Widow’s Bay was the big winner at the 78th Emmy Awards, taking six trophies during the live telecast — more than any other program — including Outstanding Comedy Series.
HBO Max’s The Pitt and Apple TV’s Pluribus followed with two wins each, with The Pitt claiming Outstanding Drama Series and Pluribus adding major victories for Rhea Seehorn and Vince Gilligan.
The night also delivered a string of Emmy milestones, from record-setting acting wins to historic firsts behind the camera.
Widow’s Bay finished the entire three-night Emmy run with 14 wins, breaking the previous single-year comedy record of 13 set by The Studio. The comedy-horror series added six trophies during Monday’s telecast after winning eight during the earlier ceremony. Its televised victories included Outstanding Comedy Series, Matthew Rhys for lead actor, Kate O’Flynn for supporting actress, Stephen Root for supporting actor, Katie Dippold for writing and Hiro Murai for directing.
For The Pitt, the night marked another major repeat. The HBO Max medical drama became the first series since Mad Men to win Outstanding Drama Series for each of its first two seasons. Noah Wyle also repeated as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, becoming the first performer to do so for a show’s first two seasons since Bryan Cranston on Breaking Bad.
Several performers and creators also won their first Emmy, including O’Flynn and Root for Widow’s Bay, Seehorn for Pluribus, Tom Pelphrey for Task, and Dippold for Widow’s Bay.
Gilligan, meanwhile, earned his first individual Emmy for writing for Pluribus. He previously won Emmys as a producer on Breaking Bad.
Rhys made history by becoming the first performer to win two lead acting Emmys in the same year. He won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast In Me.
Combined with his 2018 Emmy for The Americans, Rhys also became the first performer to win lead acting Emmys across drama, comedy and limited series or movie.
The record book shifted again with Jean Smart and Allison Janney, who each collected their eighth career acting Emmys, tying Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the most by a performer.
Smart won again for her performance as Deborah Vance in Hacks, while Janney took Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The Diplomat.
Smart’s win also marked her fifth Emmy for Hacks and made her the first performer to win an Emmy for every season of a series. It was also her third straight victory in the category.
Sally Field added another historic moment, becoming the oldest winner of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Remarkably Bright Creatures. Field, who turns 80 in November, surpassed the previous age mark set by Jessica Tandy.
Root also became the oldest winner ever in Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on Widow’s Bay, surpassing the record previously held by his former Barry co-star Henry Winkler.
HBO Max’s DTF St. Louis won Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, capping a major Emmy run after collecting six awards during the earlier ceremony.
Murai also made history with his directing win for Widow’s Bay, becoming the first Asian director to win Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.
Beyond the competitive categories, Michael J. Fox received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his work supporting Parkinson’s disease research through The Michael J. Fox Foundation.
The Television Academy’s Board of Governors selected the honor to recognize individuals whose philanthropic work has had a lasting impact on communities. Fox’s former The Good Wife co-star Julianna Margulies presented the award.
Fox previously won five Primetime Emmys and has received 19 nominations, including one this year for guest actor in a comedy series for Shrinking.
The ceremony also included a tribute to Dolly Parton, with Reba McEntire performing “Appalachian Memories,” written by Parton.
For the In Memoriam segment, Noah Kahan performed Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” followed by a remembrance of James Burrows and Rob Reiner from Jamie Lee Curtis. Reiner had received a posthumous Emmy days earlier for his guest performance on The Bear.
Mariska Hargitay hosted the telecast, the first woman to host the Emmys in 15 years. Hargitay entered the night with three career Emmys, including two won earlier in the week as director and producer of HBO Max’s My Mom Jayne.
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Here is the complete list of last night’s winners:
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Kate O’Flynn as Patricia, Widow’s Bay
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series — Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, Hacks
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis, The Beast In Me
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Allison Janney as President Grace Penn, The Diplomat
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series — Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, Pluribus
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series — Stephen Root as Wyck, Widow’s Bay
- Outstanding Reality Competition Program — The Traitors
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series — Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, The Pitt
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series — Tom Pelphrey as Robbie Prendergrast, Task
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — Sally Field as Tova Sullivan, Remarkably Bright Creatures
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series — Matthew Rhys as Mayor Tom Loftis, Widow’s Bay
- Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series — Katie Dippold, Widow’s Bay, “Welcome To Widow’s Bay!”
- Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series — Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses, “Scars”
- Outstanding Variety Series — The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
- Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series — Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay, “Welcome To Widow’s Bay!”
- Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series — Vince Gilligan, Pluribus, “We Is Us”
- Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series — DTF St. Louis
- Outstanding Drama Series — The Pitt
- Outstanding Comedy Series — Widow’s Bay
The 78th Emmy Awards aired live on NBC and Peacock from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.
