The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards delivered a night of record-breaking achievements and historic firsts at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 14, 2026. Apple TV’s genre-bending horror-comedy Widow’s Bay dominated the ceremony with a record 14 total wins, the most ever for a comedy series in a single year. HBO Max’s medical drama The Pitt claimed Outstanding Drama Series for the second consecutive year, while Jean Smart and Matthew Rhys both etched their names into the Emmy history books with unprecedented victories.
Hosted by Mariska Hargitay, the ceremony celebrated television’s finest performances and productions, with several actors taking home their first Emmy statuettes. The night belonged to Widow’s Bay, which swept the comedy categories and capped its dominant run with its sixth win of the evening, adding to the eight awards it collected at the Creative Arts ceremonies.
Widow’s Bay Sets All-Time Comedy Record
Widow’s Bay emerged as the night’s biggest winner, taking home 14 Emmys across the ceremony and the Creative Arts events. This broke the previous record of 13 wins set by The Studio last year. The Apple TV series, which follows a New England mayor trying to boost tourism on a supposedly cursed island, won Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor for Matthew Rhys, and supporting acting awards for Kate O’Flynn and Stephen Root. Creator Katie Dippold won for Outstanding Writing, while Hiro Murai took Outstanding Directing.
“This is purely because of the depraved and twisted mind of Katie Dippold and my hero Hiro Murai,” Rhys said during his acceptance speech. “We had the crew of all crews. To the great people of Wales, who were as much a nurturer as anything else, we are a small but mighty nation.”
Kate O’Flynn won the first award of the night for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. “This is the role of a lifetime,” she said during her acceptance. Stephen Root took home Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, acknowledging his fellow nominees in a sincere speech. “You are all unbelievable. I am a huge fan,” Root said. “Thank you, Harrison Ford, because my son came running up to me and said, ‘You’re in a category with Harrison Ford!’”
Matthew Rhys Makes Emmy History with Double Victory
Matthew Rhys delivered one of the most remarkable performances of the evening, becoming the first man to win two lead acting awards in the same year and the first performer to win across all three lead categories: Comedy, Drama and Limited Series/Movie. 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 Netflix’s The Beast in Me.
His partner Keri Russell, nominated for The Diplomat, was in the audience cheering for him during the ceremony. The Welsh actor’s double victory marked the second and third Emmys of his career, establishing him as one of the night’s most celebrated figures.
Jean Smart Ties All-Time Emmy Record
Jean Smart continued her extraordinary run with Hacks, winning her fifth consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. This victory made her the first performer to win an acting Emmy for every season of a show that ran for more than three seasons. Her eighth career Emmy tied her with Cloris Leachman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Allison Janney for the most Primetime Emmy wins by a performer.
Smart ended her acceptance speech simply: “What a ride this has been”. The HBO Max series Hacks, which concluded earlier this year, has now won 14 Emmys since its debut.
The Pitt and Pluribus Lead Drama Victories
The Pitt repeated its Outstanding Drama Series victory, with Noah Wyle taking home his second consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. The hospital drama, which entered the ceremony with a leading 25 nominations, follows stressed emergency room workers in Pittsburgh with each episode unfolding in real time. The series has now won nine Emmys overall, including six this year.
Rhea Seehorn won her first Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Apple TV’s Pluribus, a twisty sci-fi drama where she plays a miserable person tasked with saving the world from happiness. It was Seehorn’s first win after three previous nominations, including two for Better Call Saul. In an emotional speech, she thanked her fellow nominees, quoting a card from Keri Russell that read: “We are linked not ranked”.
“All brilliant, brilliant performances,” Seehorn said. “Keri Russell, among them, sent a gift and a card quoting — I didn’t know we were going to lose her so soon — Gloria Steinem saying, ‘We are linked not ranked,’ and I feel that way about all you women, so thank you for that.”
Supporting Acting Honors Across Categories
Tom Pelphrey won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Task, while Allison Janney took Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The Diplomat, joining the elite group of performers with eight career Emmys.
In the limited series categories, DTF St. Louis won Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series after previously collecting six awards at the Creative Arts Emmys. David Harbour and Linda Cardellini won supporting acting awards for the series. Sally Field won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Remarkably Bright Creatures, becoming the oldest woman to win the category.
Variety, Reality and Animated Winners
The recently cancelled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert won Outstanding Variety Scripted Series, with its writing team also taking Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. The show ended its run on CBS in May 2026, taking its Emmy total to seven. The Traitors won Outstanding Reality Competition Program, and South Park added another Emmy with its win for Outstanding Animated Program.
Michael J. Fox received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award during the ceremony, honoring his decades of advocacy for Parkinson’s disease research.
Related:
Complete Winners List
Drama Series
Outstanding Drama Series: The Pitt (HBO Max)
Lead Actor: Noah Wyle – The Pitt
Lead Actress: Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus
Supporting Actor: Tom Pelphrey – Task
Supporting Actress: Allison Janney – The Diplomat
Directing: Saul Metzstein – Slow Horses
Writing: Vince Gilligan – Pluribus
Comedy Series
Outstanding Comedy Series: Widow’s Bay (Apple TV+)
Lead Actor: Matthew Rhys – Widow’s Bay
Lead Actress: Jean Smart – Hacks
Supporting Actor: Stephen Root – Widow’s Bay
Supporting Actress: Kate O’Flynn – Widow’s Bay
Directing: Hiro Murai – Widow’s Bay
Writing: Katie Dippold – Widow’s Bay
Limited or Anthology Series
Outstanding Limited Series: DTF St. Louis (HBO Max)
Lead Actor: Matthew Rhys – The Beast in Me
Lead Actress: Sally Field – Remarkably Bright Creatures
Supporting Actor: David Harbour – DTF St. Louis
Supporting Actress: Linda Cardellini – DTF St. Louis
Variety and Reality
Outstanding Variety Scripted Series: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Outstanding Reality Competition Program: The Traitors
Outstanding Animated Program: South Park
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 14, 2026, with the ceremony available for streaming on Peacock in the US and JioHotstar in India.
Also Read: Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter and Octavia Spencer Win Their First Emmy Awards
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