Widow’s Bay Makes Emmy History as The Pitt Wins Best Drama Again

Apple TV’s quirky horror-comedy series “Widow’s Bay” dominated the 2026 Emmy Awards on Monday, taking home 14 trophies to set a new record for the most awards won by a comedy in a single year.

The series, starring Matthew Rhys as the leader of an isolated New England island seemingly plagued by supernatural forces, became one of the breakout shows of the year and turned its critical buzz into a record haul at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards.

“Widow’s Bay” surpassed the previous comedy record set just a year earlier by Seth Rogen’s “The Studio”, also an Apple production. Rhys, Kate O’Flynn and Stephen Root all won acting awards for their performances in the series.

Rhys had an especially strong night. The former “The Americans” star won his first comedy acting Emmy and also collected the award for lead actor in a limited series for his role in “The Beast in Me”. He also shared in the best comedy series victory as a producer.

The success of “Widow’s Bay” came at the expense of “Hacks”, although Jean Smart retained the best comedy actress award for a fifth consecutive time. The victory gave Smart her eighth acting Emmy, putting her level with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most acting wins by a performer.

Allison Janney matched that record moments later, winning best supporting actress in a drama for “The Diplomat”.

Meanwhile, “The Pitt” repeated as the Emmy winner for best drama. The medical series, which follows exhausted staff working inside a Pittsburgh emergency room in real time, entered the ceremony with a leading 25 nominations and finished with six awards.

Noah Wyle claimed his second consecutive acting Emmy for his role in “The Pitt” and also collected another award as one of the series’ producers. Rhea Seehorn won best drama actress for her performance in “Pluribus”.

HBO Max’s “DTF St Louis” won best limited or anthology series, taking its total haul to seven awards, while Sally Field won best actress in a limited series or television movie for “Remarkably Bright Creatures”. Field used her acceptance speech to warn against compromising diverse storytelling amid proposed changes in the entertainment industry.

The ceremony, hosted by “Law and Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay, also paid tribute to late country music icon Dolly Parton. The night featured performances and tributes honouring several stars who died recently, including Catherine O’Hara and filmmaker Rob Reiner, while TV classics such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Charlie’s Angels” also received a nostalgic nod through their stars.