2026 Emmys: “Widow’s Bay” Casts a Spell as Matthew Rhys Makes History and Jean Smart, “The Pitt” Prevail
The 78th Annual Emmy Awards started with a bang as host Mariska Hargitay kicked things off with a musical-number monologue riffing on “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” rechristened “I Love TV Screens.” The ditty included a cameo from New York Knicks legend Jalen Brunson (he and Hargitay are friends IRL), and we were off and running through what was a brisk, fast-break-style ceremony. Hargitay was a charming host, Matthew Rhys made history, Widow’s Bay dominated with 14 wins, and Jean Smart capped her historic Hacks run. Let’s keep pace with an evening that still clocked in at three hours long but felt rather fleet of foot, shall we!
The night kicked off with the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, which went to Widow’s Bay breakout star Kate O’Flynn for her star-making turn as Patricia, the dutiful assistant to Matthew Rhys’s Mayor Tom Loftis on the haunted island. Her director, Hiro Murai, told us she sent in an audition tape that blew him and creator Katie Dipold away. “Even though she wasn’t exactly what we were looking for, Katie and I realized this was lightning in a bottle,” Murai said. Like, “We don’t exactly know where Kate O’Flynn’s going to take this character, but she’s completely unique, and we can’t let that go.” Their instincts were spot on.
The award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series was up next, and to the surprise of no one, Jean Smart won again for Hacks. “Jean was already an incredibly accomplished actress when we cast her, while Hannah [Einbinder] was someone who’d never acted before, but they both have the thing where they can go hard funny and also be deeply dramatic and emotional,” Hacks co-creator and co-showrunner Jen Statsky told us. Smart also made history, becoming the first person to win an Emmy for every season of her show.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series went to Matthew Rhys for what would only be the start to his historic night, for his dark turn as real estate tycoon Niles Jarvis in The Beast in Me. Allison Janney took home the Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for playing U.S. President Grace Penn in Debora Cahn‘s crackling Netflix series The Diplomat. Speaking about casting Janney, The Diplomat‘s casting director Julie Schubert told us this about working with Janney and her former West Wing colleague Bradley Whitford: “When you have actors of that caliber who are a joy to work with, why wouldn’t you want to keep working with them in some capacity?”
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series went to Rhea Seehorn for her excellent work in Pluribus, her first-ever win and fourth nomination. Casting director Sharon Bialy told us about Seehorn, “We had cast her in Better Call Saul. So we knew how much Vince loved working with her, as everybody did. Given what a strong actor she is, you know you have to surround her with really strong actors so they don’t get wiped off the screen.”
For Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, another Widow’s Bay performer was honored—the always excellent Stephen Root, who played the craggy fisherman Wyck. Hiro Murai said of Root’s work, “We were borrowing from the archetype of the weathered fisherman, so there’s a very kind of cartoony way of playing Wyck, but Stephen immediately got the soul of this guy and understood the heart, hidden deep within.”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series was presented by John Mulaney in an absolute heater of a presentation. Mulaney gave an extended, “long overdue” celebration of men in television, at one point offering a DJ Khaled line that was swiftly and elongatedly bleeped, and eventually ceded the Emmy to The Pitt‘s Noah Wyle, not only the series’ star but an executive producer, director, and writer. Executive producer and writer Simran Baidwan said of Wyle and creator R. Scott Gemmill, “They have created a really wonderful and warm and collaborative environment that really allows you to feel safe when you’re pitching stories, safe when you maybe disagree with something or are trying to put a finer point on something or carve out more nuances.”
In perhaps one of the night’s first true surprises, Tom Pelphrey took home the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Task. Pelphrey plays Robbie Predergras, a down-on-his-luck father who resorts to robbing drug dealers to make ends meet, drawing Mark Ruffalo’s FBI Agent Tom Brandis into his orbit. It’s a great show.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series was presented by a pair of Targaryens—House of the Dragon‘s Emma D’Arcy and Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke, with the latter delivering the presentation in High Valyrian—and went to Sally Field for Remarkably Bright Creatures.
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series went to Matthew Rhys for his hilarious turn in Widow’s Bay, with Rhys making history in the process as the first person to win a lead acting Emmy in limited, comedy and drama series. The next award, Writing for a Comedy Series, appropriately, went to Widow’s Bay creator and showrunner Katie Dippold, who, true to form, crushed her acceptance speech and joked that Matthew Rhys’s Welsh accent is fake. The ancient, evil entity that controls the island of Widow’s Bay was certainly pleased, but it would not be done feasting on awards.
The Emmy for Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series went to Saul Metzstein for Slow Horses. The Variety Series Emmy went to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a fitting farewell for a show nobody wanted to say goodbye to.
The Emmy for Directing For A Comedy Series went to one of the best in the business, Hiro Murai, for, once again, Widow’s Bay. The show was now well on its way to dominating the night.
The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award went to the incomparable Michael J. Fox for all his incredible work fighting for a cure to Parkinson’s. Fox’s acceptance speech was one of the night’s most moving moments, more proof, not that we needed any, that he’s one of the most courageous, compassionate people who have worked in the industry.
Another stirring moment came when Reba McEntire took the stage to pay tribute to the late, impossibly great Dolly Parton and sang Dolly’s “Appalachia Memories.” The same goes for the opening of the in memoriam segment, which began with a tribute for Catherine O’Hara delivered by her Home Alone costar Macaulay Culkin and her Schitt’s Creek co-stars Anne Murphy and Dan Levy, and ended with Jamie Lee Curtis’s tribute for Rob Reiner.
Vince Gilligan won his fifth Emmy for Writing For A Drama Series for Pluribus and took a moment to call out a former assistant in the Better Call Saul writers’ room and a fellow nominee, The Pitt‘s writer and producer Valerie Chu. The Emmy for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series went to DTF: St. Louis, Steve Conrad’s dark comedy for HBO, which featured standout performances from Emmy winners from the previous weekend, David Harbor and Linda Cardellini, as well as the always dependably interesting Jason Bateman.
The original cast of Charlie’s Angels reunited 50 years after it debuted: Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson, and Cheryl Ladd paid tribute to the late Farrah Fawcett, whom they called “the shiniest angel of all.” They were on hand to present the award for Outstanding Drama Series, and one of the night’s biggest awards went to The Pitt for the second straight year.
At last, the evening ended with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson presenting the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series after the two longtime buddies (and brothers? that was the bit they worked over), which went to…Widow’s Bay! This surprised no one at this point, given the show’s supernaturally good evening, capping a sensational triumph for the Katie Dippold-created series, all the more magical for Dippold having first conceived of her spooky/hilarious story 18 years ago.
All in all, it was a magical night at the Emmys.
Featured image: Hiro Murai, Katie Dippold and Matthew Rhys win the Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Award for “Widow’s Bay” the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Award for “Widow’s Bay” and the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Award for “Widow’s Bay” at the 78th Emmy Awards held at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto Rodriguez/Deadline via Getty Images)
