With final-round voting for the 2026 Emmys now underway, an entire season of work has been boiled down to one episode apiece for the five shows nominated for Outstanding Variety Series.
That’s because whether it’s a nightly show producing well over 100 episodes a year or a weekly series with 20, each nominee submits a single episode to stand in for its entire season.
Those five installments—submitted by The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Saturday Night Live—are what Television Academy voters are required to watch before casting their ballots, making the choice of which episode to submit a strategy all its own.
Here’s what each show submitted—and why their picks matter.
The Daily Show
Submitted episode: “Episode 30102”
Airdate: September 18, 2025
Episode description: After ABC “indefinitely” pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air, The Daily Show scrapped its plans for the following night and brought in Jon Stewart for a rare non-Monday appearance. Stewart turned the episode into an episode-long “government-approved Daily Show,” using mock praise of Trump and exaggerated deference to the administration to make a pointed argument about Kimmel’s suspension, government pressure on broadcasters, and the limits of free speech.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Submitted episode: “Guests: Robert De Niro, Glen Powell, Sarah McLachlan”
Airdate: September 23, 2025
Episode description: Jimmy Kimmel returned from his nearly weeklong suspension for a highly anticipated—and far from assured—comeback, after ABC and Disney faced days of intense public backlash over his removal from the air. As LateNighter’s Bill Carter wrote at the time, a grateful Kimmel was “emotional, unrepentant, unreservedly outspoken,” defending free speech, criticizing government pressure on broadcasters, and addressing the remarks that led to his suspension. The episode drew 8.6 million viewers in Live+3 and commanded a whopping 32% share of the total audience—the largest late-night share since Johnny Carson’s final episodes of The Tonight Show in 1992—and has already helped earn Jimmy Kimmel Live! its first Peabody Award.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Submitted episode: “Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill”
Airdate: June 29, 2025
Episode description: Oliver sounded one of his starkest alarms in recent memory over Trump’s 940-page legislative package, detailing its tax cuts for the wealthy, cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, and new work requirements he argued would push millions of eligible Americans off benefits. The segment generated millions of views and helped focus attention on whether lawmakers had adequately read or understood the massive package before voting on it.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Submitted episode: “Guests: Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Louis Cato, John Batiste (Series Finale)”
Airdate: May 21, 2026
Episode description: Colbert closed out his 11-year run—and the Late Show franchise’s 33 years on CBS—with a star-packed extended finale that mixed the show’s usual monologue and “Meanwhile” segments with a Paul McCartney interview and an elaborate wormhole storyline. Colbert later joined McCartney, Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste, Louis Cato, and the show’s staff for a climactic performance of “Hello, Goodbye” before literally turning out the lights at the Ed Sullivan Theater. The episode drew 9.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched weeknight episode of Colbert’s Late Show run.
Saturday Night Live
Submitted episode: “Host: Jack Black”
Airdate: April 4, 2026
Episode description: Jack Black joined SNL’s Five-Timers Club in a standout episode that paired his high-energy musical comedy with musical guest Jack White. Among the night’s highlights was Ashley Padilla’s “Kathy,” a slow-burn break-room sketch built around a relentlessly intrusive coworker whose repeated attempts to join the conversation pushed Black and Kenan Thompson to the brink, earning widespread praise for Padilla.
Final-round Emmy voting concludes August 26 at 10 p.m. PT, with the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards set to air Monday, September 14 on NBC and Peacock.
