Forget about its comparison to Martha’s Vineyard. “Widow’s Bay” can now call itself the next Emmy-winning comedy series.
At Monday’s Emmys ceremony, the first-year series beat out former winners “The Bear” and “Hacks”; returning nominees “Abbott Elementary,” “Nobody Wants This,” “Only Murders in the Building” and “Shrinking”; and fellow newcomer “Margo’s Got Money Troubles.”
The show took home a record-breaking 14 Emmys, the most ever for a comedy series. The wins include lead and supporting actor, supporting actress, directing and writing. The total overcame the milestone set by “The Studio” with its 13 wins last year.
Apple TV’s horror-comedy series about a fictional cursed island off the coast of New England and its mayor, played by Matthew Rhys, who is trying to save it from economic depression, became a word-of-mouth hit that’s inspired memes and fan cosplay. Creator and showrunner Katie Dippold began writing the series more than 10 years ago, inspired by her trips as a youth to the Jersey Shore and quaint New England seaside towns.
“This was such a great collaboration of the best wonderful weirdos and artists,” Dippold said while accepting the award. “We’d also like to thank the evil entity on the island that trusted us with its story.”
“That is exciting and terrifying,” she added backstage. “One thing I meant to thank in the speech, there’s so many people that spread the word early on, all the people online talking about it with reviews, people tweeting about it … we’re so grateful for that.”
“They were predominately our parents,” Rhys joked.
“And some burner accounts,” Dippold added.
The series was a late entry into the Emmy race, premiering at the end of April. Hiro Murai, who directed five of the series’ 10 episodes and is an executive producer, told The Times he thought of it as a “spooky summer show.” Murai won for directing for a comedy.
“The show takes place during the summer, and so much of what makes it scary is that it doesn’t look like it should be scary. It’s all sunlight,” he said. “The atmosphere is very summery.”
The series stars Rhys as overcompensating mayor Tom Loftis, with a supporting cast that includes veteran actors Stephen Root, Dale Dickey and Kate O’Flynn.
“Widow’s Bay” earned 19 nominations, including lead actor for Rhys and acting nominations for Root and O’Flynn. All three won in their categories.
“Everyone’s more than ready for it and thirsty for it in a real way,” he said. “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.’ ”
The win gives Apple TV its second consecutive comedy series victory after “The Studio” won last year, and its fourth (“Ted Lasso” in 2021 and 2022) in the category in the last six years.
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards saw a number of firsts: A first-time host, a first-time Emmy winner and the first to win two lead acting Emmys in a night. These notable achievements were coupled with moments of remembrance for legendary actors and creators, like Dolly Parton, Rob Reiner and Catherine O’Hara, among many others.
With Mariska Hargitay at the helm, the show ran at a quick pace without feeling rushed, giving room to winners to say their thanks in acceptance speeches while still having moments of fun in between. Here, our writers discuss some of the best moments of the ceremony. — Maira Garcia
Best moment of overdue recognition: Rhea Seehorn
Rhea Seehorn finally won an acting Emmy, an accolade that was long overdue.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
If you appreciate Rhea Seehorn’s complex, subtle acting, her dynamic range and her deadpan humor, then you’ve probably found the Emmys to be maddening over the years. She famously wasn’t nominated for playing poker-faced attorney Kim Wexler on “Better Call Saul” until the show’s two-part final season. And she never won, not even for the raw, heartbreaking work she did in those last episodes. So seeing her win, finally, for her lead turn on “Pluribus” was thrilling, long overdue recognition that, given her history, made you wonder if it would ever come. Awards voters typically don’t appreciate nuanced acting, too often equating “best” with “most.” But Seehorn’s work on “Pluribus” was undeniable. Playing Carol Sturka, a sad woman forced to save the world from happiness and hive mind, Seehorn had the role of a lifetime and ran with it. This Emmy was a long time coming, and you could feel that when she choked up on stage accepting it. Her palpable joy thanking “Pluribus” creator Vince Gilligan, wiping away tears, is one reason why we keep watching the ceremony. — Glenn Whipp
Best double Emmy haul: Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys with his double Emmy haul for “The Beast in Me” and “Widow’s Bay.”
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
It was the sort of epic night that might make life vest-wearing mayor Tom Loftis jolt from his boat seat in shock or compel the villainous real estate heir Nile Jarvis to scarf down a whole rotisserie chicken with a glint in his eye — Matthew Rhys, the actor who brought both characters to life on screen, won two Emmys during Monday’s ceremony.
In doing so, he achieved a feat no actor has accomplished in 78 editions of the Emmy Awards: he won two lead acting Emmys in the same night. He was recognized for lead actor in a limited series for his turn in Netflix’s psychological thriller “The Beast in Me,” where he played Nile equal parts charming and terrifying. Later, he took the stage to accept the lead comedy actor prize for his optimistic but skeptical take on a mayor of a small, haunted island town in Apple TV’s horror comedy “Widow’s Bay.”
Rhys didn’t react like his characters might have — instead, he thanked his homeland: “To the great and good people of Wales… we are a small but mighty nation!”) And he took in the moment being feted by his partner, Keri Russell, who hung on him with pride as he made his way back to the main seating area after his first win.
The double wins add to Rhys’s collection of gold across the acting categories. In 2018, he took home the prize for lead drama actor for “The Americans.” — Yvonne Villarreal
Best reaction to someone else winning: Martin Short
Martin Short, left, with his “Only Murders in the Building” co-star Steve Martin on the red carpet at the Emmys.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Rhys may have taken home lead actor Emmys for limited series and comedy series, but the award for best reaction belongs to Martin Short.
During Rhys’ acceptance speech for lead actor in a comedy, the camera briefly panned to Short, who was nominated for “Only Murders in the Building,” just in time to catch him ripping paper into pieces — presumably his speech — and throwing it on the floor in anger and disbelief.
It lasted only a few seconds, but Short took advantage of the moment.
The timing. The commitment. The expressive performance. Short’s full comedic arsenal was on display before the camera moved on. It was the kind of quick visual gag that was easy to miss, and plenty of people probably did. But for those who caught it, I hope it was worth the spit-take. I am certainly glad I had a napkin at hand.
Short may have lost the Emmy, but his comedic timing remains undefeated. Stay funny, Short. — Anthony Solorzano
Best emotional moment that emptied our tissue box: Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his work and advocacy on Parkinson’s disease.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
In an Emmys telecast full of genuine emotion — Reba McEntire’s musical celebration of Dolly Parton, a heartbreaking In Memoriam segment that ended with Jamie Lee Curtis’ personal tribute to Rob Reiner — the most moving moments were claimed by Michael J. Fox, receiving the Bob Hope Humanitarian award.
Fox’s decades-long battle with Parkinson‘s disease, and for those who suffer from it, is well known, as is his refusal to let it define him or his career — he received his 19th Emmy nomination this year, for guest actor in “Shrinking.” But when he first came out on stage, in a wheelchair and classic black, he spoke first about his admiration for Bob Hope, a man whose tireless support of soldiers “and military families like mine” illuminated, for Fox, the necessity of showing up for others. “When it starts to get tough, you show up, you help, and if you add a little joy while you’re doing it, that’s so you know it’s even better.”
The utter silence of that room as he spoke, the admiration on all those famous faces said it all. Fox remains as he has long been — funny, sincere, wildly talented and one of the most courageous people many of us will ever know. — Mary McNamara
Best self-depricating host: Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay didn’t take herself too seriously as host, cracking a number of silly jokes throughout the night.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Host Mariska Hargitay was refreshingly lewd and charmingly self-deprecating as the first female host of the Emmys in 15 years.
By not taking herself too seriously, she set a laid-back tone for a high pressure show that for many nominees feels like a life or death moment.
Winning is not everything, Hargitay regularly reminded the crowd, with bits that grounded actors’ experience, like a clip from a 1984 B-horror film she starred in called, “Ghoulies,” which, as she explained to everyone, is a film, “where a monster pops out of a toilet.”
“Jamie Lee Curtis isn’t the only scream queen around here,” Hargitay quipped.
That joke came after an ongoing series of goofy, blue wisecracks, including one about “Law & Order” producer Dick Wolf, saying his real name was “Richard Penis;” that her “SVU” character, Olivia Benson, was “America’s sweetheart sex cop;” that aging fans who once loved and watched “Hannah Montana” would soon need “Hannah Mammogramas;” and an aside about her packed work schedule, noting that “Margo may have money troubles, but Mariska’s doing just fine.”
She ended the night with a mic drop by introducing Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey as “my two favorite flavors of vape.” — Jessica Gelt
Best changes to a host’s hair: Hargitay and her hairstylist
A sampling of Mariska Hargitay’s hairstyles at the Emmy Awards.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Beach waves, bombshell, Targaryen-inspired twists, luscious locks and a tousled bob. Mariska Hargitay changed her hairstyle so many times throughout the Emmy Awards it was hard to keep track. One can only imagine the quick work happening backstage to get her hair coiffed amid costume changes. And one can only hope there was a wig wall somewhere inspired by Catherine O’Hara’s Moira Rose. The bombshell blowout was reportedly a tribute to her late mother, ‘50s starlet Jayne Mansfield — Hargitay took home two Emmys earlier this month for a documentary she directed about her. Her quick-turn tresses were yet another example of the first-time host’s infectious enthusiasm. — Brittany Levine Beckman
Best presenter who should host the next awards show: John Mulaney
John Mulaney introduced the award for lead actor in a drama series, but not before sending up men.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
I’ll say it: I’m not sure how I feel about John Mulaney. I’ve waffled over the years. I used to love his work, then I found it tired, then I fell off the bandwagon altogether. So believe me when I tell you: I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about him presenting lead actor in a drama series. I wasn’t primed to like his speech. And yet.
He won me — I’m not necessarily a certified Mulaney hater, but certainly not a full-blooded Mulaney lover — over with a truly funny arpeggio of riffs about the mediocrity we accept from men and male actors. I was trepidatious, as was the live audience. (“This award is for the guys. Just men being men,” is a scary start.)
But then Mulaney rounded the curve with a tongue-in-cheek reference to the “Bluey” dad controversy and I sat up straighter. If the line, “some of the men in this category do method acting, and some do regular, less annoying acting” didn’t get me, then “they can play anything, these nominees, not just doctors — they can play a cop or an FBI agent or a secret agent, and then that’s it, no other examples,” certainly did. Don’t get me started on the DJ Khaled quote (I loved it).
Let this man host an awards show, as he is clearly trying to do. I recognize the game, and I respect it.
Also: a very honorable mention to Meg Stalter dressed as a literal Emmy statue. Meg, you are the only method actor I respect. — Laura Zornosa
Best Targaryen family reunion: Emma D’Arcy and Emilia Clarke
Emma D’Arcy and Emilia Clarke nodded to “Game of Thrones” before presenting the award for lead actress in a limited series or television movie .
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
One of the last things I ever expected to see on an awards show in 2026 is the Mother of Dragons speaking in High Valyrian on stage. So “Game of Thrones” star Emilia Clarke hitting the stage with “House of the Dragon’s” Emma D’Arcy to present the award for lead actress in a limited series or television movie was a pleasant surprise.
“In the ‘Game of Thrones’ universe, Emilia is my great-great-great-great-really-great granddaughter,” D’Arcy said. “And in honor of our shared Targaryen lineage, Emilia is going to address you in High Valyrian — our mother tongue — and I will translate.”
Clarke earned four Emmy nominations during “Game of Thrones’” run for portraying Daenerys Targaryen, one of the last surviving members of the family that long reigned over Westeros. D’Arcy, meanwhile, plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in “House of the Dragons,” which is set at a time when there are so many Targaryens that a war of succession became inevitable.
The Targaryen team-up was my favorite but it wasn’t the only name-based collaboration of the night. An earlier segment saw Olivia Benson, the fan-favorite “Law & Order: SVU” character played by Hargitay, share the screen with another Olivia Benson — Taylor Swift’s cat that is named after her. The cat made a surprise cameo along with the mega pop star in a pre-recorded segment about the likelihood of Swift appearing at the Emmys. — Tracy Brown
Best invitation to dinner at their house: Marcello Hernández
Marcello Hernández presented an award, but not before presenting some dinner invitations to a few people in the crowd.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
When I saw “SNL’s” Marcello Hernández would be presenting at the Emmys, I knew it would be a special moment, and he didn’t let me down. The actor, who presented the award for directing for a comedy series, promptly made himself at home, shouting out, “Donde ‘tan los Latinos?” He then took the opportunity to say hello to a few fellow actors in the room.
“Very quickly, I would like to say hello to Harrison Ford,” he said, looking at the actor sitting in the audience, who gave an exasperated look and waved. “You are a legend and a real inspiration to me and I would like to invite you to have dinner at my house.”
The room erupted in laughter, but he wasn’t finished. He then extended an invitation to Zendaya and her partner, Tom Holland: “I want to say hi to Zendaya, you’re a beast and you’re amazing. And I saw you and I wanted to play it cool, and I decided I can’t do that. So I would like to invite you and Spider-Man to have dinner at my house.”
Then he proceeded to invite Oscar Isaac, the Guatemalan actor who utilizes his given name professionally, suggesting they might be related. “You are so good in ‘Beef’ and you are also Hernández, like I am. So we could be cousins, you never know. And I will see you at Christmas, I will cook you whatever you want.”
Lastly, he said a hello to Matthew McConaughey, and quoted his Cuban tía, who told him if he works very hard, he can hang out with “Matthew McCon-i-purse.” It was a light-hearted speech that spoke to anyone who suddenly finds themselves in a room wondering how they got there. — M.G.
As the fall equinox approached from a week away, the Primetime Emmy Awards made its 78th visit, leaving trophies in some hands, the honor of just being nominated for others and bupkes for the rest of the thousands who make what we call television. Once again I have been called to witness (from afar) and report, so let’s get down to it.
It was the turn of NBC (and Peacock) in the round robin of major networks who broadcast the show, and to keep things literally in-house it was hosted by Mariska Hargitay, “America’s sweetheart sex cop Olivia Benson” from the network’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and broadcast from the Peacock Theater, formerly the Microsoft Theater, formerly the Nokia in #DTLA, formerly downtown Los Angeles.
When reviewing the Emmys, or any awards show, as television in its own right, the only real questions are what distinguishes it from its many previous appearances on the karmic wheel of life — how it tricks up the basic, immutable form, like different decorations on the same sugar cookie recipe you have been using forever. Anything unexpectedly or especially moving, rousing, funny or strange, things that go against the grain of a production that wants to keep things controlled in order to bring the ship in on time.
This year the critic has been given the gift of Hargitay, primarily a serious actor (and director and producer), following in a long line of comedians and comic actors. There have been other serious actors as host, for example, Raymond Burr in 1959, Tom Selleck in 1984 and Angela Lansbury in 1993. And certainly, if you’re looking for someone to represent the medium rather than merely to comment on, celebrate or joke about it, you could do no better than Hargitay, the longest-serving actor on the longest-running prime-time live-action series on American TV. She’s beautiful, glamorous, self-possessed. She was recently on Broadway in “Every Brilliant Thing,” which involved a degree of what comedians call “crowd work,” so standing up in front of a live audience of people no more famous than she wasn’t going to throw her. Professional comedian Nate Bargatze, who hosted last year, was much more of a dark horse.
Emmys host Mariska Hargitay with singer Taylor Swift and her cat Olivia Benson on screen during a skit the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards.
(Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)
Although I would have bet on a pre-filmed “Special Victims Unit” routine to open the show, which is why I’m not a gambler, it wasn’t until an hour in that it appeared. (It involved murder-style boards, concerning the Case of Whether Taylor Swift would be making an appearance; she did, in the bit.) The pre-filmed production number that did open the show began with Hargitay and her actual good friend New York Knick Jalen Brunson steaming their clothes when Hargitay suddenly realizes she is due across the country to host the show. This led to Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ’N Roll” reconceptualized as “I Love TV Screens,” which included the “Widow’s Bay” sea hag revealed to be Jennifer Coolidge, bringing boba tea (rhymes with “TV”); other rhymes matched “eating beef” and “watching ‘Beef’” and “Ed Gein” and “mean.” It moved to the live stage, with Hargitay flanked by dancers with television heads. Both segments felt more effortful than funny, but not unfunny.
On her own, however, Hargitay was above all a woman having a good time, never less than likable and game and enthusiastic, managing the scripted patter as well as anyone might have. Her monologue included several jokes about age, one about “L&O” producer Dick Wolf’s real name (Richard Penis), and another about her inability to pronounce “finale” because she’d never been in one. As is practically an Emmys tradition, some of these were confusing (even to the people performing it), or went on too long (Nick Offerman, cornered at his table, describing his work as an erotic house painter), or just had the effect of having been put on their feet without much, if any, rehearsal. Presenting the final award, for outstanding comedy, Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, told to stretch — the show was actually running short — described the plot of their upcoming Apple series, “Brothers,” until they were allowed to move on.
As to what the Television Academy calls “creative elements,” everything that isn’t a presentation or a speech, they advertised tributes to the 30th anniversary of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” certainly a typo, and the 50th of “Charlie’s Angels,” a logical impossibility, but these were really just themed groupings of presenters — Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz in the former, Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith in the latter. (The Angels managed a few words for Farrah Fawcett, but none for Shelley Hack, Tanya Roberts or David Doyle.) But there were full tributes to Dolly Parton (Sally Field enthused, Reba McEntire sang); to James Burrows, with Jamie Lee Curtis pivoting emotionally to talk about old friend Rob Reiner, who won a posthumous guest appearance Emmy this year for “The Bear”; and to Catherine O’Hara, with her “Home Alone” child Macaulay Culkin and “Schitt’s Creek” children Annie Murphy and Dan Levy, who spoke to “helping her build a TV character over the age of 60 that wears leather miniskirts and eight-inch heels and speaks in a strange, sometimes unintelligible transatlantic accent, and know that she will not scare an audience away.”
And there was Julianna Margulies presenting the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award to Michael J. Fox, who, in his usual way, was eloquent and funny, and let the people know about the goodness of Bob Hope, setting up a punchline in the bargain. Like a lot of you, I love Michael J. Fox, and I’m just going to leave that here, with a pile of soaked-through tissues.
John Mulaney stole the show as a presenter at the 78th Emmy Awards ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
But what America will mostly remember from this night was John Mulaney, introducing the award for lead actor in a drama, and burning the house down with a routine that went wherever it wanted. “They can play anything, these nominees. Not just doctors. They can play a cop or an FBI agent or a secret agent. And then that’s it. No other examples.”
“Since the creation of television, men have been historically underrepresented,” Mulaney said, explaining that the medium was all “beauty contests and children talking to hand puppets until the early ’60s. Until a man walked out and said, ‘Enough. My name is Fonzie and the president’s been shot.’” Mulaney is a man who has convulsed crowds in arenas and stadiums, but, as a local, nothing made me laugh harder than the words, “You know, I was shooting down Barham last night at 90 miles an hour.”
Nothing against Hargitay, but it’s clear that Mulaney should host this show, and every awards show, from now on.
Jean Smart earns fifth Emmy for “Hacks,” becoming the first to win lead comedy actress for every show season.
Published On 15 Sep 202615 Sep 2026
Emergency room drama “The Pitt” and comedy-horror “Widow’s Bay” have won television’s highest honours, the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, presented in Los Angeles.
Set in a cursed New England town, “Widow’s Bay” won the best comedy series prize on Monday, overcoming last season’s winner, “Hacks”.
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Matthew Rhys, starring in “Widow’s Bay”, made history by becoming the first person to win two lead acting honours at the same ceremony. Fellow actor in the TV series, Stephen Root, won best supporting actor in a comedy, beating favourite Harrison Ford of “Shrinking”.
“Thank you, sir, for all your many years of great, great, great acting,” Root told Ford during his acceptance speech.
“Hacks” actress Jean Smart won her fifth Emmy for portraying stand-up comic Deborah Vance, making her the first actress to win the award for best lead comedy actress for every season of a show’s run. Smart has won eight Emmys overall in her acting career.
“What a ride this has been,” Smart said after receiving a standing ovation.
Jean Smart accepts the award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for “Hacks” during the 78th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 14, 2026 [Chris Pizzello/AP]
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the only performer to come close to Smart’s comedy lead actress sweep, having won the award for six of the seven seasons of the political satire “Veep”.
Noah Wyle, who starred as Dr “Robby” Robinavitch on “The Pitt”, told the Emmy audience it felt overwhelming to win his second straight Emmy for best lead drama actor.
“The Pitt”, set in a Pittsburgh emergency department, won its second consecutive Emmy award for best drama series, beating fellow nominees including “Pluribus”, “Paradise” and “The Diplomat”.
“This is the only club I’ve ever wanted to join. Thank you for accepting me,” Wyle said while accepting the award.
US actor Noah Wyle, winner of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Drama Series for “The Pitt”, poses in the press room during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at LA Live in Los Angeles on September 14, 2026 [Frederic J. Brown/AFP]
Rhea Seehorn won best actress in a drama for playing the lone character on “Pluribus”, after being nominated twice without receiving any honours for her breakthrough role on “Better Call Saul”.
Vince Gilligan, who created “Breaking Bad” and its spin-off “Better Call Saul”, won best drama writing for “Pluribus”.
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” won for best variety series, concluding its farewell season with six total Emmys after CBS cancelled the programme, citing financial pressures.
Colbert rejected that explanation, accusing network executives of succumbing to pressure from President Donald Trump over his frequent mockery of the administration.
She stunned the LA carpet in her gilded attireCredit: APShe held the orb aloft as she posed for photos
Kayla, the over privileged and clueless assistant on the HBO’s hit series, was her first acting job.
Stalter is no stranger to outlandish red carpet attires.
In January she attended the Critics Choice awards with her co-star, mimicking Kylie Jenner’s all-orange look which she had worn with boyfriend Timothy Chalamet to the Marty Supreme premiere.
At last year’s Emmys, the actress opted for a simple pair of jeans and a T-shirt – in a deliberate non-statement.
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Getting the gold memo – Selena Gomez arrived in a golden mirrorball gownCredit: GettyStalter is up for her first EmmyCredit: X/TelevisionAcad
In 2025 at the Las Culturistas Culture Awards, she wore a corset-style top made from actual Diet Coke packaging.
In April, the actress told Marie Claire: “Every red carpet appearance or anything that I get to do in front of people, I want to have fun and make the most of it because it’s my dream.
“We worked really hard to get here, and now I want to enjoy it.”
Stalter is up against her castmate Hannah Einbinder, who won the category last year, plus Janelle James for Abbott Elementary, Michelle Pfeiffer for Margo’s Got Money Trouble and Jessica Williams for Shrinking.
One amused commenter reacted to her look and said: “If they don’t give her the statue, she IS the statue.”
Hacks recently wrapped its fifth and final season which is up for 24 Emmy nominations at this year’s ceremony.
It is the second most nominated show this year, just trailing one award behind The Pitt.
This years Primetime Emmy Awards are being held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
It will air on NBC and Peacock and is hosted by Mariska Hargitay.
The Emmys “red” carpet is underway as television’s biggest stars descend on the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live.
Instead of the usual vibrant red, this year’s carpet is peacock blue in honor of the 100th anniversary of NBC, which is broadcasting the ceremony. Network stalwart Mariska Hargitay, who’s starred in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” for 27 seasons, will host the show. Hot off the heels of film awards season, Chase Infiniti is sure to take another red carpet by storm in her Emmys debut. She’ll be joined by fellow drama lead actress nominees and fashion mavens Keri Russell and Zendaya (whose red carpet winning streak is unmatched). Comedy lead actress nominees sure to rule the carpet include Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri and Elle Fanning. Their limited series / TV movie counterparts Claire Danes, Carey Mulligan and Sarah Pidgeon will also dress to impress.
Los Angeles: The brightest stars in television are set to walk the red carpet Monday at the Emmy Awards, with horror-comedy series “Widow’s Bay” and gritty hospital drama “The Pitt” expected to win big.
Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay,” which stars Matthew Rhys as the leader of an isolated New England island that appears to be haunted, has emerged as one of the most talked-about debut series of the year.
“People just love that show,” Christopher Rosen, deputy editor of Hollywood news outlet The Ankler, told AFP.
It scooped up eight awards in the pre-gala ceremonies, and is in position to become the most awarded comedy series in a single year, surpassing the 13 trophies won last year by Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire “The Studio.”
Rosen said he believes that Rhys — a winner for best drama actor for “The Americans” in 2018 — could now earn his first comedy Emmy.
A strong night for “Widow’s Bay” does not bode well for “Hacks,” the tale of a stand-up comedian trying to revive her career and the dysfunctional millennial assistant who helps her.
Its one solid bet left in the running – and maybe its only statuette, says Rosen – is a best actress prize for Jean Smart.
“That’s a great way to honor the final season,” Rosen told AFP. “She’s never lost from playing this part. I don’t see why she would lose for the final season.”
Smart, who turned 75 on Sunday, has won four Emmys for the show so far.
A win on Monday would give her eight acting Emmys, tying her with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most ever by a performer. Allison Janney is also vying for her eighth Emmy, for “The Diplomat.”
’The Pitt’ expected to repeat as best drama
“The Pitt,” last year’s winner for best drama, follows the stressed-out workers in a Pittsburgh emergency room, with each episode unfolding in real time.
Tackling everything from abortion rights to immigration crackdowns to mass shootings, the show is the odds-on favorite to sweep several drama prizes including best series.
“If ‘The Pitt’ doesn’t win, it would be a tremendous shock,” Rosen said.
It led all shows with 25 nominations, and already won four awards in the early ceremonies, including best casting for a drama series.
Star Noah Wyle, who has racked up awards over the past year including an Emmy, is expected to triumph again. Seven of his co-stars are hopefuls in the supporting acting categories.
For best drama actress, Rosen says it will be a race between “Pluribus” star Rhea Seehorn and Keri Russell for political soap opera “The Diplomat.”
In the limited series categories, HBO Max’s “DTF St Louis” – the tale of a middle-aged love triangle gone wrong – is a top contender.
The show has scooped up six prizes so far, including two for actors David Harbour and Linda Cardellini.
Dolly tribute
The 78th Emmy Awards gala will be hosted by “Law and Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay, who won two Emmys for her documentary “My Mom Jayne.”
It will feature a tribute to late country music icon Dolly Parton, who was also an Emmy winner, and a performance from Noah Kahan, who will sing “Bridge Over Troubled Water” during the broadcast’s In Memoriam segment.
The gala also will deliver some TV nostalgia, with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz among the presenters, along with “Charlie’s Angels” stars Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd, and Jaclyn Smith.
Zendaya, a past winner and current nominee for best drama actress for “Euphoria,” is on the list of presenters, guaranteeing at least one bona fide red carpet moment.
The Emmys ceremony begins at 5:00 pm Monday (0000 GMT Tuesday).
Rob Reiner has won a posthumous Emmy for his appearance in Season 4 of “The Bear.”
On Sunday, the Television Academy hosted the second night of Emmy ceremonies, where guest actor awards were among those announced. Reiner, who died in December, won for guest actor in a comedy series for his appearance as Albert Schnurr, a consultant who mentored line cook Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson), on the FX show’s fourth season. It was his third Emmy Award, having previously won twice for supporting actor in a comedy for “All in the Family.”
While Reiner largely focused on directing, writing and producing in the latter part of his career, he would occasionally make appearances on TV shows and in films. He was most recently seen in an episode of Larry David’s HBO series “Larry David in Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: an Almost History of America,” which aired in July. In the final season of “The Bear,” which premiered at the end of June, the show nodded to Reiner, referencing a line from his 1987 film “Princess Bride.”
Guest actress in a comedy series was awarded to Betty Gilpin for “Widow’s Bay.” In the Apple TV horror-comedy series, she plays Sarah Westcott Warren, wife of the founder of the town at the center of the show.
On the drama series side, Ernest Harden Jr. won for guest actor in a drama series for “The Pitt,” while Shailene Woodley won for guest actress in Season 2 of “Paradise.” It is the first Emmy Award for both actors.
In HBO’s medical drama, Harden played Louie, an alcoholic who was a regular visitor at the Pitt, befriending many of the doctors and nurses on staff. However, tragedy strikes after a medical emergency, leaving the staff to mourn him during the Fourth of July shift. Meanwhile, in Hulu’s postapocalyptic series, Woodley played Annie, a former tour guide at Graceland and survivor of the Day. Her storyline dovetails with Xavier, played by series lead Sterling K. Brown, and the pair share an intense and emotional moment.
Also announced were supporting actor and actress in a limited series, which went to David Harbour and Linda Cardellini, who both won their first Emmys, for “DTF St. Louis.” In the series, they play a husband and wife whose marriage is struggling, and they become enmeshed with a local TV weatherman, played by Jason Bateman, who was also nominated in the category.
The first pair of Emmy ceremonies, formerly called the Creative Arts Emmys, were held over two nights two weekends before the Primetime Emmy Awards and honored many of the behind-the-scenes workers and craftspeople in television. An abridged version of the ceremonies will be broadcast Sept. 12 on FXX and stream on Hulu the following day. The Primetime Emmy Awards will be held Sept. 14 in Los Angeles with Mariska Hargitay as host.
The winners from Sunday’s ceremony:
Television Movie “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
Supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie David Harbour, “DTF St. Louis”
Supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie Linda Cardellini, “DTF St. Louis”
Guest actor in a comedy series Rob Reiner, “The Bear”
Guest actress in a comedy series Betty Gilpin, “Widow’s Bay”
Guest actor in a drama series Ernest Harden Jr., “The Pitt”
Guest actress in a drama series Shailene Woodley, “Paradise”
The complete list of winners for Sunday’s ceremony can be found at televisionacademy.com.
It’s been a remarkable year for Bad Bunny, one of pop music’s biggest stars. After winning multiple trophies earlier this year at the Grammys, including album of the year for “Débi Tirar Más Fotos,” he can add another accolade: Emmy winner.
The Puerto Rican rapper and singer, also known as Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, won his first Emmy for variety special (live) on Saturday for his historic Super Bowl halftime show. It was the first Spanish-language halftime show, a 13-minute spectacle that transformed a football field into a variety of scenes including a sugar cane field, bodega, wedding party and casita, like the one in his 2025 San Juan residency. It also featured performances by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. Mikael Wood, The Times’ pop music critic, called it “a busy and colorful performance that drew lines between the traditional folk forms of his native island and the throbbing reggaeton beats that have made him an icon to young people around the globe.”
Bad Bunny served as a producer on the show. It won seven Emmys overall, including for directing for a variety special and music direction.
Also honored at Saturday’s ceremony was Mariska Hargitay for her documentary “My Mom Jayne,” about her mother Jayne Mansfield, a Hollywood actor who died in a car accident when Hargitay was 3 years old. Hargitay also received an Emmy for directing the film and Tony Hardmon won for cinematography. The movie, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, had a limited theatrical run before being released on HBO in June 2025. Hargitay won an Emmy in 2006 for lead actress in a drama for playing Det. Olivia Benson in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
In an interview with The Times last year, Hargitay said, “Making this film has been so extraordinary to me and totally reframed the narrative for me,” about Mansfield and the struggles she encountered over her brief but celebrated career. The film also revealed that Hargitay’s biological father was Nelson Sardelli, a former entertainer, and not Mickey Hargitay, the man who raised her and Mansfield’s second husband.
The first pair of Emmy ceremonies, formerly called the Creative Arts Emmys, are held over two nights, two weekends before the Primetime Emmy Awards, and honor many of the behind-the-scenes workers and craftspeople in television. An abridged version of the ceremonies will be broadcast Sept. 12 on FXX and stream on Hulu the following day.
Here is a list of winners from Saturday’s ceremony:
