The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards delivered a night of major wins for Widow’s Bay and The Pitt, with the Apple TV+ horror-comedy making history while HBO Max’s medical drama captured the top prize in television drama.
Widow’s Bay finished the Emmy season with 14 awards, the most ever won by a comedy series in a single year. The Pitt, meanwhile, won Outstanding Drama Series for the second consecutive year.
Widow’s Bay dominates the comedy categories
Widow’s Bay was the biggest overall winner of the 2026 Emmys.
The series won Outstanding Comedy Series and collected several major acting and creative awards, completing a remarkable run after receiving 19 nominations.
Matthew Rhys won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, while Kate O’Flynn took Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Stephen Root also won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, while creator Katie Dippold received the award for comedy writing.
Hiro Murai won Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, adding another major achievement for the breakout production.
The show’s 14 total victories included awards presented during the earlier Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies, allowing it to surpass the previous record for the most Emmys won by a comedy in one year.
The Pitt repeats as Best Drama
The Pitt continued its remarkable Emmy run by winning Outstanding Drama Series for the second consecutive year.
The HBO Max medical drama had entered the ceremony as the most-nominated drama, with 25 nominations.
Noah Wyle also won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Dr Michael “Robby” Robinavitch.
The victory strengthened the show’s position as one of television’s leading dramas and followed its Best Drama win at the previous Emmy ceremony.
The series also collected awards in categories including casting, guest acting, prosthetic makeup and original music and lyrics.
Jean Smart makes Emmy history
Hacks star Jean Smart continued her extraordinary awards run by winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
It was her fifth consecutive Emmy victory in the category, making her the first actress to win the award for every season of the series.
The victory came as Hacks concluded its fifth and final season.
Smart’s latest win also brought her total number of Emmy awards to eight, placing her among the most decorated performers in television history.
Rhea Seehorn wins first Emmy
Rhea Seehorn finally captured her first Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Pluribus.
Her victory came after several previous nominations and made her one of the night’s notable new winners.
Pluribus also earned recognition in the drama field, including a writing victory for creator Vince Gilligan.
Matthew Rhys achieves a rare double
Matthew Rhys had one of the most unusual nights in Emmy history.
After winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay, he also won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Netflix’s The Beast in Me.
The achievement made Rhys the first performer to win lead acting Emmys across the comedy, drama and limited-series categories.
His double victory was one of the defining moments of a ceremony dominated by several historic performances.
DTF St. Louis wins the limited-series race
DTF St. Louis took Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, beating a field that included Beef, All Her Fault, The Beast in Me and other high-profile productions.
The series also collected several acting and creative awards, making it one of the strongest performers in the limited-series categories.
Sally Field was another standout winner, taking Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Remarkably Bright Creatures.
Mariska Hargitay hosts the ceremony
The ceremony was hosted by Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay, marking a major change from the recent tradition of male comedy hosts.
Hargitay brought her long-running television persona into the event while also taking part in musical and comedy segments.
The ceremony included a playful sketch involving Taylor Swift and a number of tributes to major figures from television and entertainment.
Michael J. Fox was also honoured with a special humanitarian award for his advocacy and work related to Parkinson’s disease.
A night of records and changing television
The 2026 Emmys reflected a television industry undergoing major changes.
Streaming platforms continued to dominate the major categories, while established shows such as Hacks and The Pitt competed successfully against newer productions.
For Widow’s Bay, however, the night belonged to a breakout series that transformed its 19 nominations into a record-setting 14 wins.
The Pitt proved that its previous drama victory was no fluke, becoming a two-time Best Drama Series winner.
And with performers such as Jean Smart, Matthew Rhys and Rhea Seehorn making history, the 78th Emmys ended with a collection of victories likely to remain part of television awards history for years to come.
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