take you through everything from how to watch, whose been nominated - and who hasn't.