10th Annual Black Reel TV Awards
Streaming Monday, August 17th, 2026
blackreelawards.com
The 10th Annual Black Reel TV Awards explodes into its milestone year with a lineup that proves once again, that Black creatives are driving the most electric, imaginative, and culture-shifting storytelling on television. From the laugh-out-loud brilliance of Abbott Elementary and The Bear to the pulse-pounding intensity of Man on Fire and Industry, this year’s nominees showcase a fearless range of voices redefining what TV can be.
Across comedy, drama, limited series, documentaries, music, and technical categories, the 2026 nominees shine with breakout performances, visionary direction, and unforgettable moments that sparked conversations all year long. This anniversary class doesn’t just reflect excellence—it celebrates a decade of innovation, impact, and unapologetic creativity.
Dive into the full list of nominees below and experience the shows, artists, and storytellers who lit up screens and pushed the culture forward in spectacular fashion.
Series Categories
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Abbott Elementary | Quinta Brunson, showrunner (ABC)
The Bear | Christopher Storer & Joanna Calo, showrunners (FX / HULU)
The ‘Burbs | Celeste Hughey, showrunner (Peacock)
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins | Robert Carlock & Sam Means, showrunners (NBC)
Wonder Man | Andrew Guest, showrunner (Disney+)
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Industry | Mickey Down & Konrad Kay, showrunners (HBO)
IT: Welcome to Derry | Jason Fuchs & Brad Caleb Kane, showrunners (HBO)
Paradise | Dan Fogelman, showrunner (HULU)
Man on Fire | Kyle Killen, showrunner (Netflix)
Reasonable Doubt | Raamla Mohamed, showrunner (HULU)
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Demascus | Kirk A. Moore, showrunner (TUBI)
His & Hers | Dee Johnson, showrunner (Netflix)
Imperfect Women | Annie Weisman, showrunner (Apple TV+)
Ironheart | Chinaka Hodge, showrunner (Disney+)
Washington Black | Selwyn Seyfu & Kimberly Ann Harrison, showrunners (HULU)
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awarded to the showrunner, producer or executive producer
A GRAMMY Salute to Earth, Wind & Fire Live: The 21st Night of September | Ben Winston, Patrick Menton & Harvey Mason Jr., executive producers (CBS)
AFI Live Achievement Award: A Tribute to Eddie Murphy | Chris Merrill & Christine Calandra, producers (Netflix)
Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable | Rikki Hughes & Sina Sadighi, producers (Netflix)
The Jennifer Hudson Show | Andy Lassner & Corey Palent, showrunners (Syndication)
Josh Johnson: Symphony | Jeff Thorsen, producer (HBO Max)
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awarded to the director
Allen Iv3rson | (Prime Video)
Boo-Yah: A Portrait of Stuart Scott | (ESPN)
Katrina: Come Hell and High Water | Spike Lee, director (Netlifx)
Magic City: An American Fantasy | (Starz)
Sean Combs: The Reckoning | (Netflix)
Acting Categories
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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II | Wonder Man (Disney+)
Quinta Brunson | Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Ayo Edebiri | The Bear (FX / Hulu)
David Alan Grier | St. Denis Medical (NBC)
Keke Palmer | The ‘Burbs (Peacock)
Maya Rudolph | Loot (Apple TV+)
Adjani Salmon | Dreaming Whilst Black (Paramount+)
Jaz Sinclair | Gen V (Prime Video)
Vince Staples | The Vince Staples Show (Netflix)
Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams | The Ms. Pat Show (BET / Paramount+) -
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II | Man on Fire (Netflix)
Jovan Adepo | IT: Welcome to Derry (HBO)
Angela Bassett | 9-1-1 (ABC)
Sterling K. Brown | Paradise (Hulu)
Emayatzy Corinealdi | Reasonable Doubt (Hulu)
Aldis Hodge | Cross (Prime Video)
Chase Infiniti | The Testaments (Hulu)
Myha’la | Industry (HBO)
Y’lan Noel | Nemesis (Netflix)
Zendaya | Euphoria (HBO) -
Idris Elba | Heads of State (Prime Video)
Taraji P. Henson | Straw (Netflix)
Ernest Kingsley Jr. | Washington Black (Hulu)
Okieriete Onaodowan | Demascus (Tubi)
Winston Sawyers | Lord of the Flies (Netflix)
Serayah | Ruth & Boaz (Netflix)
Daryl Stephens | Noah’s Arc: The Movie (Paramount+)
Dominique Thorne | Ironheart (Disney+)
Tessa Thompson | His & Hers (Netflix)
Kerry Washington | Imperfect Women (Apple TV) -
Erika Alexander | The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (NBC)
Danielle Brooks | Peacemaker (HBO Max)
Danielle Deadwyler | Rooster (HBO)
Colman Domingo | The Four Seasons (Netflix)
Janelle James | Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Lamorne Morris | Spider-Noir (Prime Video)
Danielle Pinnock | Ghosts (CBS)
Sheryl Lee Ralph | Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Jessica Williams | Shrinking (Apple TV)
Tyler James Williams | Abbott Elementary (ABC) -
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje | Euphoria (HBO)
Kyle Bary | Reasonable Doubt (Hulu)
Nicole Beharie | The Morning Show (Apple TV)
Chris Chalk | IT: Welcome to Derry (HBO)
Gabrielle Dennis | Nemesis (Netflix)
Skye P. Marshall | Matlock (CBS)
Taylour Paige | IT: Welcome to Derry (HBO)
Karen Pittman | The Morning Show (Apple TV)
Sonja Sohn | Will Trent (ABC)
Alfre Woodard | The Boroughs (Netflix) -
Sterling K. Brown | Washington Black (Prime Video)
Chiwetel Ejiofor | The Old Guard 2 (Netflix)
Sope Dirisu | Black Rabbit (Netflix)
Jay Ellis | All Her Fault (Peacock)
Crystal Fox | His & Hers (Netflix)
Leslie Odom Jr. | Imperfect Women (Apple TV)
Wendell Pierce | Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War (Prime Video)
Anthony Ramos | Ironheart (Disney+)
Lyric Ross | Ironheart (Disney+)
Joy Sunday | DTF St. Louis (HBO) -
Khandi Alexander | Abbott Elementary (ABC)
RJ Cyler | The ‘Burbs (Peacock)
Danielle Deadwyler | The Bear (FX / Hulu)
Zack Fox | Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Taraji P. Henson | Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Samuel L. Jackson | Tulsa King (Paramount+)
Clifford “Method Man” Smith | Poker Face (Peacock)
Octavia Spencer | Running Point (Netflix)
Robert Townsend | The Bear (FX /Hulu)
Damon Wayans Jr. | Shrinking (Apple TV) -
Morris Chestnut | Reasonable Doubt (Hulu)
Giancarlo Esposito | The Boys (Prime Video)
Danielle Deadwyler | Euphoria (HBO)
Colman Domingo | Euphoria (HBO)
Yvette Freeman | Will Trent (ABC)
Ernest Harden Jr. | The Pitt (HBO Max)
Ayesha Harris | The Pitt (HBO Max)
Leslie Uggams | The Gilded Age (HBO)
Malcolm-Jamal Warner | Murder in a Small Town (FOX)
Susan Kelechi Watson | Will Trent (ABC)
Directing Categories
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Abbott Elementary, “Mall Part 2: Questions & Concerns” | Tyler James Williams, director (ABC)
The Bear, “Worms” | Janicza Bravo, director (FX / Hulu)
The Four Seasons, “Hiking” | Colman Domingo, director (Netflix)
Shrinking, “And That’s Our Time” | Randall Keenan Winston, director (Apple TV)
Wonder Man, “Callback” | Tiffany Johnson, director (Disney+) -
The Gilded Age, “My Mind is Made Up” | Salli Richardson-Whitfield, director (HBO)
IT: Welcome to Derry, “29 Neibolt Street” | Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr., director (HBO)
The Morning Show, “Amari” | Millicent Shelton, director (Apple TV)
Paradise, “Exodus” | Hanelle M. Culpepper, director (Hulu)
The Pitt, “4:00 PM”, Damian Marcano, director (HBO Max) -
Imperfect Women, ‘The Bridge” | Jet Wilkinson, director (Apple TV)
Ironheart, “The Past is the Past” | Angela Barnes, director (Disney+)
Love Story: John F. Kennedy & Carolyn Bessette, “Battery Park” | Crystle Roberson Dorsey, director (FX)
The Man in My Basement | Nadia Latif, director (Hulu)
Ruth & Boaz | Alanna Brown, director (Netflix)
Writing Categories
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Abbott Elementary, “Team Building” | Quinta Brunson, writer (ABC)
The Bear, “Worms” | Lionel Boyce & Ayo Edebiri, writers (FX / Hulu)
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, “Nittany Means Big” | Phil Augusta Jackson, writer (NBC)
Shrinking, “The Field” | Ashley Nicole Black, writer (Apple TV)
Wonder Man, “Doorman” | Zeke Nicholson, writer (Disney+) -
Cross, “Quemar” | Ben Watkins & Aiyana White, writers (Prime Video)
IT: Welcome to Derry, “In the Name of the Father” | Jason Fuchs, Cord Jefferson & Brad Caleb Kane, writers (HBO)
Paradise, “Mayday” | Jason Wilborn, writer (Hulu)
The Pitt, “1:00 PM” | Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman & R. Scott Gemmill, writers (HBO Max)
The Pitt, “3:00 PM” | Cynthia Adarkwa, writer (HBO Max) -
His & Hers, “Episode 2” | Tori Sampson, writer (Netflix)
Imperfect Women, “Monster” | Kay Oyegun, writer (Apple TV)
Ironheart, “Take Me Home” | Chinaka Hodge, writer (Disney+)
Ruth & Boaz | Michael Elliot & Cory Tynan, writers (Netflix)
The Man in My Basement | Walter Mosley & Nadia Latif, writers (Hulu)
Music Categories
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The Chi | Wyclef Jean, composer (Paramount+)
Cross | Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Adrian Younge, composers (Prime Video)
Ironheart | Dara Taylor, composer (Disney+)
Katrina: Come Hell and High Water | Terence Blanchard, composer (Netflix)
Nemesis | Larrance Dopson, composer (Netflix) -
BMF | Derryck “Big Tank” Thornton, music supervisor (Starz)
The Chi | Derryck “Big Tank” Thornton, music supervisor (Paramount+)
Ruth & Boaz | Ashley Neumeister, music supervisor (Netflix)
Washington Black | Guy C. Routte, music supervisor (Hulu)
The Vince Staples Show | Martin Mycoo, music supervisor (Netflix) -
awarded to the performer and songwriters
The Boys, “Raise Him Up” (Prime Video)
Daveed Diggs, performer
Daveed Diggs, Christopher Lennertz & Eric Kripke, songwriters
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, “Cookin’ It Up” (NBC)
Precious Way, performer
The Gray House, “Love Will Rescue Me” (Prime Video)
Yolanda Adams, performer
Anthony Evans & Nick Prothoven, songwriters
Ruth & Boaz, “Faithful” (Netflix) Serayah, performer
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, songwriter
Ruth & Boaz, “Goodness” (Netflix)
Serayah & Babyface, performers
Jenn Johnson, Ed Cash, Jason Ingram, Brian Johnson, and Ben Fielding, songwriters
Technical Categories
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Katrina: Come Hell and High Water | Cliff Charles, cinematographer (Netflix)
Allen Iv3rson | Snyder Derival, cinematographer (Prime Video)
The Vince Staples Show | Ayinde Anderson, cinematographer (Netflix) -
Bel-Air | QueenSlyvia Akuchie, costume designer (Peacock)
Cross | Stacy Beverly, costume designer (Prime Video)
Ironheart | Terrance Harris, costume designer (Disney+)
Nemesis | Frank L. Fleming, costume designer (Netflix)
Reasonable Doubt | Mercedes Cook, costume designer (Hulu) -
Bel-Air | Kendra Parker, editor (Peacock)
Boo-Yah: A Portrait of Stuart Scott | Cinque Northern, editor (ESPN)
Daredevil: Born Again | Stephanie Filo & Lyric Ramsey, editors (Disney+)
Ironheart | Shannon Baker Davis, editor (Disney+)
Reasonable Doubt | Lynarion Hubbard, editor (Hulu) -
Cross | Francine Francis-Lee, Jessica Carter (Prime Video)
Euphoria | Kim Kimble (HBO)
His & Hers | Carol Rasheed & Shunika Terry (Netflix)
Ironheart | Shunika Terry & Denise Tunnell, (Disney+)
Ruth & Boaz | Kellie Robinson & Para Malden (Netflix) -
Euphoria (HBO)
IT: Welcome to Derry (HBO)
The Gilded Age (HBO)
Paradise (Hulu)
Wonder Man (Disney+)