The Emmys are almost here, and with the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards taking place on September 14, it is officially time to look back at some of the Arab talent that has made its way into one of television’s biggest nights.
Hosted this year by Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay, the ceremony will bring together the biggest names in television for another round of awards, red carpets and, inevitably, a few emotional acceptance speeches. But while we wait to see who takes home the trophies this year, there is already a pretty impressive list of Arab actors, directors, composers, editors and creators who have been part of the Emmy conversation.
From an Egyptian-American actor winning television’s biggest acting prize to a comedy series born on the New York subway earning a nomination, here are some of the Arab stars and creatives who have been nominated for Primetime Emmys over the past decade.
Kareem Rahma
And then there is Kareem Rahma, who may have one of the most 2026-coded Emmy stories of the bunch.
The Egyptian-American comedian and creator received his first Primetime Emmy nomination this year for SubwayTakes With Kareem Rahma, his short-form interview series filmed on the New York City subway. The series was nominated for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series.
The concept is wonderfully simple: Rahma approaches strangers on the subway and asks them a question, turning those spontaneous conversations into short videos.
Now, those subway conversations have made it all the way to the Emmys.
Rami Hachache
Another new name joining the Emmy conversation in 2026 is Lebanese-American director and producer Rami Hachache.
Hachache received a nomination for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series as an executive producer of Netflix’s Bad Thoughts.
The nomination is particularly interesting because Bad Thoughts represents the increasingly blurry line between traditional television and creator-led digital entertainment. Short-form projects that might once have lived entirely online are now competing for recognition at television’s biggest awards.
And Hachache’s first Emmy nomination puts a Lebanese-American creative right in the middle of that shift.
Mohamed El Manasterly
Mohamed El Manasterly is another Egyptian name that deserves a spot on this list — even if he is more likely to be found in the editing room than on the red carpet.
The Egyptian editor has received four Emmy nominations and won three, making him one of the most decorated Egyptian names in the Television Academy’s records. His recent nominations and wins have come for his work on Welcome to Wrexham, including wins in 2023 and 2025 and another nomination in 2026.
But his Emmy story actually began before our decade. In 2014, El Manasterly won Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming for The Square, becoming the first Egyptian editor to win an Emmy.
So although his name may not be as instantly recognizable as an actor’s, his Emmy résumé is one of the strongest Arab success stories on this list.
Ramy Youssef
Of course, we cannot talk about Arab representation at the Emmys without talking about Ramy Youssef.
The Egyptian-American comedian, actor, writer and director broke through with his Hulu series Ramy, which follows a young Muslim Egyptian-American man navigating faith, family, relationships and the general chaos of being in his twenties.
In 2020, Youssef received two Primetime Emmy nominations: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for playing Ramy and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for one the show’s episodes.
Then came another nomination in 2024, this time for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for his work on The Bear episode “Honeydew.”
That brings Youssef’s Primetime Emmy tally to three nominations. And while he has not taken home the acting or directing trophy yet, his Emmy story has already stretched from his own semi-autobiographical comedy to one of television’s most acclaimed shows.
Tony Shalhoub
If there is one name on this list that needs very little introduction, it is Tony Shalhoub.
The Lebanese-American actor has been an Emmy favorite for decades, and he continued that streak throughout the past ten years. He received four Primetime Emmy nominations between 2018 and 2024, including three nominations for his role as Abe Weissman in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and a 2024 nomination as an executive producer on Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie.
One of those nominations turned into another Emmy win: Shalhoub won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2019 for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
And the bigger picture is even more impressive. Shalhoub has 13 Primetime Emmy nominations of which he won four Emmys throughout his career, including three wins for playing the famously obsessive detective Adrian Monk.
So, yes, Abe Weissman was just the latest chapter in a very long Emmy story.
F. Murray Abraham
F. Murray Abraham may not immediately spring to mind when you think of Arab Hollywood talent, but the Oscar-winning actor has Syrian roots through his father.
During the past decade, Abraham picked up three Primetime Emmy nominations: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Homeland in 2018, Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for voicing Khonshu in Moon Knight in 2022, and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for The White Lotus in 2023.
Those three nominations are part of a career total of four Emmy nominations, with his first coming in 2015 for Homeland. Unlike some of the other names on this list, Abraham has not won an Emmy — but four nominations across a career that has stretched from Amadeus to The White Lotus is still quite the résumé.
And yes, the man who once played Mozart’s greatest rival also ended up voicing an Egyptian moon god in the Marvel universe. The range is impressive.
Hiam Abbass
Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass joined the Emmy nominees in 2023 for her performance as Marcia Roy in Succession.
Abbass was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the episode “Honeymoon States,” putting her in the company of some of the biggest performances from one of television’s most celebrated dramas.
Her nomination was also a nice full-circle moment for an actress whose career has moved comfortably between Arab cinema, European productions and major American television.
Cherien Dabis
Palestinian-Jordanian filmmaker Cherien Dabis brought Arab representation to the directing category in 2022.
Dabis was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for Only Murders in the Building, specifically for the episode “The Boy From 6B.”
The episode was an especially ambitious one, largely told from the perspective of Theo, a deaf character, and relying heavily on visual storytelling. Dabis’s nomination added an Arab filmmaker to the directing conversation for one of television’s buzziest comedies.
Not a bad way to make your Emmy debut.
Hesham Nazih
From acting and directing, we move to music.
Egyptian composer Hesham Nazih received a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2022 for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special for his score for Moon Knight. The nominated episode was “Asylum.”
It was a particularly fitting project for an Egyptian composer. Moon Knight was deeply connected to Egyptian mythology, and Nazih’s score helped give the series its distinctive atmosphere.
He ultimately did not win, but an Egyptian composer receiving an Emmy nomination for a Marvel series was still a pretty major moment.
Rami Malek
Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek made Emmy history in 2016 when he won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Elliot Alderson in Mr. Robot. He was nominated alongside names including Bob Odenkirk, Kevin Spacey and Matthew Rhys, ultimately taking home the trophy for his intense performance as the socially isolated hacker.
The win was a major moment for Arab representation on American television, particularly because Malek became the face of one of the decade’s most acclaimed dramas.
Sam Esmail
Speaking of Mr. Robot, Egyptian-American filmmaker Sam Esmail also had quite a year at the 2016 Emmys.
Esmail received two nominations that year: Outstanding Drama Series as an executive producer on Mr. Robot and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the show’s pilot episode.
While he did not take home either award, his nominations put an Egyptian-American writer and filmmaker in two major Emmy categories in the same year that his leading man, Rami Malek, won.
Not a bad year for the Mr. Robot team.
A Decade of Arab Talent at the Emmys
Perhaps the most interesting part is just how varied these nominations have been.
They have not been limited to acting. Arab nominees have shown up in directing, writing, music, editing, producing and short-form television — sometimes through massive Hollywood productions and sometimes through projects that started in a very different place.
So when the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards arrive on September 14, it is worth looking beyond the biggest acting categories and remembering that Arab talent has already been leaving its mark on television’s biggest night — sometimes from the red carpet, sometimes from behind the camera, and, in Kareem Rahma’s case, quite literally from a subway car.
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