“Widow’s Bay” completely took over the 2026 Emmy Awards.
The Apple TV comedy walked away with 14 trophies, setting a new single-season record for a comedy series and surpassing the previous mark of 13 wins set by “The Studio” last year.
The series won Outstanding Comedy Series, while star Matthew Rhys took home Best Actor in a Comedy and finished the night with three Emmys overall.
‘Widow’s Bay’ Sweeps the Comedy Categories
“Widow’s Bay” entered the night with momentum after already winning eight Emmys at an earlier ceremony.
Then it swept all six categories it was nominated for during the main telecast.
The series also earned wins for directing, writing, supporting actor and supporting actress.
Stephen Root won Supporting Actor in a Comedy, while Kate O’Flynn took Supporting Actress.
Creator Katie Dippold also won for writing, while Hiro Murai took the directing prize.
The first-season series blends comedy and horror while following a New England island community dealing with a centuries-old curse.
Matthew Rhys Makes Emmy History
Rhys had one of the biggest individual nights of the ceremony.
Along with winning Best Actor in a Comedy for “Widow’s Bay,” he also won Best Actor in a Limited Series for “The Beast in Me.”
That made him the first man to win two leading actor categories in the same year.
He also collected a third trophy as an executive producer on “Widow’s Bay” after the show won Best Comedy Series.
Jean Smart Wins Fifth Straight Emmy for ‘Hacks’
While “Widow’s Bay” dominated the comedy field, Jean Smart still managed to make history.
Smart won Best Actress in a Comedy for the fifth and final season of “Hacks,” marking her fifth consecutive win in the category for the series.
No actor had previously won an Emmy every year for a show that lasted longer than three seasons.
The victory also gave the 75-year-old her eighth Emmy overall.
‘The Pitt’ Wins Best Drama Again
On the drama side, “The Pitt” won Outstanding Drama Series for the second consecutive year.
Star Noah Wyle also repeated as Best Actor in a Drama for his role as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch.
Despite entering as the most nominated drama with 25 nominations, the series won only those two awards during the main ceremony.
Rhea Seehorn Finally Wins Her First Emmy
Another major moment came when Rhea Seehorn won her first career Emmy for Apple TV’s “Pluribus.”
Seehorn had previously earned two nominations for her breakout role on “Better Call Saul” without winning.
She finally took home Best Actress in a Drama for “Pluribus,” where she plays the show’s central character.
Other Major Emmy Winners
Allison Janney won Supporting Actress in a Drama for “The Diplomat,” while Tom Pelphrey won Supporting Actor for “Task.”
“DTF St. Louis” took Best Limited Series and finished with seven Emmys overall.
Veteran actress Sally Field also made history at age 79, becoming the oldest woman to win Best Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie for “Remarkably Bright Creatures.”
Country music star Reba McEntire performed a moving tribute to Dolly Parton.
