Kelvin Washington: Hello, and welcome to this week’s episode of The Envelope. Kelvin Washington, Yvonne Villarreal and Mark Olsen here. We’ve been talking about it now for the last couple of weeks, but we’re less than a month away from the Emmys. Mariska Hargitay is gonna be the host. I’m looking forward to that because who’s living a better life than her? She’s nominated, of course. She’s hosting. And her Knicks won the NBA championship — she’s at this point an honorary Knick. I mean, it’s like she’s on the team.
Yvonne Villarreal: And she went to the Taylor Swift wedding.
Washington: That’s a good point.
Villarreal: Don’t forget that. And starring on Broadway.
Washington: So she is living her best life, yeah.
Villarreal: She’s living a better life than I am.
Washington: So I’m going to answer the question first. I’m gonna ask you, what are you looking forward to [at the Emmys]? Maybe some things you’re excited for. For me, it’s just seeing this culmination of all these things for her and just having a big moment there. I think she’s gonna own that space and I think everybody’s gonna enjoy it as well. What are you looking forward to?
Villarreal: I’m really, really excited to see my beloved Philip and Elizabeth Jennings as nominees — Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell. Not to be parasocial, but I just love that they’re both nominated. I just want a magical night for them both.
Mark Olsen: I don’t want to be a bring-down bummer here, but, you know, I find that the Emmys in particular, even more than the Oscars, kind of play favorites, and the same winners can happen again and again. It’s not as bad as it may once have been, but I’m always rooting for new blood, first-time nominees, people that it’s exciting to see them kind of get this platform. So nothing against your beloved, but I would be excited to see an underdog or somebody kind of an outsider. Say, for example, the rest of the cast of “Widow’s Bay,” which as you’ve said before, really came out of nowhere, [and] it’s become a bit of a favorite this season. And there’s some other performers there, Dale Dickey, Stephen Root, Kate O’Flynn, and I think any of them winning would be really exciting.
Villarreal: I won’t argue with that.
Washington: I was waiting on an argument.
Villarreal: We fight off camera.
Washington: And by the way, Mark, I mean, can good be good? Or great be great? If I’m great 10 years in a row, can I just be great 10 years in a row and win? You’re putting limitations on my victories.
Olsen: Yeah, but at some point, your shelf is full.
Washington: That’s true. Don’t worry about what’s going on in my mantle, all right?
That being said, we got Matthew Rhys, who you had a chance to speak to. Double nominee here, “Widow’s Bay” and “The Beast in Me.” Tell me a little bit more about your conversation.
Olsen: Just a rare double nominee, lead actor in a comedy series with “Widow’s Bay,” and then lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie with “The Beast in Me.” And I think what’s exciting here is that these are just two very different performances. He’s this manipulative, maybe psychopathic real estate developer in “The Beast in Me,” and then this kind of harried, put-upon single dad and mayor of a small, cursed New England island in “Widow’s Bay,” and I think both of these roles show new sides of Matthew to audiences. But then when you take them together, it just feels like something else entirely.
Washington: All right, well let’s take a look. It’s M&M — Matthew and Mark — here now.
Matthew Rhys.
(Ebru Yildiz / For The Times)
Mark Olsen: For the Los Angeles Times and The Envelope, I’m Mark Olsen. I’m here today with Matthew Rhys, who is nominated for an Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series for “Widow’s Bay” [and] lead actor in a limited or anthology series [or movie] for “The Beast in Me,” and another nomination as executive producer on “Widow’s Bay.”
Matthew Rhys: I forgot about the executive producer part. It’s an exciting time.
Olsen: And now being nominated for these two performances, which are very different performances —
Rhys: [whispers] They’re not really.
Olsen: Now tell me about that. You don’t think they are?
Rhys: Look, I think I was about to speak for a number of actors and I shouldn’t. I can only speak for myself. Sometimes there’s seemingly or feels like there’s very little difference in them. I’m not, I don’t pretend to be an enormously transformative actor, hunting for the “chameleon” praise.
Olsen: But do you consider yourself versatile? It’s so interesting to me to hear you say you don’t see these roles as that different.
Rhys: I wouldn’t say I’m versatile in that chameleon-like way or transformative way, I just try to work from a place… We’re already into it.
Olsen: That’s what we’re here for.
Rhys: I know. It always makes me nauseous. I do try to live in a place that feels real to me and that what we talk about, working from your center. So when I move away from that, things start to feel insincere, so I tend not to.
Olsen: With “Widow’s Bay,” a lot of the coverage around it has been talking about how it’s been a real surprise hit. And I’m just wondering, what is it that you think that audiences are responding to?
Rhys: You know, timing is everything. I do think there was a place that was ready for “Widow’s Bay,” whereby nothing of the sort had been around for a while. You hadn’t had “Twin Peaks,” although we were kind of slightly “The Office,” “Twin Peaks,” sprinkling of “Northern Exposure” maybe, but nothing I think of that sort had been for a while. So I think people were just ready for something different, and then we’re certainly different.
Olsen: Betty Gilpin, your co-star on the show, she is also a nominee, in a recent interview said that she feels like it’s as if audiences are rejecting this idea of a really sort of safe, algorithm-approved show. And do you feel the same?
Rhys: Absolutely, and it’s wildly refreshing to know that people are going, “No, we want something different. And we are intelligent enough to deal with it. So give it to us.” And that I found very, very inspiring, very encouraging — that television and film should be pushing itself continually for that original material and not relying on remakes.
Olsen: When did you realize that the show was connecting in the way that it is? I’ve seen in some other interviews you say that even when you were shooting it, you weren’t totally sure, didn’t totally think that it would connect with people.
Rhys: No, none of us — a lot of us were like, “Are we getting the tone right? Is this right? Is this going to work?” It was a swing. It was an absolute swing. A kind of beautiful one, nonetheless. But we were all concerned — not concerned, maybe just intrigued — as to how it would be received. And it was a little bit more word of mouth. Friends were saying, “Oh, I’ve seen your show.” And then throughout my career, it’s probably the job I’ve been stopped most for. And I’m not saying that happens often. But at least twice I’ve been stopped for it. So that’s been refreshing.
Olsen: And people are really talking a lot about this mix of tones. It’s a horror-comedy that’s both very much funny and scary. What was the challenge of getting that mix right?
Rhys: Making both real, ultimately. I know that sounds very obvious and stupid, but it’s true. And also Katie Dippold spoke to this, the creator and writer, where she said she kind of thought one can almost relieve the other. When there’s incredible tension from horror, when the laugh comes in, it’s almost a big laugh because it’s the relief of being allowed to laugh. So she says sometimes that can pay off in a way. It’s much harder the other way around, but it also works the other way around where you catch an audience off guard because they’re laughing and then you hit them with horror. So I think both bizarrely can help each other.
Olsen: I’m thinking about something like the episode that’s mostly on a boat, that gets very sort of slapstick-y at moments, but then there’s still something very terrifying about what’s happening there.
Rhys: Yes, we’ve hit the nail on the head. That kind of tone I found very hard. There are these borderline farcical moments of wrestling with a man who’s 400 years old and it becoming kind of very comedic physically and yet it has to remain that there’s this element of danger or threat that’s very real and palpable. And so those are the moments you try and ground in a way so that the extreme elements can also live in a real place.
Olsen: Because you mentioned a man who’s 400 years old, the mythology of the show gets more complicated as it goes along, right up until the very last episode. Were there moments where you had to sort of step aside and ask people to explain it to you?
Rhys: No, because I think the chronology is laid out beautifully throughout the series and you’re kind of led in a way where it unfolds very organically. So I was very relieved that to be the case that there’s no kind of, “Wait, where are we? What’s, who’s this?” So that I thought was kind of beautifully executed. And because of that, because of the detail in the backstory, then the story I think pays off far greater.
Olsen: The final episode really lands it so well as far as being both funny and scary and also the way that it sets up a next season, which happily is happening. The finale promises even more murder and mayhem for Season 2. I know the writers room is already hard at work. Do you have any insights on what at least you would like to see happen?
Rhys: No, I’m desperately intrigued as to what she has in mind because I wouldn’t have the first clue as to where to start Season 2. I’m very assured that the warped mind of Katie Dippold will helm us into a giddy storm.
Olsen: One thing I have to ask about “Widow’s Bay” is simply, in preparing to play this small-town mayor who’s very concerned about tourist season, did you refer at all to maybe the most famous other small-town mayor played by Murray Hamilton in “Jaws”?
Rhys: Well, I would like to say yes because “Jaws” is an enormous favorite of mine, but he’s a very different mayor, if you look at his mayor. He’s very assured. He gets a little frustrated with Brody, but he’s not that kind of cortisol-burning, wild-eyed panic that Tom Loftis is. He is far more assured of what he should be doing for the municipality than Tom is. I even said at one point, I said, “Can we get away with the jacket, you know, the anchor jacket?” And they were like, no, because that would be too obvious.
Olsen: I like that you had the impulse.
Rhys: A lot of my performances have some reference to “Jaws,” regardless of the piece, because I’m usually Quint. So I was very upset in the boat scene you referenced when obviously myself, Stephen Root and Hamish Linklater sat around and said, OK, Stephen Root, you are obviously Quint, what does that make Hamish and myself? Who’s [Richard] Dreyfuss and who’s Roy Scheider in this? And Hamish went, “Well, I’m Dreyfuss.” I was like, “I am not Brody.” They’re like, “You’re wearing the life jacket. Of course you’re Brody!” This is the kind of thing actors talk about.
Olsen: But you weren’t happy with that?
Rhys: I’ve always wanted to be Quint. I love Brody, but my heart lies with Quint
Olsen: Now, I came to realize that “Brothers and Sisters,” it goes back 20 years now that you were on that show. And I’m just so curious, working steadily in TV for 20 years now, how has the job of being an actor on TV changed in that time?
Rhys: I don’t think it’s changed, per se. From a personal point of view, it’s been incredible to play the wide variety that I’ve been allowed to. I think the scope of television has changed wildly in 20 years and the length and breadth of the variety there is kind of remarkable at times. And sometimes you wonder if it’s sustainable. If anything, it’s offered more opportunities, I think, for actors, but the kind of core fundamentals I think are still the same.
Olsen: Do you yourself watch a lot of TV?
Rhys: Yes, yes. I never watch myself, but yes. I tend to lean towards more documentaries than anything else. Fiction, I’m always like, “Oh, that’s the day job.”
Olsen: Because I know you’ve talked a lot about your interest in boats, and is there a lot of boats-and-restoration content out there?
Rhys: What, fiction or documentary-wise?
Olsen: I wonder what your algorithm is like.
Rhys: I don’t do much with Instagram but my algorithm is generally older men showing you how to kind of spile a garboard plank next to a keel, things like that.
Olsen: And are there a lot of documentaries about boats and restoration?
Rhys: There’s a lot on YouTube, none of which really hold your attention. What I think is like, where is the kind of “Chef’s Table” of boat restoration? That’s what I’m waiting for.
Olsen: I think you maybe have to be the one to make that show.
Rhys: I might have to, but I worry about the breadth of audience we’d have there. Or how to make boat restoration interesting to the masses. Therein lies the challenge.
Olsen: Well, they say niche markets sometimes …
Rhys: You can capture a zeitgeist moment.
Olsen: With your work on television, you have a really strong track record between “Brothers and Sisters,” “The Americans,” “Perry Mason,” now with “Widow’s Bay,” and also with “The Beast in Me.” For you, what goes into choosing a role?
Rhys: This is the real luxury of having a degree of choice. It’s not always choice, but more often than not, a project comes along that I’ll read and there’ll be a number of things. I’ll be like, “Ooh, I’ve never done it.” Like “Widow’s Bay,” I read it and I went, “The scripts are fantastic and I have never done anything like this in my life.” “Beast in Me,” the same, the writing’s so strong, but also that role is something I’d never done before. And the same, obviously, for “The Americans” and “Brothers and Sisters.” So if there’s an opportunity to try something very new, to me, it’s the ultimate luxury. And so that’s been a real driving force. And strong stories, the want of knowing how it ends, just simple storytelling.
Olsen: Do you find that your instincts have changed over the years? Are you looking for the same things that you feel like you were when you were starting in television 20 years ago?
Rhys: No, not necessarily. I always wanted, if I was fortunate enough, to do something that would challenge me, that would push me, that I hadn’t done, that’d scare me, that’d make me nervous every day on set, which a lot of these projects have done. I thought that would be all that I’d want.
Olsen: Because your character in “The Beast in Me,” again, I have to come back to this idea that you think these two roles are kind of similar, because your character on “The Beast in Me” seems so self-assured, like he has a confidence that Loftis does not have.
Rhys: Yes, that is very true and it was the observation of the wealthy that kind of led me there and especially uber-wealth, where there’s a real assurance of not having to try almost because there’s no need and this innate feeling that you will absolutely get your own way and people will bend to your will purely because of wealth.
Olsen: And now playing that role, getting a little taste of that, like, is that a nice place?
Rhys: What, self-assured?
Olsen: Is that a good position to be in, that people do what you want.
Rhys: Oh, I’m sure it’s great. I’ve never tasted it. It’s something I aspire to by the hour. And being riddled with all the cliched insecurities that every other actor, when you’re playing it, you go, “God, this feels great. To not even have to try with people must be so wonderful.” I’ve no desire to kind of glean the kind of affirmation from the person I’m talking to. Almost quite the opposite.
Olsen: “Widow’s Bay” has such a big ensemble, and then in “The Beast in Me,” really most of your scenes are just you and Claire Danes in this series of escalating conversations. Did you like that distinction? For “The Beast in Me,” did you like the pared-back intimacy of those scenes that the two of you have?
Rhys: Absolutely. I think that was the big draw of the piece, these two people who are kind of, they’re like two magnets in a way, they’re so drawn, they are so repulsed, they’re kind of images of each other’s shadow self, they see so much of each other while [being] polarizingly different. That to me was part of the great draw of that piece, with these two people and how they connected or seemingly didn’t.
Olsen: I don’t think you’ve worked with Claire Danes before?
Rhys: Prior to that, no.
Olsen: Because just in a practical sense, what is it like for two actors when you have so many of your scenes together? Like you sort of have to feel out not only how the characters are, but also how you as performers, as work colleagues, get through the day. What is that process like?
Rhys: I mean, look, with Claire, having known and watched her body of work, [I knew] she’s like a powerhouse and kind of brings that to set. And from day one of rehearsals, I kind of sat up and went, “Oh God, right, come on, let’s focus here,” because she has that laser that is on a switch. And when it’s switched, it’s on. And woe betide you if you haven’t prepared as well as she has. So that was very quick. The ascent of going, “Right, yes, A-game at all times, please.” Which is fantastic. It’s everything you want in a scene partner. It’s someone who kind of scares you and kind of raises your game and demands, you know, a kind of a better tennis game, although I’ve never played tennis. I’m sure it’s great.
Olsen: Do you feel like you’re that kind of actor too?
Rhys: No. I’m the one making fart jokes and then kind of going, “Will you concentrate?” I don’t think I have that kind of prowess, that kind of switch [that] is so alarmingly kind of night and day. I creak into it.
Olsen: Because there’s an intensity to your performance here. I mean, it goes big at times, there’s the “Psycho Killer” dance —
Rhys: The Achilles’ heel. I begged them to remove that scene because anywhere I see the scene direction “He dances” or “[Character] dances,” I can taste the vomit in my own mouth.
Olsen: And now did you choreograph that ahead of time?
Rhys: Nope, I just went for it. In fact a very charming woman came up to me on the street and she goes, “I love ‘The Beast in Me’ and I loved how camp your dancing was.” And I went, “Oh, it wasn’t meant to be necessarily camp.” Well, clearly it was to her. And also playing drunk, drunk and dancing, I was like, “Oh, some vicious planets are aligning.”
Olsen: And do you have a trick to drunk acting?
Rhys: Yes, I get drunk. It’s a very simple trick that most actors overlook. You just drink and then you’re drunk. The only time I venture into Method acting.
Olsen: But then about how many takes do you have in you?
Rhys: Two. No, no, I didn’t get drunk. I got tipsy. No, no it’s very different. It’s hard, it’s hard. That’s always a hard one because also we shot that over the entire day. So it started at like 8 a.m.And to be perfectly honest, sometimes you’ll do a take and it’s like, the drunk acting is too apparent. Let’s bring it back. Claire Danes nailed drunk acting from take one. And I was like, god— it! I mean, she’s done it again.
Olsen: And then also the chicken scene, how many chickens did you have to eat?
Rhys: I come into my own. Eating on screen is not and never has been a problem for me. I will take down any amount of food and I will not ask for a spit bucket. They were like, “Oh, we have a spit bucket.” I think, “No, I’m not spitting up perfectly good chicken” — and it was really good chicken. I think I went through about three chickens. What I loved about that scene, and this is what I love about all good writing, is when a brief element, usually it’s wordless, can say so much about a character or what the character is trying to do to the person in the room through a very simple action. So I loved that from what it did in that moment. He’s doing it overtly to try and intimidate her. It’s something which says so much about him and the way he does it, I thought it was an incredibly beautiful and shrewd piece of writing.
Olsen: Over the course of the series, how did you modulate how crazy to seem?
Rhys: Because it’s kind of present from the get-go. And that was a heavy reliance on the directors. We had some incredible directors on that. Antonio Campos, who kind of began and ended us, we had a little bit of a dial, and he was like, “Bring it back a bit” or “I think it needs a little more.” He was very good at truly kind of conducting in that moment. And we had the luxury of being able to do a few takes where he’s like, “Bring it up a bit” or, “OK, that’s good, let’s take it down a bit.”
Olsen: Were you happy with how that ended up?
Rhys: I don’t watch it. I haven’t watched myself in about 10 years. I get stuck on the wrong things. I become too concerned about the way I use my hands or how strange my walk is or the weird kind of idiosyncrasy of my mouth. So then when I’m doing it next, I’m like, “I am not going to do anything with my hands and I’m going to change my walk.” And then the director is like, “What is wrong with your walk and why are you sitting on your hands?” So I tend not to watch myself.
Olsen: You said 10 years ago. Did something really make you be like, “I’m not doing that anymore?”
Rhys: In fairness, it was more than 10 years ago. It was “Brothers and Sisters.” I started watching that and I was like, “Oh my God. Why has no one said anything? Look at my posture.” And then you become obsessed with sitting with better posture. And then everyone’s like, “Why are you sitting weirdly?” I was never clever enough to take from it a kind of positive critical foundation. I was taking the wrong things, usually physically attributed, that would get in my head when I was acting. And then that’s all I could think about while I was doing it, and I was on a road to ruin.
Olsen: So often you’re doing an American accent or a voice that is not your own and I know for myself I feel like I wouldn’t be able to think about anything but that, that’s all I would be able think about while I was performing.
Rhys: The accent is strange because I think in one way such an enormous part of my head is always working on the next sound to come out of my mouth. I think it stops you in a way from kind of acting, if that makes sense. It takes the self-conscious element out of you because you’re so busy working on something else. My acting teacher from drama school would always say, “Give yourself something to do to stop yourself acting.” It’s like you’re spending so much time thinking about the way you sound, it can relax you in a different way because you’re not thinking about acting.
Olsen: And then is it also a big challenge for you to try to make different American accents? How hard is it for you to do those different American sounds?
Rhys: It depends on the accent. I mean, sometimes the more extreme sounds are easier to hook into, like, you know, the Southern states or Boston or New York. Then you get, you know, California’s kind of softer, so it’s harder. It doesn’t have that extreme hook to find. And then there are just simply words in the American dialect that can take me down, like “murderer” or “world,” sometimes “girl” is tricky. But “murderer.” Which is unfortunate, because I played lawyers, spies who kill people. I’ve had to say it a lot. So I always go, “Can I say ‘killer’?” I just sound like I run out of battery.
Olsen: Do you find that living in America, has it helped you?
Rhys: Oh, without question, because going into a job, a couple of weeks before, I’ll be doing it — not at home, because it drives the kids crazy. They’re like, “He sounds so fake.” And then they’re like “Oh, here he is, he’s doing that again.” I’m like, “I’m not Dick Van Dyke, so I don’t know who you’re impersonating.” So yeah, you can go into the bodega and pretend to be American.
Olsen: On the day that Emmy nominations were announced, you did an interview with my colleague, Yvonne Villarreal, and you told her that you were meeting your partner, Keri Russell, also an Emmy nominee, at a mystery location. Would you mind completing that story? Where did you go?
Rhys: We went to the U.N. No, we didn’t, but I wish I could say that. We went to the Armory in New York with, oh God, I can’t remember the name of the exhibition. It was an incredible exhibition where three enormous tanks of water were filled with water and ceramic bowls and a current was introduced and then these ceramic bowls would clank into each other to make different noises in this incredible space. It was wondrous. Now, if the artist, for some unknown reason, watches this and goes, “I can’t believe he didn’t remember my name or the name of the exhibition,” I apologize profusely. But it was incredible.
Olsen: That sounds like a great way to spend the day.
Rhys: Yeah, it was. It was fantastic. And then we had a great dinner and celebrated and said, you know, “This is the high point, it’s downhill from here on out.”
Olsen: Well, the two of you were recently referred to as television’s first couple.
Rhys: I said that.
Olsen: And I’m wondering, I can only imagine you don’t walk around thinking of yourself —
Rhys: Oh, no, I do. I have a badge and a T-shirt, but no one believes me.
Olsen: But what does that make you think of when you hear yourselves referred to in that way?
Rhys: It kind of makes me laugh. You go, “Oh, God.” And also — and I hate to sound like I’m some bitter old fool, but I am — we’ve done it a long time. We’re of a certain age. You kind of know tomorrow there’s another first couple. So you go, “We’re today’s first couple, and it’s great. And we’ll take it and we’ll enjoy it.”
Olsen: Do you find, especially in the way that your personal and professional lives are intertwined, is it good that you have each other to keep yourselves in check?
Rhys: Yes, it also helps that you have a partner that fully understands what you do, because it’s a mad circus life and sometimes, you know, it’s hard, I think, for partners who don’t quite understand how crazy it is. So it is great in that respect that you fully understand what the other one is doing.
Olsen: And is that also part of where your interest in boats comes from? Is it something that’s totally separate?
Rhys: So she could kick me out of the house is why she bought me the boat.
Olsen: There’s something just totally separate from your work life.
Rhys: Absolutely, absolutely. And it’s something so other. … Opinions can vary so wildly, you know, critics can contradict each other in certain criticisms. The kind of more simple aspect, especially when I was restoring the boat, was that it felt a lot purer and simpler. That you can, at the end of the day, you look back at this piece of wood you’d be working on and go, “There we are, I did that.” And there’s no one saying, “Well, you could have done it this way.” You know what I mean? I always enjoyed the satisfaction it gave me in that sense.
Olsen: Wait, how many boats do you have?
Rhys: I only have one. She’s for sale, if anyone’s interested.
Olsen: Do you want to now find another boat to do this all over again?
Rhys: I don’t, because my wrists have given up. It was much harder than I thought it was going to be. It was an incredible journey, and it was kind of inspired by Hemingway, in a way, it was the same class of boat that he had. So I had all these giddy, kind of rose-tinted romantic notions of what I was doing until I was knee-deep in fiberglass, going, “Why did I think this was a good idea?”
Bob Iger’s purchase of the Lakers isn’t the former Disney boss’s first foray into ownership of a professional sports franchise in Southern California: Twenty-five months ago Iger and his wife, Willow Bay, dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, acquired a controlling interest in soccer club Angel City for $50 million.
And while the NWSL is a long way from the NBA — and $50 million is a long way from the $12.5 billion the basketball team sold for Wednesday — the Iger family’s management of the women’s soccer team may hint at what’s in store for the Lakers.
Spoiler alert: it’s not all good.
Iger’s investment pushed Angel City’s valuation to $250 million, making it the world’s most valuable women’s professional sports franchise. And six months after taking over the team, Bay cut the ribbon on a multi-million-dollar training complex at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, which added to the team’s worth.
“Bob and I were very clear about investing the resources in this team and the people who lead and manage it. And most certainly the women who play for it,” Bay said at the time. “We know how important it is to do our best to bring a championship to this city.”
Yet also under Iger and Bay’s leadership, Angel City’s average attendance has fallen more than 20% and the team has yet to make the playoffs or post a winning record. The roster does not have a superstar player or even a regular starter on the women’s national team — with the salary of defender Gisele Thompson, the team’s highest-paid player, ranked 19th in the 16-team league. And the club is on its fourth manager, including interim coaches, and its second president of business operations in two years as Bay maneuvers to put her own stamp on the team.
However Mark Parsons, Iger and Bay’s hand-picked sporting director, lauds the team’s new owners, saying his staff has doubled in his 20 months at Angel City and the club is finally headed in the right direction.
“They gave us the resources,” said Parsons, who previously built struggling teams into NWSL finalists in Washington and Portland. “They’ve delivered upon that. We are investing in sporting staff and resources and facilities and consultants and experts around the world to support our athletes.
“Probably as good as anyone right now.”
Parsons said he speaks frequently with Bay, who has been hands-on in running Angel City. Iger will likely be the more active partner in managing the Lakers.
“Willow is one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around in my life, never mind my career,” Parsons said. “Spending time with Willow and Bob is an education in leadership and life. They are really special leaders.
“The best compliment I could give them is when I was in my final interview, who they were in that moment was the same people I’ve met when we’ve had good moments or stressful moments to navigate together.”
HBO’s emergency medical drama “The Pitt” was the top nominee, with a total of 25. The premium cable network’s intergenerational comedy comeback story “Hacks,” meanwhile, earned 24 nominations. Other top nominees include Apple TV’s freshman offerings “Widow’s Bay” and “Pluribus,” which nabbed 19 and 18 nods a piece, respectively.
With its 24 nominations, “Hacks” set a new record for most nominations in a year by a comedy series. The previous record of 23 nods was set by “The Bear” in 2024 and matched by “The Studio” in 2025.
“[The nominees’] creativity and talent remind us why television remains one of our most powerful art forms,” Television Academy chair Cris Abrego said in his introductory remarks Wednesday morning. “While these nominations recognize individual achievement, they also celebrate the collaborative spirit that defines our industry. Every nomination today is a result of countless people coming together to create work that moves us, entertains us and, above all, inspires us.”
Previous Emmy winners Liza Colón-Zayas, known for her role as no-nonsense chef Tina on FX’s culinary dramedy “The Bear,” and Jeff Hiller, the “Widow’s Bay” actor who also portrayed sweet and lovable best friend Joel on HBO’s tender comfort-watch “Somebody, Somewhere,” were on hand at the Television Academy’s Wolf Theatre to joke about their nerves — and height difference — while presenting the nominations.
The nominees for variety series and reality competition program were announced before the main nominations ceremony on NBC’s “Today” show.
The 78th Emmy Awards will be held Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Hosted by “Law & Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay, the live telecast will air on NBC and stream on Peacock. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which honor artistic and technical achievements as well as some performance categories, will be held on Sept. 5 and 6.
Taylor Dearden, “The Pitt” Fiona Dourif, “The Pitt” Allison Janney, “The Diplomat” Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt” Sepideh Moafi, “The Pitt” Julianne Nicholson, “Paradise” Karolina Wydra, “Pluribus”
Drama supporting actor
Patrick Ball, “The Pitt” Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show” Shawn Hatosy, “The Pitt” Gerran Howell, “The Pitt” Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses” Tom Pelphrey, “Task” Carlos-Manuel Vesga, “Pluribus”
Colman Domingo, “The Four Seasons” Paul W. Downs, “Hacks” Harrison Ford, “Shrinking” Nick Offerman, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” Stephen Root, “Widow’s Bay” Michael Urie, “Shrinking” Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”
“Heads of State” “Miss You, Love You” “People We Meet on Vacation” “Remarkably Bright Creatures” “Jack Ryan: Ghost War”
Limited series / TV movie lead actress
Claire Danes, “The Beast in Me” Sally Field, “Remarkably Bright Creatures” Carey Mulligan, “Beef” Sarah Pidgeon, “Love Story” Sarah Snook, “All Her Fault”
Limited series / TV movie lead actor
Riz Ahmed, “Bait” Jason Bateman, “Black Rabbit” Charlie Hunnam, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” Oscar Isaac, “Beef” Matthew Rhys, “The Beast in Me”
Limited series / TV movie supporting actress
Linda Cardellini, “DTF St. Louis” Dakota Fanning, “All Her Fault” Laurie Metcalf, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” Joy Sunday, “DTF St. Louis” Yuh-Jung Youn, “Beef” Constance Zimmer, “Love Story”
Limited series / TV movie supporting actor
Jason Bateman, “DTF St. Louis” Richard Gadd, “Half Man” David Harbour, “DTF St. Louis” Richard Jenkins, “DTF St. Louis” Charles Melton, “Beef” Nick Offerman, “Death by Lightning”
Variety series
“The Daily Show” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” “Saturday Night Live”
Reality competition program
“Dancing With the Stars” “RuPaul’s Drag Race” “Survivor” “Top Chef” “The Traitors”
Maybe there is something in the fog. Matthew Rhys landed two Emmy nominations in different categories for darkly comedic and darkly chilling turns this TV season.
Rhys is nominated for lead actor in a comedy series for his deft performance as Tom Loftis, a single dad and the mayor of a cursed New England island who is trying to balance the town’s supernatural threats with his efforts to boost tourism, in Apple’s TV’s breakout horror-comedy series “Widow’s Bay.” The word-of-mouth buzz around the series, which premiered in April, intensified each week leading up to its finale last month and prompted chatter around its prospects as a major Emmys contender. The series arrived late in the season, so only its first seven episodes qualify for the 2026 awards cycle, but that was enough for Rhys to nab a nod.
It wasn’t the only performance from Rhys that voters boosted. He is also nominated for lead actor in a limited or anthology series for his role as the sociopath Nile Jarvis, a famed and formidable real estate developer who once was the prime suspect in the killing of his wife, in Netflix’s “The Beast in Me.” Nile finds himself in a cat-and-mouse dynamic with his new neighbor (Claire Danes), an author in search of her next book subject who is suspicious of his innocence.
Prior to this year’s nominations, Rhys received five Emmy nominations over his career, including for his lead roles in “The Americans” and “Perry Mason,” as well as a guest actor nod in “Girls.” He won in 2018 for his role as KGB spy Philip Jennings in “The Americans.”
The Times spoke with Rhys about his nomination; these are edited excerpts.
Matthew Rhys as Mayor Tom Loftis in Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay.”
(Apple)
Congratulations on your exciting morning — it’s a big day in the Rhys-Russell household [Keri Russell, Rhys’ partner, is nominated for lead actress in a drama for her role in “The Diplomat”]. Let’s start with the most important question: What’s in the fog, Matthew?
[laughs] I love how it took me a moment. I was like, “Wait, what?” Oh, yes, the fog! What’s in the fog is an incredible Season 2.
Place me in the moment when you got the news.
I was in Brooklyn Bridge Marina at the time. I just got off a boat, and I thought, “Oh, God, it’s 11:40.” So I thought quite possibly [they] got to our categories. I checked my phone and there were the many texts. That was the exciting moment because if you haven’t been nominated, there’s no text.
Did one text stand out from the others?
The real pinch-me moment — this is going to sound like a real name drop — but it really got me emotional because I thought, if I’d have told my 18-year-old self that Gary Oldman would text me to congratulate me, I wouldn’t have believed it. That’s when it got me in an emotional way because he’s such a true hero.
Let’s start with “Widow’s Bay,” which recently wrapped its first season. There’s something so thrilling about how it broke through the way that it did. What has struck you about how viewers responded to this horror comedy?
There was a great degree of nervousness about how this would land, whether indeed it would land at all, and the fact that it has, and kind of the depth and the complex nature that’s landed or resonated with people in different ways, is what I’ve loved. Some people go, “Oh my God, it’s so funny”; some people say, “Oh my God, it’s terrifying” — some people say both. And some people pick up on the weirdest things, and then some people pick up on the most obvious, great things. But it’s the length and breadth and the variety of its resonances that has really made me very happy, and really made me doff my cap to [creator] Katie Dippold, for what she did.
What should networks and studios take away from the success of “Widow’s Bay” if they are really paying attention?
Take the risk. And challenge audiences. Everyone’s more than ready for it and thirsty for it in a real way. I really hope this does something in the Hollywood psyche, where they go, “Let’s put away the remakes and let’s just get after new challenging, original material.”
What guidance did you get from Katie about who Tom was and how to play him?
She’s dizzyingly collaborative, so she said, “Tom is yours.” It was more me going, “But what about this for Tom?” She would help, but she really said, “Tom is yours to create now. Everything I’ve done is on the page.” And it was. That’s the beauty of her writing. If you’re true to it, and you don’t get in the way of it, it sings.
The way Tom reacts to situations and people is such a master class in facial expressions. Did you recognize that would be your tool for your performance early on?
We had a kind of sliding scale — Hiro [Murai, executive producer and director], myself and Katie — because it was a departure for me. I’d go, “I don’t know where this lives or where reality lives.” And as much as anyone can say, “Play for real” — playing it for real can mean many things. It can mean a very minimal reaction, and it can mean a great reaction, and so there were times when I was like, “I’m gonna hit the sliding scale, and you let me know where it should be landing, or where, in your opinion, it’s landing in a real way.” Sometimes they were like, “Maybe a little less,” and then they were like “Maybe a little more.” That element of collaboration was wonderful too.
The moment on the boat is a GIF I send often. The jolt.
It’s funny, we have a great and incredible stunt coordinator Paul [Marini]. He said, “You have to lead where the momentum of the energy would be; it’d be your hips. So let your hips lead, and then let your body follow.” And I was like, “Oh, that’s smart.” Then if you do that, then it has a degree of comic effect to it. But my pelvis hasn’t quite recovered.
Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis opposite Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs in Netflix’s “The Beast in Me.”
(Netflix)
Sort of like your dance moment in “The Beast in Me” — lead with the hips. This is your thing, Matthew.
Anytime, in the stage direction, it says “dances,” I’m like [mimics vomit sound]. That strikes ice in my veins because I’m always like, “Oh my God.”
That’s your horror comedy.
That is my true horror comedy because my dancing can be horrific and comical when it is to be neither.
Let’s talk about “The Beast in Me.” Nile Jarvis was also quite the departure from you. What was your entry point to understanding him and figuring out how chilling to make him?
It was a lot of YouTube watching, where you just type in “psychopaths” and stuff comes up. I read Jon Ronson’s “The Psychopath Test” and “The Journalist and the Murderer” [by Janet Malcolm]. The writing was so strong in “The Beast in Me,” so much of Nile was preemptively done for me. As [director] Antonio Campos said, “The trick might be not to do too much because enough has been said.” Everyone has this predisposed idea of who he is and, therefore, the idea we came up with was to do not as little as possible, but to be minimal with it because he’s aware of what everyone thinks of him and there’s a degree of enjoyment and relishing in that.
Have you been able to sensibly eat a roast chicken since?
No, not sensibly. It’s become Pavlovian for me now. When I eat roast chicken, I devour it in a slightly psychotic way. I love that scene. It’s an astute piece of writing to say so much about someone without words.
What would you be best suited to achieve: rebranding the town of Widow’s Bay as a tourist destination or charming your neighbors into signing paperwork for the construction of a running path through the backwoods of their properties?
I’m not saying I could charm the neighbors, but I would attempt to charm the neighbors. Playing Tom was exhausting in a way that playing Nile wasn’t. I always spent the end of the day on “Widow’s Bay” going, “My God, I’m exhausted” — because you’re just vibrating on a higher level with Tom. It’s always like, “Listen, please!” The pitch is always higher; you’re always like, “You’ve got to listen to me!” Or if you’re terrified, you’re just hyperventilating.
I know the news of these nominations is still fresh and I don’t want to tell you how to approach the big night, but I just have to say, this could be the moment you take a page from Philip Jennings of “The Americans” and come with a wig and getup so when they pan to you during both categories, you can make them feel distinct.
That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m going to Jennings it. I’m going to PJ it. When it pans to me in the second category, I’m gonna look completely different. I’m going to be dressed as Elizabeth [Jennings].
Well, congratulations. How do you think you and Keri are going to celebrate?
Keri, in true “Americans” style, is having me meet her in a clandestine spot that I don’t know anything about, so who knows what. I don’t know what the afternoon is going to unfold, but it’s a big surprise. She might end up killing me, who knows.
This shipping disaster has lived on through the decades, with remnants of the past still washing ashore now.
This corner of the UK has become a famous spot for treasure hunting(Image: Rob Maynard via Getty Images)
Along this stunning UK coastline, you will see crashing waves, white sand and towering cliffs. But if you are wandering along the beach and cast your eyes downward, you might spot something else.
Hidden in the sands of Cornwall’s coastline is a reminder of an ecological disaster that occurred 29 years ago. On February 13, 1997, a German container ship was sailing off the coast of Land’s End in Cornwall when it was hit by an enormous rogue wave.
The wave caused the vessel to lurch, and 62 containers plunged into the ocean.
One of these containers contained 4.8 million Lego pieces. Ironically, the majority of them had an ocean theme.
These scattered pieces then floated in ocean currents for years before eventually washing up on coastlines across the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands. Some even reached as far as Australia.
Environmental impact
Since the pieces are manufactured from the hardy acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic, they resist degradation and chemical breakdown, and a 2020 study suggested the bricks could last in the ocean and on beaches for 1,300 years.
Even as they begin to degrade, they will shed microplastics which are consumed by sea life and marine birds.
In response to the spill, Lego company officials released a finders keepers statement telling people they were free to keep any pieces they discovered, though they should give them a thorough wash first.
The firm also set up a hotline so people could report where they collected them and the company could offer assistance with any clean-up efforts.
The Cornish coast is referred to as ‘Lego Beach’ by those familiar with it, and people devote hours to hunting for the miniature plastic toys.
What was on board?
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The Lego pieces that washed overboard are now sought after by beachcombers, with enthusiasts on the hunt for the ultimate prize from the disaster — the octopus piece.
Other items such as flippers, scuba tanks and swords are spotted more frequently, but the octopuses are highly coveted given that only 4,200 of them were on board the stricken vessel, making them considerably harder to come across.
According to the BBC, there were several different kinds of Lego on board. These range from the most common through to ones that are so rare they have never been found on the beach.
Lego pieces you might find
Flippers: one of the most common, with over 352,000 pairs in black, blue and red
Life jackets: 26,000 bright yellow life jacket figurines were scattered
Scuba tanks, flowers and brooms: also a common find
Octopus: one of the hardest to find and most prized Lego figures — only 4,200 on board
Green dragons: there were 33,427 black dragons inside the shipping container but only 514 green dragons
July 15 (UPI) — A search for three people missing in San Francisco Bay after their cabin cruiser sank a day earlier will end when the sun sets on Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Eleven boats and four aircraft have been searching hundreds of miles of water for those reported missing after a cabin cruiser capsized off the coast of Alcatraz on Tuesday afternoon.
Officials initially said 19 people were aboard the 49-foot, three-level Volare cabin cruiser and that 17 people had been rescued from the water, leaving two people unaccounted for. One person rescued was later pronounced dead. A dog on board also died. But officials have since said 20 people were on the craft and that three were missing.
Capt. Jarod Toczko, sector commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, announced the deadline for the search during a 2 p.m. press conference, explaining that none of the missing had been found, despite a search of more than 950 square nautical miles and more than 1,700 miles of track line.
“We have completely saturated the search area,” he said.
“As I look at the extensive search effort we have put forth to this point, I look at the probability of success of locating a survivor within the search area given everything we’ve put forth and all the environmental conditions, my intention is to suspend active search operations at sunset this evening.”
He said the families have been notified and crews will continue to search until the sun sets.
Dean Crispen, chief of the San Francisco Fire Department, said that three survivors who were transported to the hospital have been released and were “doing okay.”
The person who died was identified Wednesday by the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as 79-year-old Clifford Joseph Boisa of Sutter County.
Authorities were notified at 3:37 p.m. PDT about a boat in distress in the San Francisco Bay. Witnesses had incorrectly identified steam emanating from the boat as smoke, leading initial reports to indicate a fire was on board. Civilians boaters were first to arrive on the scene and are being hailed for saving lives.
The cause of the capsizing is under investigation, but Toczko told reporters that survivors and those who responded to the scene said that the boat was hit by a wave that caused it to list heavily, lose its stability and roll over.
Some occupants were thrown into the water, Toczko said, adding that there is a “high possibility” that others had been trapped inside the vessel.
Crispen had said during a Tuesday press conference that all aboard the vessel were adults, mostly family members and close friends who were participating in “some kind of memorial service.”
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said that while he laments the tragedy, he is “incredibly proud of the all hands-on-deck effort.”
“From Marin to Oakland to San Francisco to the good Samaritans, it was truly all hands-on-deck effort to save 16 people,” he said. “And my heart goes out to the families of the victims.”
The voluntary pause until Sept. 9 comes after the California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and Santa Clara County officials sued the Trump administration last month to block the facility from being developed near Gilroy. The lawsuit remains ongoing.
“This pause in the construction, demolition, and development at the site of the challenged ICE facility is a significant step towards protecting our people, our communities, and our environment while the case remains ongoing,” Bonta said in a statement Monday night.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
State and local officials believe the facility will be used for short-term detention of up to 150 people at a time, though ICE denied that it would be a detention center.
Community members and advocates for immigrants swiftly opposed the project. ICE has consistently looked to increase its detention capacity in California, where eight detention centers can now hold a combined 9,000 people, though the state has long been a thorn in the agency’s side.
The halt is part of a compromise between both sides involved in the legal action. After the state and county submitted a request for the court to temporarily halt the project, a hearing was set for Oct. 7.
Now, state and federal officials jointly requested that the court move up the hearing by at least a month. The agreement also extends how much time the federal government has to respond.
A federal judge signed off on the agreement Monday night.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San José, alleges that the leased land is zoned exclusively for agricultural use and that the federal government violated laws requiring state and county notification, as well as procedural steps before beginning construction.
Death in Paradise fans were left doing a double take as they instantly recognised the show’s guest star
Death in Paradise fans were left doing a double take as they instantly recognised the show’s guest star (Image: BBC)
A Widow’s Bay icon once played a huge role in Death in Paradise.
Currently, the BBC is airing repeat episodes of Death in Paradise and Wednesday night saw series 11, episode five play. In the 2022 season, Ralf Little was playing the main character of DI Neville Parker before his exit in 2024.
The repeat episode saw a young popstar found dead at a rehab clinic, where it initially looked like a tragic accident. However, Neville was convinced that there was more to her death than meets the eye…
In the episode, it saw the arrival of Neville’s sister, Izzy. However, Neville wasn’t best pleased to see his sister especially as she had kept her arrival a surprise and she soon interfered in his life.
The character of Izzy is played by actress Kate O’Flynn, who appeared as the character for three episodes. Of course, viewers will instantly recognise Kate, 40, for her iconic role of Patricia Moyer in the recent hit series Widow’s Bay.
Other roles include Fiona Lewis in Everyone Else Burns, Princess Mary in My Lady Jane and Alice in Bridget Jones’s Baby – to name just a few.
At the time of the episode airing, viewers were quick to instantly recognise Kate playing Izzy. One person said: “I recognise Izzy from somewhere!”
While another person wrote: “Where have I seen Izzy before!? @deathinparadise she looks very familiar #DeathInParadise!”
However, it looks like there will be no return of Izzy on Death in Paradise in the future due to her on-screen brother Neville’s exit. Back in 2024, Neville decided to leave Saint Marie for good after four years and explore the world.
Since then, Don Gilet has taken over the lead role as DI Mervin Wilson. Talking about joining the show in 2024, Don said: “Being offered the new lead role in Death in Paradise feels like a deeply loved and incredibly precious jewel has been placed in my hands.
“This is a big show, with a big heart and the love continually grows for it. It is my intention to never lose sight of that and to remain grateful, humbled and dedicated.
“Even during those testing times when every sinew is screaming at me to run off the set and dive into the sea, swimming pool or an ice-cold beer – whichever happens to be closer at the time!”
Death in Paradise is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Whether you covet a golden statuette of your own or just want to see your favorite show sweep its categories, it’s time to start gearing up for the 2026 Emmy Awards.
The best way to stay in the know is to follow nominations as they’re revealed in real time Wednesday. It may have been a somewhat underwhelming year for television, but there are still a number of standout series to root for and races with the potential to surprise us.
Will Jean Smart win her fifth straight Emmy for “Hacks”? Will “Widow’s Bay” shoot to the top of the nominations list despite its late-season arrival? And which streamer will dominate the ceremony?
Read our predictions here, and find everything you need to know about this year’s nominations below.
When will Emmy nominations be announced?
Nominations for the 78th Emmys will be announced live Wednesday starting at 8:30 a.m. Pacific./11:30 a.m. Eastern. Emmy winners Liza Colón-Zayas (“The Bear”) and Jeff Hiller (“Somebody Somewhere”) will do the honors, along with Television Academy Chair Cris Abrego.
How can I watch?
You can livestream the announcement on the Television Academy’s website or Youtube channel. If social media is more your speed, you can also stream it on Facebook, TikTok or Instagram.
Who are the predicted nominees?
“Pluribus” and “The Pitt” are expected to lead in overall nominations, with the latter poised to shine in the acting categories.
Other top drama series likely to score a nomination include “Task,” “Paradise,” “Slow Horses” and “The Diplomat.”
In the comedy field, “Hacks” is once again considered the frontrunner on the heels of its fifth and final season. “Shrinking,” “Abbott Elementary,” “The Bear” and “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” are also strong contenders.
Among limited series, nominations are probable for “Beef,” “Half Man,” “DTF St. Louis” and “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.”
This year’s awards will honor programming that aired between June 2025 and May 2026, meaning summer releases are not eligible. Neither are foreign productions, which means the Canadian hockey romance “Heated Rivalry” is off the table.
When is the actual awards show?
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will take place Sept. 14 at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles. It will air live on NBC and stream on Peacock.
No host has been named yet. In January, the Television Academy announced that this year’s ceremony will include the first new major prize in almost 20 years: the Legacy Award, which will be “presented to television programs that have made a ‘profound and lasting impact’ on audiences and remain relevant to society, culture and the industry.”
The Creative Arts Emmy Awards, honoring artistic and technical achievements, will be held Sept. 5 and 6.
Death, taxes and Jean Smart winning another Emmy are among life’s certainties.
But outside of the realm of the expected, what are we looking for when Emmy nominations arrive Wednesday?
I do have questions, namely:
Can two-time Emmy winner Zendaya earn a nod for “Euphoria,” a show that remained a ratings hit even if it seemed like people mostly watched to complain about it?
Might “Widow’s Bay,” television’s best new comedy, grab the momentum from “Hacks,” Smart’s Emmy-winning series that looked like it’d be taking a victory lap for its final season?
And, will voters stop encouraging Ryan Murphy or do we need to write another hundred think pieces about why “Love Story” felt so wrong?
For an Emmy season that looked more than a little underwhelming just a few weeks ago, those intrigues offer a wrinkle or two, something for us to chew on as we search for a candle that doubles as a receptacle for hot caramel sauce, as seen in the just-released final season of “The Bear” — a season that, because of its June release, won’t be eligible until 2027.
Meanwhile, here’s what we can look for this year.
Comedy series
Matthew Rhys and Stephen Root in “Widow’s Bay.”
(Apple)
“Abbott Elementary” “The Bear” “The Comeback” “Hacks” “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” “Only Murders in the Building” “Shrinking” “Widow’s Bay”
Possible surprise: “Rooster” Possible snub: “The Bear”
Google “Widow’s Bay” and your first result will be: “Did you mean: the next Martha’s Vineyard and definitely not cursed.” It’s an inspired bit of marketing for a series that found the sweet spot between comedy and horror, making us shriek with laughter and revulsion, sometimes simultaneously.
The Apple TV series premiered on April 29, arriving so late that only seven of its 10 episodes are eligible for Emmy consideration. Apple had considered bumping it to October, so it could establish a beachhead with guild and Globes voters before competing at the 2027 Emmys, but decided to enter the fray this year to compete with shows that, while still favorites, are a bit past their prime.
The inaugural season of “Widow’s Bay” evolved as a classic slow burn, establishing the world of its cursed New England island with care and then burrowing into its characters and lore with the kind of detail that prompts full-blown obsession. The 811-song playlist that Patricia made for her Sunset Cocktails party? Who doesn’t have a spare 60 hours to listen? Mining the multitude of horror movie references that the show ingenuously employs? Of course! Something’s wrong with you if you didn’t rewatch “Jaws” after the episode where, out at sea, Stephen Root’s cantankerous Wyck has his own Captain QuintUSS Indianapolis monologue.
The question now: Did “Widow’s Bay” have enough time to hook Emmy voters? Or am I just so taken with this show, a series I myself came to late, that my enthusiasm is clouding my judgment? Short answer: “Widow’s Bay” may not get every nomination it deserves. (The late arrival makes its extraordinary season finale ineligible.) But I don’t think you can argue with perfection.
Comedy actress
Ayo Edebiri, left, with Liza Colon-Zayas in Season 4 of “The Bear.”
(FX)
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary” Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear” Elle Fanning, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” Lisa Kudrow, “The Comeback” Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Possible surprise: Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This” Possible snub: Edebiri
Remember when the biggest Emmy question about “The Bear” revolved around whether it belonged in the comedy categories? Now, after a couple of seasons that tried viewers’ patience when it came to narrative momentum, it’s fair to wonder whether the series — and its cast — will continue to be nominated. In the absence of anything better and because the show, even when spinning its wheels, continues to offer much to enjoy, I think “The Bear” is safe for now. And its final season, which dropped after voting ended, reaffirms just how good the series and its stars can be when it’s cooking.
Comedy actor
Martin Short, right, with “Only Murders in the Building” co-stars Steve Martin and Selena Gomez.
(Patrick Harbron / Disney)
Steve Carell, “Rooster” Matthew Rhys, “Widow’s Bay” Jason Segel, “Shrinking” Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building” Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”
Possible surprise: Adam Brody, “Nobody Wants This” Possible snub: White
It’s worth remembering that “The Studio” won comedy series last year, and its co-creator, Seth Rogen, prevailed here. In its absence, this category is open for business, with Rhys, so good at shifting between his show’s droll humor and genuine terror, an obvious choice. Short figures to get a small boost from the Netflix documentary “Marty, Life Is Short,” which offers a moving look at the losses he has endured over the years and his inspiring endurance. Short has never won an acting Emmy and you know he’d give a great speech.
Comedy supporting actress
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay.”
(Robert Clark / Apple TV)
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks” Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary” Kate O’Flynn, “Widow’s Bay” Ashley Padilla, “Saturday Night Live” Michelle Pfeiffer, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary” Jessica Williams, “Shrinking”
Possible surprise: K Callan, “Widow’s Bay” Possible snub: Padilla
Last note (I promise) on “Widow’s Bay.” Because its season finale aired after the May 31 eligibility deadline, K Callan’s showcase episode opposite Rhys isn’t eligible, though anyone who watched the series might be inclined to vote for the 90-year-old actor anyway. Dorothy’s walk down memory lane, filled with tantalizing stories (“He got bit by an animal and became that animal,” she says of an old boyfriend), Tennessee Williams stitch-quotes, existential wisdom and bombshell revelations, was pitch-perfect, one of the standout moments of the television year. (Another, of course, was Patricia’s Sunset Cocktails party, with a tour de force turn from O’Flynn.)
Comedy supporting actor
Harrison Ford, left, with Michael J. Fox in “Shrinking.”
(Kevin Estrada / Apple)
Paul W. Downs, “Hacks” Harrison Ford, “Shrinking” Ebon Moss-Bacharach, “The Bear” Nick Offerman, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” Stephen Root, “Widow’s Bay” Michael Urie, “Shrinking” Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”
Possible surprise: Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live” Possible snub: Williams
Can we roll over last year’s “It’s time to give Harrison Ford an Emmy” campaign? Because it’s still time.
Drama series
Noah Wyle in “The Pitt.”
(Warrick Page / HBO Max)
“The Diplomat” “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” “Paradise” “The Pitt” “Pluribus” “Slow Horses” “Stranger Things” “Task”
Possible surprise: “The Testaments” Possible snub: “Stranger Things”
It’s hard to believe that “The Pitt” earned a mere 13 nominations for its first season, winning for series, casting and for actors Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa and Shawn Hatosy. Encore victories seem assured for all but Hatosy, who will bump from guest actor to supporting, where he’ll compete against castmate Patrick Ball, among others. “Pluribus” figures to score plenty of recognition too — it might even best “The Pitt” for most nominations. But its prognosis for victory would seem guarded at best.
Drama actress
Zendaya as Rue Bennett in “Euphoria.”
(Eddy Chen / HBO)
Kathy Bates, “Matlock” Carrie Coon, “The Gilded Age” Keri Russell, “The Diplomat” Rhea Seehorn, “Pluribus” Zendaya, “Euphoria”
Possible surprise: Chase Infiniti, “The Testaments” Possible snub: Bates
Zendaya won for the first two seasons of “Euphoria,” becoming the youngest person to win in 2020 and, two years later, the youngest actress to take two Emmys. So hate on her show all you want (seriously, go ahead, it was a mess), but voters will (rightfully) give her a pass. Winning another Emmy is off the table, though, making this a race between the gifted Seehorn, a perennial Emmy underachiever, and Russell, nominated five times as actor and still looking for her first trophy. How fun would it be if the Emmys turn into a reunion for “The Americans” with both Russell and Rhys winning?
Drama actor
Mark Ruffalo in “Task.”
(Peter Kramer / HBO)
Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise” Walton Goggins, “Fallout” Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses” Mark Ruffalo, “Task” Noah Wyle, “The Pitt”
Possible surprise: Jon Hamm, “Your Friends and Neighbors” Possible snub: Goggins
Brown, Oldman and Wyle were nominated last year, with Wyle winning. Ruffalo as the grief-stricken, alcoholic FBI agent in “Task” is an easy add. That leaves one spot, and it’ll probably go to a veteran actor — Goggins, Hamm, maybe Billy Bob Thornton for “Landman” — though Peter Claffey would be a better choice as the beloved gentle giant in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”
Drama supporting actress
Katherine LaNasa, left, and Sepideh Moafi in “The Pitt.”
(Warrick Page / HBO Max)
Isa Briones, “The Pitt” Taylor Dearden, “The Pitt” Allison Janney, “The Diplomat” Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt” Sepideh Moafi, “The Pitt” Julianne Nicholson, “Paradise” Karolina Wydra, “Pluribus”
Possible surprise: Fiona Dourif, “The Pitt” Possible snub: Briones
Last year, “The White Lotus” accounted for four of the category’s nominees. In its absence, the women from “The Pitt” figure to equal that number and perhaps even surpass it, though it’s hard to see voters bypassing past favorites Janney and Nicholson or overlooking Wydra’s subtle work as the emotionless emissary of the alien hive mind in “Pluribus.” Then again, understated performances often go unrewarded. Just ask Wydra’s co-star Seehorn.
Drama supporting actor
Patrick Ball stars in Season 2 of “The Pitt.”
(HBO Max)
Patrick Ball, “The Pitt” Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show” Shawn Hatosy, “The Pitt” Gerran Howell, “The Pitt” Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses” Tom Pelphrey, “Task” Carlos-Manuel Vesga, “Pluribus”
Possible surprise: James Marsden, “Paradise” Possible snub: Vesga
Will we ever know what this category would look like if “Severance,” “The White Lotus” and “The Pitt” aired seasons during the same eligibility window? I’m not holding my breath. But with “Severance” and “The White Lotus” vacating six of the seven supporting actor slots from last year, there’s plenty of room for old favorites (Lowden, Crudup) and new (Vesga for his nonverbal brilliance in “Pluribus”) as well a trio of standouts from “The Pitt.”
Limited series
The cast of “Beef” Season 2.
(Netflix)
“The Beast in Me” “Beef” “DTF St. Louis” “Half Man” “Love Story”
Possible surprise: “All Her Fault” Possible snub: “Half Man”
It wasn’t exactly a banner year for limited series with only “Love Story” sparking cultural discourse — mostly for all the wrong reasons. Richard Gadd’s “Half Man” was provocative with its brutally violent look at male rage and unresolved trauma. But you can’t permeate the culture if viewers refuse to watch the second episode. That leaves “Beef,” Lee Sung Jin’s anthology series about enmity, envy and the multiple ways that blood orange juice can be made, as the presumptive front-runner. “DTF St. Louis,” the strange, affecting look at suburban loneliness, belongs at the head of the pack.
Limited series / TV movie actress
Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette in “Love Story.”
(FX)
Claire Danes, “The Beast in Me” Sally Field, “Remarkably Bright Creatures” Carey Mulligan, “Beef” Sarah Pidgeon, “Love Story” Sarah Snook, “All Her Fault”
Possible surprise: Kerry Washington, “Imperfect Women” Possible snub: Field
Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. in “Love Story.”
(FX)
Jason Bateman, “Black Rabbit” Charlie Hunnam, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” Oscar Isaac, “Beef” Paul Anthony Kelly, “Love Story” Matthew Rhys, “The Beast in Me”
Possible surprise: Jamie Bell, “Half Man” Possible snub: Bateman
Linda Cardellini, “DTF St. Louis” Grace Gummer, “Love Story” Laurie Metcalf, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” Cailee Spaeny, “Beef” Naomi Watts, “Love Story” Yuh-Jung Youn, “Beef”
Possible surprise: Constance Zimmer, “Love Story” Possible snub: Cardellini
Misplaced or otherwise, all the best performances from limited series are in supporting this year, including Spaeny’s scene-stealing schemer in “Beef” and Cardellini’s passive-aggressive perfection in “DTF: St. Louis.”
Limited series / TV movie supporting actor
Jason Bateman and David Harbour in “DTF St. Louis.”
(Tina Rowden)
Jonathan Banks, “The Beast in Me” Jason Bateman, “DTF St. Louis” Richard Gadd, “Half Man” David Harbour, “DTF St. Louis” Charles Melton, “Beef” Alessandro Nivola, “Love Story”
Possible surprise: Troy Kotsur, “Black Rabbit” Possible snub: Banks
And here you have Melton’s vulnerable people-pleaser trying his best to find the right color of Gatorade for Spaeny in “Beef” and unlikely BFFs Bateman and Harbour burrowing into the mind of the suburban American male in “DTF: St. Louis.”
SEATTLE — Cole Young hit two home runs to back eight strong innings from George Kirby as the Seattle Mariners came from behind to beat the Angels 6-2 on Monday night.
Dominic Canzone also went deep to help Seattle (43-43) get back to .500 and stay a half-game behind the first-place Texas Rangers in the American League West.
Zach Neto doubled to center field leading off the game against Kirby (7-7), and Denzer Guzman singled two pitches later for a 1-0 lead. Neto hit his 18th home run in the third — a two-out shot that made it 2-0.
Kirby gave up a one-out double to Josh Lowe in the fifth but struck out the side — including Neto — to end the inning. The right-hander used 16 pitches to get six straight outs from there until Lowe doubled leading off the eighth.
Kirby issued his only walk, to Neto, with one out before striking out Guzman looking and Nolan Schanuel swinging on his 100th pitch.
Kirby gave up seven hits and fanned seven before José A. Ferrer pitched a scoreless ninth.
Young led off the third against Angels rookie Ryan Johnson (1-3) with his eighth homer to cut it to 2-1. Josh Naylor walked and stole second in front of Young’s two-out shot in the sixth off Mitch Farris to make it 6-2.
Randy Arozarena was hit by a two-out pitch in the fourth before advancing on a two-base fielding error by Guzman at third base on a grounder from Naylor. Both runners scored on Cal Raleigh’s bloop single for a 3-2 lead.
Canzone hit his 13th homer to make it 4-2 in the sixth, a leadoff shot against Farris.
Johnson gave up three runs (one earned) in five innings. Farris was tagged for three runs in three innings.
California Forever, the tech billionaire-backed group that hopes to build a city from scratch on farmland in the outer San Francisco Bay Area, is lobbying state leaders to fast-track a massive shipbuilding deal that would kick-start its development after years of local opposition.
The billionaires behind the project are seeking a deal to expedite environmental reviews of the development and, if necessary, bypass county restrictions on building by being absorbed into Suisun City boundaries. They’ve hired former Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Hertzberg — Democratic architects of landmark environmental laws — to make their case, and are using the prospect of luring a major shipbuilder to California to accelerate the dealmaking.
California Forever has pursued its project for nearly a decade, though the vision has shifted: At first pitched as a walkable city with cottages, bike lanes and even a water park, the plan then added a major shipbuilding operation and, last summer, a significant manufacturing hub. California Forever’s proponents, led by the state’s powerful building trades union along with Realtors, peace officers and pro-housing groups, argue the latest proposal would boost the state’s economy and bring an estimated half a million jobs to California. And now, a prospective tenant has emerged: Defense company Saronic Technologies Inc., which builds autonomous vessels for use in national security, is deciding between California and Texas for its next factory. The state must fast-track the development or lose the deal, supporters argue.
The developers are seeking the state’s permission to use an 18-year-old environmental impact report for the shipyard development, limit any legal challenges to the project to 270 days, and allow Suisun City to annex their land if needed, according to Steinberg and Hertzberg.
“In short, if legislation is not approved, California will lose billions of dollars in investments and tens of thousands of jobs this summer to Texas and other states,” proponents wrote in a joint letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders this week.
But some locals and lawmakers are skeptical, arguing that details about the project remain scarce. The proposed development would convert vast farmlands into factories and risk harming the surrounding ecosystem, they said, which deserves rigorous environmental review under the landmark California Environmental Quality Act that proponents are seeking to expedite.
State Sen. Christopher Cabaldon (D-West Sacramento) is shown during a Senate floor session at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Feb. 20, 2025.
(Fred Greaves / CalMatters)
“For a project this scale in this location, it is what the [law] was designed for,” said Sen. Christopher Cabaldon (D-West Sacramento), who represents the area. “A central question for the people of Solano County is: Is this going to be for the community or is this a conversion project that leaves them behind?”
Opponents also slammed California Forever for pursuing relief behind closed doors with state leaders and circumventing local opposition. Since 2018, the group has secretly bought up agricultural land, shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars to court local residents and spent at least $330,000 lobbying the governor and legislative leaders for favorable legislation.
“I think they know that the only way this actually happens is under cover of darkness, by trying to essentially get the governor to work this plan for them,” said Jordan Grimes, legislative director at Greenbelt Alliance, which has advocated for streamlined environmental reviews for housing projects.
Secretive beginnings foment distrust
For residents of Solano County, an agricultural community on the outskirts of the Bay Area that includes coastal areas next to a deep-water shipping lane, the suspicion around California Forever has been hard to shake.
The group’s subsidiary, Flannery Associates, started buying up farmland in 2018, eventually acquiring 62,000 acres while routinely refusing to answer questions about its backers. Some farmers later alleged the company used strong-arm tactics to get them to sell.
In 2023, Flannery’s backers were unmasked as a group of wealthy venture capitalists, including the founders of LinkedIn and Netscape, all led by former Goldman Sachs trader and real estate developer Jan Sramek. Marc Andreessen, co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, holds investments in both California Forever and Saronic, the defense company eyeing California. Andreessen’s firm did not immediately return a CalMatters inquiry for comment.
Despite rocky beginnings, California Forever needed the majority of Solano County voters on its side due to a 1984 “orderly growth” law that requires voters to approve development on unincorporated land.
In 2024, the company debuted the East Solano Plan to rezone 17,500 acres of agricultural land for a dense, 400,000-person city. The proposal was set to go before voters that year, but its backers pulled it following powerful grassroots opposition, poor polling and a county assessment that found holes in the plan. Sramek acknowledged the group likely moved too fast and said the initiative would go back before voters in 2026.
Instead, the group has pivoted. The East Solano Plan has become the Suisun Expansion Plan and the Solano Shipyard. In January 2025, Suisun City’s city council directed its manager to explore expanding the city’s limits through annexation, which is now underway, although it could take years.
State Route 113 runs through land where California Forever plans to put its new city in Solano County.
(Loren Elliott / CalMatters)
“The annexation and the shipbuilding have been a clear way to work around the need for voter support in Solano County,” said Nate Huntington, a member of the grassroots group Solano Together, which formed in response to the secretive land purchases. Huntington pointed out that California Forever hasn’t even submitted a proposal for a shipbuilding facility to the county.
“All of this has been happening in backrooms of Sacramento, and it’s not been publicly available.”
Seeking state environmental relief
California Forever is now selling the development to the state as a major incentive to lure manufacturers and shipbuilders to California — and the subsequent need for housing to accommodate the promised jobs.
The company wants the governor and state lawmakers to cut red tape for the development and require enough housing for the new jobs. Steinberg and Hertzberg told CalMatters they are contemplating legislation to that end, but only after California Forever signs a lease with a manufacturer or shipbuilder.
Their plan would allow the governor to designate construction on company land as “environmental leadership development projects,” which would effectively require any litigation to be resolved within 270 days. Steinberg authored the state law streamlining that process in 2013.
State law requires government agencies to prepare a report for any project that might have a significant impact on the environment. Instead of assessing the impact of the proposed shipyard, Steinberg and Hertzberg’s proposal would use a 2008 report, which designated the area where the shipyard would go as “water-dependent industrial usage.” Most of California Forever’s 7,500-acre planned footprint does not have that designation.
Steinberg told CalMatters the report is sufficient since the site has changed little.
“The state and county need the ability to say yes now to these numerous opportunities,” he said in a text. A new report, he said, “would require years of additional delay and lost opportunities.”
But the report is outdated, Cabaldon argues.
“This is completely different,” he said. “Just the notion that you would just say, ‘We are not going to do any assessments at all and we’ll just rely on this old one’ — that is not consistent with what the public interest is.”
Steinberg and Hertzberg also want the state to require enough housing in the area, but to allow surrounding cities and Solano County to permit local housing developers to build first.
But if local governments aren’t willing to or cannot build enough housing within the timeline the manufacturer or the shipbuilder wants, Steinberg and Hertzberg’s proposal would allow Suisun City to annex adjacent California Forever-owned county land into its city boundaries — a controversial idea that has drawn fierce local opposition. The move would be a “last resort,” Steinberg and Hertzberg stressed repeatedly.
The annexation would effectively bypass the county’s orderly growth initiative, which requires voters to have a say in development.
“The shipbuilders and manufacturers need certainty on a much faster timeline,” Steinberg said.
Cabaldon said the pitch to build new housing to accommodate theoretical jobs is “fantastical,” noting that Saronic, the proposed shipbuilder, is a leader in automation.
“There’s no indication that this is going to generate on an ongoing basis that many jobs, and certainly not more jobs than we have housing for even today without building a single additional unit,” he said.
Historic union agreement prompts support
In January, California Forever announced it had signed a 40-year deal with the Napa/Solano Building Trades Council and Northern California Carpenters Union to use union labor to build its development. The agreement was an important political alliance for Chief Executive Sramek, bringing more influential advocates to the table.
According to Digital Democracy, both the Building Trades Council and the Carpenters Union have given roughly $10 million in direct donations to legislative candidates since 2000.
Those advocates made themselves heard over the last few weeks, following a Texas county court approving significant tax incentives to lure Saronic to Brownsville. In a statement, Saronic said its nationwide search is still “active and ongoing.”
The California Alliance for Jobs, an alliance of influential construction companies and workers, drafted two letters in quick succession calling for legislative leaders to streamline the California Forever expansion and shipyard.
“We champed at the bit to go all in to get this project moving, and to get legislation through Sacramento this session,” said Joshua Arce, executive director of the alliance.
Suisun City Councilmember Princess Washington, who has consistently been the sole vote on the council against the annexation plan, said she feels organized labor is being used as “political pressure” to win approval.
“Processes are slow, but they’re done that way through government to ensure that it’s being done correctly, that all parties of interest are being treated fairly, and there’s checks and balances,” Washington said.
“It’s unheard of for a project to be done as quickly as they want it to be done.”
In a statement, California Forever spokesperson Jim Wunderman said any shipyard project will comply with all California environmental and land-use laws. He said county supervisors already approved using the 2008 impact report, and that legislation would allow the group to “meet prospective employers’ timelines.”
He said by pursuing expansion within Suisun City, California Forever is following the community’s preferences by channeling new growth into existing cities.
An ongoing presence in the Capitol
Since 2024, California Forever has spent at least $330,000 lobbying the Legislature and governor’s office on bills and other actions, according to campaign finance records.
Steinberg and Hertzberg told CalMatters they were hired in April as “special counsel,” not lobbyists, meaning they are spending less than a third of their time talking with public officials.
Grimes, who said he respects Steinberg for leading landmark environmental land-use reforms in the Legislature, said he’s disappointed in his advocacy for California Forever, “a project that is antithetical to all of this.”
Sheep graze on land where California Forever plans to build its new city in Solano County.
(Loren Elliott / CalMatters)
California Forever reported spending $90,000 lobbying the governor’s office and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, called GO-Biz, last year on “federal shipbuilding activities and California business attraction and retention activities.”
“GO-Biz has discussed relevant state incentive programs with Saronic and explained how they operate,” said GO-Biz spokesperson Willie Rudman. He said the agency does not offer incentive packages to specific companies.
Last fall though, GO-Biz helped organize a bid for Saronic to settle in Solano County. County staff reported during a board meeting that GO-Biz supported a legislative effort to override the county’s “orderly growth” law.
County supervisors rushed through a proposal to change the boundaries of the Solano Shipyard to comply, but with just days remaining before the end of the legislative session, Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson, a Democrat from Suisun City, said there wasn’t time to introduce legislation.
Since then, Wilson said, the proposal has been on the table, but “nothing’s been requested” of her office by California Forever.
The company also urged lawmakers to act fast or risk losing the shipbuilder to Texas last year — a negotiating tactic common in economic development, Cabaldon said.
But Cabaldon argued that Saronic will decide where to place its shipyard based on “defense needs of the United States of America” instead of state incentives.
“We have to negotiate with our eyes open,” he said.
TICK off a plethora of UNESCO stunners, feast on incredible street food and slurp the best coffee – all on this unforgettable tour, says writer Donna Smiley.
Hopping on to the back of the scooter, I slip my arms around the driver’s waist as we weave through the narrow streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter – a dizzying rush of colour, noise and scent.
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UNESCO site Ha Long Bay is simply unmissableCredit: Getty Images/iStockphotoHanoi’s Old Quarter is packed with surprisesCredit: Shutterstock / Parilov
I’ve only just arrived in Vietnam’schaotic capital, so a Grab taxi, £1.40 for 40 minutes, turns out to be a great way to loop this kilometre-square maze of 36 streets and get my bearings.
Every corner is packed with vendors selling everything from fresh fruit and steaming bowls of pho, to clothes, silver and stacks of cooking utensils.
The air is thick with the scent of broth and grilled pork drifting out from hidden alleys.
Down each passageway lies another surprise — an ancient temple, a bustling market, a tiny coffee house or a tucked-away shop.
Initially, crossing the road feels like a death-defying act as hundreds of scooters stream past without stopping.
But soon enough, I’ve stopped flinching and I’m ready to begin my G Adventures X National Geographic 13-day tour, which will whisk me from the country’s north to its south.
Later, we visit the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, one of the nation’s most influential political figures, and learn more about his life at the Presidential Palace, a grand French-colonial building.
That afternoon, it’s time to leave city life behind for Mai Châu, a valley just over two hours’ coach drive away, and one that is framed by verdant hills and dotted with traditional houses raised on stilts belonging to the White Thai ethnic communities.
Our home for the next couple of nights is the lush, peaceful Mai Châu Hideaway Lake Resort (Maichauhideaway.com).
On one guided walk, we spot workers planting rice seedlings, water buffaloes grazing lazily, and children playing along the paths. It’s nothing short of idyllic.
It may be another long bus ride to get to UNESCO site Ha Long Bay – four hours to be precise – but an overnight cruise here on a traditional wooden junk boat is simply unmissable.
Escape to lush Mai Châu Hideaway Lake ResortCredit: Mai Chau Hideaway/InstagramWake up to verdant mountain views at Mai ChâuCredit: Mai Chau Hideaway/Instagram
We stare in awe at the hundreds of towering limestone karsts, their rainforest-topped peaks rising dramatically from the emerald water, before bedding down in a cosy cabin.
The next morning, we take a small boat to explore Sung Sot Cave – it’s the bay’s largest, best-known cavern with vast, illuminated chambers, which we explore by foot.
We then set sail again to Thien Cung Cave, famous for its intricate, mythical-looking rock formations.
Once back in Hanoi, we fly to Vietnam’s former imperial capital, Hue, just over an hour away.
Hoai River gets a glow-upCredit: Getty ImagesThat’s a bit of bánh mìCredit: Getty Images
This UNESCO-listed city is where one of the Vietnam War’s most dramatic battles took place.
We tour Hue’s walled citadel, exploring its lavish palaces, serene gardens and courtyards, its shrines and colourful gates – some scarred by bullet holes from the fierce fighting – before entering the ruins of the Forbidden Purple City, once reserved for the imperial family.
Later, we stroll along the Perfume River to the magnificent tombs of Vietnam’s emperors close to the water.
That evening, craving one of the country’s most iconic street foods, bánh mì – a light, crispy baguette stuffed with meat, pickled veg, herbs and creamy spreads – I head to local favourite Bánh Mì Truong Tien O Tho on Tran Cao Vân for a pork roll. It’s utterly mouth-watering and costs just 25p!
Vietnam also has the best (and cheapest) coffee I’ve ever tasted.
As salt coffee is a Hue specialty, I seek out Cà Phê Muoi on Dang Thái Thân Street, to give the robust Vietnamese coffee made with condensed milk, £1, a try, and the lightly salted whipped cream delivers a delicious sweet-and-salty hit. I’m instantly addicted.
After an early-morning, four-hour drive, we arrive in Hoi An, another UNESCO spot.
The Old Town’s narrow streets decked in colourful silk lanterns that sway gently above the crowds are instantly enchanting, but as night falls, its riverfront is truly magical.
Bridges glow in vivid colours and hundreds of candle-lit lanterns drift along the Hoai River.
We hop on a boat to release a paper lotus lantern, a tradition symbolising peace and good fortune – as I light my lantern, I think of a loved one and watch the tiny flame float away.
Even surrounded by so many tourists doing the same, it is incredibly moving.
Our last stop is Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon and home to 14 million people.
Alongside iconic sites, such as the Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon and the ornate Central Post Office sit communist-era landmarks and futuristic skyscrapers, which light up at night and dominate District 1’s skyline.
The War Remnants Museum serves as a powerful reminder of the atrocities committed during the Vietnam War (Baotangchungtichchientranh.vn), as does Independence Palace – the site marking the end of the war (Dinhdoclap.gov.vn).
Come dusk, rooftop bars glow and I find myself back on a scooter for the Ho Chi Minh: Food Tasting & Sightseeing Tour, from £24 for four hours.
Zipping through the city, we venture into neighbourhoods I’d have struggled to find alone – stopping first for the delicate beef stew at Quán An Cô Liêng on Võ Van Tan Street, a humble spot in the Michelin Guide that’s packed with locals (Getyourguide.com).
From here, we cruise through the vibrant Ho Thi Ky flower market, filled with the scent of jasmine and marigolds, before stopping at a nearby food market to sample an array of delights, including Vietnamese pizza and chè chuoi – a warm, creamy dessert with bananas and rich coconut cream.
It’s safe to say this whole trip has certainly been one incredible ride.
FYI
The 13-day G Adventures X National Geographic Explore Vietnam tour costs from £1,949 (Gadventures.com).
