Television’s awards conversation has a new question at its center, and it involves two of the medium’s most dominant performers. With Euphoria and Hacks both premiering new seasons on the same night, Zendaya and Jean Smart find themselves in rare and parallel territory — each within reach of winning an Emmy for every single season of their respective series, a feat no woman has ever accomplished.
The only performer in Emmy history to win an acting award for every season of a series spanning three or more seasons is Bill Cosby, who took home trophies for all three seasons of the drama I Spy in the late 1960s. Blythe Danner won for both seasons of Huff, but that series ended after two. The closest modern parallel belongs to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who won six of seven seasons of Veep, falling short only in its final year — still one of the most extraordinary runs the Emmys have ever seen.
Smart and Zendaya are now positioned to go further.
Jean Smart’s historic run on Hacks
Smart has been the defining force of Hacks since its debut, and the comedy has developed into one of the most celebrated series of its era. Now in its fifth season across six years of production — including a pause during the Hollywood strikes — the show has remained a consistent favorite with Emmy voters throughout. Smart has won the lead comedy actress award for each eligible season to date, and early reviews of the new season suggest she remains the frontrunner, though the competition this year is formidable.
At 74, Smart has accumulated seven Emmy wins over a career that spans decades and genres. Her run on Hacks represents the most concentrated and dominant stretch of her awards history, and a win this cycle would cement the series as one of the most Emmy-decorated comedies of the streaming era.
Her co-star Hannah Einbinder is also approaching a milestone of her own. A supporting comedy actress nominee in each of the show’s previous seasons — winning most recently — Einbinder could complete a perfect five-for-five nomination streak if she earns a nod for the new season, adding another layer to what is already an exceptional awards narrative around the series.
Zendaya’s undefeated record on Euphoria
Zendaya’s path to this moment has been less linear but no less remarkable. She won the lead drama actress Emmy for the first season of Euphoria in 2020 at age 24, becoming the youngest winner in that category’s history. Her second win followed for the second season, making her the youngest two-time lead acting nominee in Emmy history and the youngest woman nominated as a producer in the outstanding drama series category.
Now, after a four-year gap between seasons, she enters her third cycle in the race with her record still intact. Whether this will be the final season of the show remains officially unconfirmed, though Zendaya has indicated in recent interviews that it may be. If so, the Emmy race carries additional weight — the chance to finish the series without a single loss in the category.
What a sweep would mean
Emmy voters are known to respond to narrative as much as performance, and the story of two women simultaneously chasing history in the same year is as compelling as any the awards cycle has produced in recent memory. Should both win, Hacks and Euphoria would jointly author a new chapter in Emmy records — one that has been waiting to be written since television began keeping score.
The list of performers nominated for every season of their series is long and distinguished, including names that span the full history of American television. Joining that group is notable. Winning every time is something else entirely.
