--- title: 2026 Emmys Review: Mariska Hargitay's Mediocre Hosting Debut description: The beloved 'SVU' star and first woman to host the telecast in 15 years was, well, just OK. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/09/14/emmys-2026-review-mariska-hargitay/ author: Judy Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-09-15T04:12:52.959Z article:modified_time: 2026-09-15T04:12:53.136Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: The Wonderful Mariska Hargitay Made a Surprisingly Mediocre Emmys Host og:description: The beloved 'SVU' star and first woman to host the telecast in 15 years was, well, just OK. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/09/14/emmys-2026-review-mariska-hargitay/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt57d2eb469be5eab6/6aa8c427bce81bbe7f41ce8a/GettyImages-2295305472.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: GettyImages-2295305472.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Wonderful Mariska Hargitay Made a Surprisingly Mediocre Emmys Host twitter:description: The beloved 'SVU' star and first woman to host the telecast in 15 years was, well, just OK. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt57d2eb469be5eab6/6aa8c427bce81bbe7f41ce8a/GettyImages-2295305472.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Emmys Squandered Beloved First-Time Host Mariska Hargitay > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Judy Berman](https://time.com/author/judy-berman/)  ## Judy Berman TV Critic Sep 15, 2026 4:12 AM UTC  Host Mariska Hargitay performs during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Host Mariska Hargitay performs during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Kevin Winter/Getty Images  by [Judy Berman](https://time.com/author/judy-berman/)  ## Judy Berman TV Critic Sep 15, 2026 4:12 AM UTC A day before Monday’s 78th Primetime Emmys, [giddy headlines](https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/new-york-knicks-jalen-brunson-emmys-mariska-hargitay-1236860658/) proclaimed that reigning [king](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/zohran-mamdani-reiterates-jalen-brunson-041639745.html) of basketball [Jalen Brunson](https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/jalen-brunson/) would be joining host [Mariska Hargitay](https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286014/mariska-hargitay/) for a pre-taped intro bit. Well, it happened. We got a few seconds of the real-life pals steaming work outfits together, of all things. Then, suddenly, Hargitay was leading an “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” production number that had her singing about [Guy Fieri](https://time.com/5853566/guy-fieri-restaurant-workers/) on an airplane and cuddling up with [Jean Smart](https://time.com/6046663/hacks-review-hbo-max/) in a hotel bed, in what felt uncomfortably like an ad for Marriott and United Airlines, whose logos were prominently placed. And then she was onstage at LA’s Peacock Theater, delivering a notably brief monologue. Spanning just eight minutes, the opening segment proved to be an accurate preview of a mediocre NBC and Peacock telecast that was by turns hasty, random, heavily reliant on big-name cameos, and not much of a showcase for Hargitay at all. It was a shame, not least because Hargitay was touted as the Emmys’ first female host since [Jane Lynch](https://time.com/video/DI1B0Guj/) in 2011\. For many years after the [_Glee_](https://time.com/archive/6688389/glee-a-chorus-of-laughter/)standout’s stint, the awards relied on a rotating cast of _SNL_ and talk-show guys. Recently, however, with [late night in decline](https://time.com/7303604/stephen-colbert-cancellation-late-night-comedy/), they’ve cast a wider net, and results have been all over the map. Following [Anthony Anderson’s forgettable performance](https://time.com/6554466/emmys-recap-2024/), we got an [effortlessly charming turn from Eugene and Dan Levy](https://time.com/7021458/emmys-2024-review-eugene-dan-levy/)—and then [last year’s tedious, gimmick-freighted telecast](https://time.com/7317181/emmys-2025-nate-bargatze-review/), led by standup superstar Nate Bargatze. It wasn’t just gender that set Hargitay apart from those predecessors, though. She was also the Emmys’ first emcee not known primarily for her comedy work since 2008, when the five first-ever nominees in a new reality-TV-hosting category, including [Ryan Seacrest](https://time.com/5184874/ryan-seacrest-oscars-2018/) and [Heidi Klum](https://time.com/5669209/heidi-klum-halloween-costume-2019/), delivered what [critics](https://variety.com/2008/scene/awards/from-your-couch-the-60th-annual-primetime-emmy-awards-1200470387/) [agreed](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/60th-emmy-awards-reviews-50728/) was one of the [worst](https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2055924%5F2055923%5F2055979,00.htmlhttps://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2055924%5F2055923%5F2055979,00.html) ceremonies in [history](https://www.theringer.com/2017/09/14/tv/worst-emmys-ceremony-in-history). Hargitay is, of course, synonymous with Olivia Benson, the heroic sex-crimes investigator she has portrayed in NBC’s [_Law & Order: SVU_](https://time.com/5681433/law-and-order-svu-sexual-assault/)since its 1999 premiere. What casual fans might not have known is that she trained with legendary improv troupe the Groundlings and appeared in sitcoms like _Seinfeld_; “[all I wanted to be was you](https://www.tvline.com/2253812/law-and-order-svu-mariska-hargitay-seinfeld-role-explained/?zsource=yahoo),” she told Amy Poehler on the latter’s podcast, _Good Hang_. Hargitay also went into the gig with lots of goodwill from audiences inside the Peacock Theater and at home. Not only is she an [advocate for survivors of sexual violence](https://time.com/collections/women-of-the-year/7377905/teyana-taylor-interview/), on screen and off; she’s also in the midst of a pop-culture renaissance, having won two Emmys for the [documentary](https://time.com/7296741/my-mom-jayne-review-hbo/) she directed about her famous mom, Jayne Mansfield, conquered the one-woman play [_Every Brilliant Thing_](https://time.com/7382299/daniel-radcliffe-interview-every-brilliant-thing-reggie-dinkins/) on Broadway, and endeared herself to [Knicks](https://time.com/article/2026/06/13/new-york-knicks-win-championship/) fans as a [stalwart supporter](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/mariska-hargitay-left-broadway-show-to-attend-knicks-finals-1236619587/) on the sidelines of this year’s NBA Finals. In light of all this, _Variety_ dubbed her “[a national best friend](https://variety.com/2026/tv/awards/mariska-hargitay-emmys-host-benson-svu-future-knicks-1236837025/).” Maybe that explains why Hargitay was just kinda _there with us_ throughout the ceremony, more an affable companion than a genuine ringmaster. In a monologue that was practically over before it started, she quipped about how many of the stars in the room she’d “arrested” in their guest appearances as _SVU_’s twisted perp of the week. There was a sendup of [Nicole Kidman](https://time.com/collections/women-of-the-year/7216403/nicole-kidman-interview/)’s five-year-old viral AMC Theatres commercial, featuring an interjection (“That’s _my_ line”) from Kidman herself. It wasn’t the only joke of the night that felt stale (see: Hargitay griping that the _Game of Thrones_ furs she donned to introduce two of the franchise’s stars were “hot as balls”). Minutes after Hargitay joked that male hosts had dominated the Emmys for so long because “for 15 straight years, [Amy and Tina](https://time.com/5943058/golden-globes-2021-review/) said no,” Poehler presented an award with a joke about the night’s losers outnumbering its winners that surpassed anything in the monologue. She was only the first scene stealer in a program full of them—and I’m not even talking about the many deserving winners, to whom the Emmys do rightly belong. (It does seem worth noting that Writing for a Drama Series winner [Vince Gilligan](https://time.com/7328396/vince-gilligan-interview-pluribus/) made the strongest political statement of a telecast whose scripted portions steered conspicuously clear of controversy, urging Americans to show each other respect and “stop listening to a relative few who tell us that that is for suckers and who get their power from dividing us.”) Presenting the award for Lead Actor in a Drama Series, frequent awards-show MVP [John Mulaney](https://time.com/6976672/john-mulaney-everybodys-in-la-netflix/) eclipsed the monologue in both humor and stage time with a tongue-in-cheek celebration of men that ultimately had him reading from _A Guy’s Guide to Being a Man’s Man_ by Frank Vincent. Andrew Rannells swooped in with a burst of musical theater energy to save Hargitay’s shaky song about canceled series. The host didn’t even get to own the obligatory pre-taped _SVU_ parody, whose mock-investigation into whether [Taylor Swift](https://time.com/6342806/person-of-the-year-2023-taylor-swift/) would attend the Emmys landed as a flimsy excuse to get the most famous entertainer on Earth (who is also famously an _SVU_ superfan and Hargitay pal) on screen. All told, it was neither an excruciating Emmys nor a great one. There were certainly some lovely moments. The [Catherine O’Hara](https://time.com/7362820/catherine-ohara-obituary/) tribute from her on-screen children [Macaulay Culkin](https://time.com/5647938/macaulay-culkin-home-alone-photo/), Annie Murphy, and [Dan Levy](https://time.com/article/2026/04/08/big-mistakes-ending-explained/) stood out as moving in its genuine warmth and specificity. More often, opportunities to honor a beloved person or show were squandered; was Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz presenting an award together really the exciting 30th anniversary [_Buffy the Vampire Slayer_](https://time.com/article/2026/08/26/dolly-parton-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-producer/)reunion fans were anticipating? Similarly, Hargitay didn’t embarrass herself. Many of the flaws in her performance should be blamed on lackluster writing, from a non sequitur segue after her self-deprecating _Ghoulies_ flashback to that unforgivable “Hannah Mammogramma” pun. She may have failed to match the Levys’ energy or belatedly prove herself as a great comic talent, but at least she avoided a Bargatze- or Seacrest-level disaster and came out with her likability intact. Regardless of whether she gets invited back, here’s to the Emmys giving women more chances to be wonderful, awful, and even just-OK Emmys hosts. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/09/14/emmys-2026-review-mariska-hargitay/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/09/14/emmys-2026-review-mariska-hargitay/"},"headline":"The Emmys Squandered Beloved First-Time Host Mariska Hargitay","datePublished":"2026-09-15T04:12:52.959Z","dateModified":"2026-09-15T04:12:53.136Z","description":"The beloved 'SVU' star and first woman to host the telecast in 15 years was, well, just OK.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/09/14/emmys-2026-review-mariska-hargitay/","keywords":["Television","culturepod","review"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt57d2eb469be5eab6/6aa8c427bce81bbe7f41ce8a/GettyImages-2295305472.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Judy Berman","jobTitle":"TV Critic","url":"https://time.com/author/judy-berman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt57d2eb469be5eab6/6aa8c427bce81bbe7f41ce8a/GettyImages-2295305472.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-2295305472.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Kevin Winter/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/09/14/emmys-2026-review-mariska-hargitay/","name":"The Emmys Squandered Beloved First-Time Host Mariska Hargitay"}}]}] ```