Mariska Hargitay is expected to host the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, which will air on NBC on Sept. 14.NBCUniversal announced Hargitay as host on Tuesday, a day before the casting announcement. The show will also be broadcast on the Peacock and will be held, fittingly, at the Peacock Theater, the long-time home of the Emmys that will also be the home of the Oscars.Hargitay, 62, has been one of NBC’s signature characters since 1999’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” one of the longest-running shows in TV history. She has been nominated eight times for her role as detective Olivia Benson, who won the lead role in the drama in 2006. “SVU” as it is known, should exceed 600 episodes when its 28th season appears this fall. Hargitay has used the platform to become an advocate for victims of rape.He may also be nominated this year as the director and producer of “My Mom Jayne,” a documentary about his mother, Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay was also a fixture on TV earlier this year when he sat front row during a basketball game with his beloved New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.The responsibility to broadcast the Emmys rotates among the four broadcast networks although their nominations are rare during the broadcast season. Hargitay is the rare non-comedian to land the hosting job, which was done last year by Nate Bargatze on CBS.NBC is unlikely to see many nominees in the major categories on Wednesday, although all-time Emmy leader “Saturday Night Live” gets its share of the regular season.Apple TV+’s “Pluribus” and HBO Max’s “The Pitt” starring former NBC star Noah Wyle are expected to be among the top nominees when recent winners Liza Colon-Zayas and Jeff Hiller are announced at the Television Academy in Los Angeles.
