Night Two of the 78th Emmy Awards delivered an emotional mix of first-time winners, posthumous recognition, and a tribute to one of television’s most enduring classics Sunday night at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE.
The Television Academy honored achievements across animation, drama, comedy and anthology programming, with Widow’s Bay emerging as the biggest winner of the evening with eight Emmys.
DTF St. Louis followed with six wins, while recently canceled Spider-Noir collected five, and The Pitt earned four. Palm Royale and Margo’s Got Money Troubles each won three awards. The wins gave the Nicolas Cage-led production a bittersweet sendoff.
One of the night’s most emotional moments came when Rob Reiner won posthumously for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in The Bear.
Reiner, who appeared as Albert Schnurr in the show’s fourth season, beat a field that included Michael J. Fox, Brett Goldstein, Hamish Linklater, Christopher McDonald and Connor Storrie.
His win drew a lengthy standing ovation inside the Peacock Theater.
In the corresponding guest comedy actress category, Betty Gilpin won for Widow’s Bay, adding to the series’ dominant night.
Shailene Woodley earned her first Emmy for Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Paradise, giving the series its first-ever Emmy victory.
Ernest Harden Jr. won Guest Actor in a Drama Series for The Pitt.
In the limited or anthology categories, David Harbour won Supporting Actor for DTF St. Louis, while Linda Cardellini took Supporting Actress for the same series.
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Colbert, Bad Bunny, Apple among Creative Arts Emmy winners
The night also included a milestone for television history.
The Television Academy presented its inaugural Legacy Award to I Love Lucy, recognizing the landmark sitcom for its generational impact on the television industry and audiences worldwide.
The award honored a series that remains culturally relevant more than seven decades after its debut and whose influence continues to be felt throughout comedy, production, and television storytelling.
Night Two built on Saturday’s first round of Creative Arts winners, which included multiple victories for The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny, The Traitors, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, The Muppet Show, Love on the Spectrum and My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay.
Hargitay won twice on Night One for her deeply personal HBO documentary and will return to the Peacock Theater next week to host the main Emmy telecast.
Across both Creative Arts ceremonies, the Television Academy recognized the craftspeople, performers and production teams working behind and in front of the camera across dozens of categories.
The two Creative Arts ceremonies will be edited into a single broadcast airing Saturday, September 122 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FXX, with streaming available on Hulu the following day.
The 78th Emmy Awards continue Monday, September 14, when Hargitay hosts the live primetime ceremony on NBC and Peacock.
But Night Two belonged to Widow’s Bay, a beloved television icon, several first-time winners – and one final standing ovation for Rob Reiner.
