Peacock is hoping the Emmys will ride the “Ponies.”
Peacock and Universal Television’s “Ponies” is set to mount a full-court Emmy Awards campaign in the comedy series field, Variety has exclusively learned. The spy dramedy will submit across 20 categories at the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards, including lead comedy actress for Emilia Clarke and supporting actress for Haley Lu Richardson.
Four-time Emmy nominee Clarke will be submitted for her role as Bea, an over-educated, Russian-speaking daughter of Soviet immigrants who becomes a CIA operative after her husband is killed under mysterious circumstances in 1977 Moscow. Clarke will also be eligible as part of the Outstanding Comedy Series entry in her capacity as an executive producer on the show.
Her co-star Richardson, who plays Twila, a small-town woman described as equal parts abrasive and fearless, will seek consideration in the supporting actress category. Additional series regulars Adrian Lester, Artjom Gilz, Nicholas Podany, Petro Ninovskyi and Vic Michaelis will also be submitted in supporting performer categories.
Emmy-nominated co-creators Susanna Fogel and David Iserson will put the series premiere episode, “Second Hand News,” up for the comedy writing race. Fogel will also put forward the same episode in directing.
Beyond the performer and creative categories, the series will campaign in production design, casting, cinematography, costumes, picture editing, hairstyling/makeup, music composition, main title theme music, music supervision, sound editing, sound mixing, stunt coordination and special visual effects. The official episode and artisans to be submitted will be named at a later date.
“Ponies” premiered all episodes Jan. 15 on Peacock. The series currently holds a Certified Fresh designation on Rotten Tomatoes with a 96% score. Alison Herman, Variety’s chief TV critic, called it in her review “an endearing spy caper.”
Set in Moscow in 1977, “Ponies” centers on two women working anonymously as secretaries at the American Embassy — “ponies” being intelligence-speak for “persons of no interest.” When their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances, Bea and Twila are thrust into the world of Cold War espionage as CIA operatives, working together to uncover a vast conspiracy and solve the mystery that made them widows.
“Ponies” is co-created by Iserson (“Mr. Robot,” “New Girl”) and Fogel (“The Flight Attendant,” “The Spy Who Dumped Me”), who both serve as executive producers. Mike Daniels (“Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist”) serves as executive producer and showrunner alongside Fogel and Iserson. Jessica Rhoades (“Black Mirror,” “Station Eleven”) also executive produces. Co-executive producers include Katherine Bridle, Alison Mo Massey, Jared Ian Goldman and Rosa Handelman. The series is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
All eight episodes of “Ponies” Season 1 are now streaming on Peacock.
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