When it comes to hosting the Emmy Awards, the network broadcasting the event usually turns to a late-night host, a sitcom actor or a comedian.

But NBC is going in a different direction this year, tapping one of its most popular dramatic actors instead. NBC announced Tuesday morning that “Law & Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay will host the 78th Emmy Awards in September.

It’s the first time in years that a network has pivoted away from a comedian. Some recent selections include stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze, “Schitt’s Creek” stars Eugene and Dan Levy and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. The last time NBC broadcast the event, in 2022, the network selected “Saturday Night Live” mainstay Kenan Thompson.

“Few performers have left the kind of mark on television that Mariska has,” Jen Neal, NBC’s executive vice president of live events, said in a statement. “For 27 seasons, she has brought strength, compassion and humanity to one of the most beloved characters on TV.”

Hargitay said it was her “great honor” to “celebrate this extraordinary community of storytellers.”

Hargitay has portrayed Capt. Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: SVU” since 1999, and is one of the best-paid actors in all of television.

Nominations for the Emmy Awards will be announced Wednesday. NBC will air the Emmys on Sept. 14 and the event will also stream on Peacock.

The Television Academy, which administers the Emmys, could use a ratings bump this year because the rights to the award show will soon be up for grabs.

This is the final year of the “wheel deal,” a multiyear pact to rotate the Emmys telecast among the four broadcast networks. The wheel deal has been in effect for more than three decades, but it is not clear if ABC, NBC, Fox or CBS will make a collective bid for the award show again.

Last year, the Emmys commanded an audience of 7.4 million viewers on CBS, an 8% increase from 2024.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By John Koblin/Kobe Wagstaff
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