‘Widow’s Bay’ makes history by sweeping the 2026 Emmy Awards in a night of surprises

It was 5.00 pm on a hot Los Angeles afternoon when the Emmy Awards began, an event the Television Academy has presented every year for 78 years. Three hours later the results were clear, when The Pitt was crowned best drama series and Widow’s Bay took top honors at a two-hour ceremony hosted for the first time by actress Mariska Hargitay, who shone in her role.

The night — in which 20 awards were handed out (there had been two prior presentation ceremonies) — began with comedy, the most hotly contested category. The battle was between Hacks, which was bidding farewell, and newcomer Widow’s Bay. The gala ended with the best comedy series prize, though ceremonies typically close with the drama award. That detail underscored the fierce contest between the contenders. And the surprise came from that blend of horror and humor that is Widow’s Bay, which won 14 of the 19 awards it was nominated for, including best comedy. Its creator, Katie Dippold, dedicated it to her mother, “for always making Halloween so much fun.”

The award for lead actress went, unsurprisingly, to Jean Smart for her role as Deborah Vance in Hacks, which took only two of the 24 prizes it was nominated for. The role of an unbearably human diva has brought many moments of joy to the 71-year-old actress, who has now won in each of the five seasons she was nominated for — a record: she is the only performer to win an Emmy for every season of her series.

Tears came to her eyes when she went onstage, and to those of Hannah Einbinder, her co-star, who did not win. Smart dedicated the award to her children, to everyone present, but above all to the three creators and writers of the series. “This one I dedicate to Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky and Paul W. Downs,” she said, as the trio reacted emotionally from the audience. “It started and ended with you, guys, thank you, thank you. What a journey.”

The rest of the comedy categories went to Widow’s Bay. The award for lead comedy actor went to Matthew Rhys, who had already won, half an hour earlier, as best actor in a limited series. Looking surprised, he dedicated the prize to his wife, Keri Russell, who was cheering him in the audience, to his sister, his colleagues, his hometown, and to Wales: “We have a small but mighty nation,” he said.

The spooky little town of Widow’s Bay took everything. The Emmy for best supporting actor in a comedy went to Stephen Root. The veteran actor said he was thrilled and delighted, but credited Katie Dippold’s writing above all. The supporting actress award went to Kate O’Flynn for her role of Patricia, the mayor’s odd assistant: “This is for all the Patricias out there.” The show also won for best directing and best writing, beating even the series finale of Hacks in both categories. Dippold had been developing the series for years: she wrote the pilot 18 years ago.

Drama: ‘The Pitt’ v. ‘Pluribus’

There were some surprises in drama as well, though not in the top prize: best drama series went to the second season of The Pitt, as expected. “We’re grateful to be in this business,” said its creator, R. Scott Gemmill. He also highlighted the medical community that inspired the show and “how important it is to tell the stories of real people.”

There were no shocks in the lead drama actor category either: Noah Wyle won for his Dr. Robby on The Pitt, acknowledging the work of all his colleagues but especially Gary Oldman. “I grew up in L.A.,” he said. “I’m a Hollywood kid. I was raised on television, and movie theaters were my place of worship. This is all I’ve ever wanted to do, and this is the only club I’ve ever wanted to join. Thank you for accepting me.” Earlier, John Mulaney introduced him with a funny speech joking about how “underrepresented” men are on U.S. television, a line that made the audience laugh until they cried.

The award for lead drama actress went to Rhea Seehorn, the star of that New Mexico dystopia Pluribus. Overwhelmed, she called her fellow nominees “brilliant” and thanked Vince Gilligan, the creator, “for taking risks that make us better artists.”

In supporting actress, to the surprise of many including herself, Allison Janney won for The Diplomat. Her victory was unexpected because four of the seven nominees were from The Pitt, and Katherine LaNasa’s Nurse Evans was the favorite. LaNasa stood to applaud Janney’s well-deserved win — Janney’s 16th nomination but her first for the Netflix drama.

To spread the awards around a bit, the supporting actor prize went to Tom Pelphrey for Task, who thanked God, his family and his “dear friend, Mark Ruffalo.” Best directing for a drama series was shared, going to Slow Horses for the episode Scars, the sixth and final installment of its fifth season. The award for best writing for an episode went to the premiere of Pluribus and its creator Vince Gilligan. It’s his fifth Emmy after 26 nominations — Gilligan, the mind behind Breaking Bad, spoke about the importance of not using power to divide.

‘DTF St. Louis’, unexpected miniseries winner

There were surprises in the limited series field as well. It was wide open, with Beef and The Beast in Me going in as favorites. In the end, DTF St. Louis, HBO’s original take on two suburban families, prevailed. Its cast had already been honored — Linda Cardellini and David Harbour had won supporting actor awards at earlier ceremonies.

More shocks came with the acting prizes when Matthew Rhys won for the insufferable tycoon he plays in The Beast in Me, taking the prize from Oscar Isaac, who had been favored for Beef. The best actress trophy went to Sally Field, her fourth Emmy and 10th nomination, making her at 79 the oldest performer to win this category thanks to the TV movie Bright Lights. She thanked her co-star Lewis Pullman and Canada, where they filmed. “Bless Canada,” she said, at a moment when political tensions between the United States and its neighbor are at a high.

A grand farewell for Colbert

In reality TV, the big U.S. hit The Traitors, hosted by Alan Cumming, won the Emmy. The actor and presenter urged the audience to register to vote in the midterm elections: “It’s time to vote, America.” In variety series, the winner was Stephen Colbert, who ended his late-night comedy show this past May. He brought dozens of his staff onstage, his writers in particular. Colbert praised them and called it “good news” that they were all available. “We hope you enjoyed our show; we made it for you,” he said in what was his final farewell.

In her first gig as host, Mariska Hargitay managed to step out of her Olivia Benson persona from Law & Order and opened with a musical number praising television screens, joking that NBC has been on the air for 100 years... and that she’s been in the role for the same amount of time. Not really, she quipped, but it has been a long time since a woman hosted the awards: no fewer than 15 years. “I got two pieces of advice: don’t do it and, whatever you do, don’t go for sincerity. I clearly ignored the first, so please join me as I ignore the second,” she said.

One of the night’s highlights was her sketch trying to solve a case with a board full of clues in Taylor Swift style in which Swift herself appeared as an investigator with her cat Olivia, named after Hargitay’s character, under her arm. The meta-sketch was purely for fans, but both women have many, many fans.

Hargitay was also superb singing a farewell to series and shows that are ending, from Outlander to Stranger Things, from Hacks to Stephen Colbert’s late-night show.

Night of farewells: from Dolly Parton to Catherine O’Hara

Besides the awards there were also the tributes. Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz came out to celebrate 30 years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For the 50th anniversary of Charlie’s Angels, original cast members Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd and Kate Jackson appeared on stage. They presented an award and received huge applause. Smith asked for a round of applause for Farrah Fawcett: “She’s here with us and in our collective memory.” “Her iconic poster lives on in the minds and in the garages of many men,” Jackson joked.

Michael J. Fox received an expected honor: the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, created in 2002 but presented only six times, as presenter and friend Julianna Margulies recalled. A committed activist with a foundation that has raised more than $3 billion, making it the largest Parkinson’s organization in the world, Fox has continued to work in entertainment. From his wheelchair he got the audience to its feet. “All of you are so uplifting and just made me feel like I could keep doing this,” he said, also calling himself “proud” and “deeply grateful” for all his foundation has achieved.

The night’s most anticipated tribute was to Dolly Parton. “If there are angels on earth, we’ve just lost one,” said Sally Field introducing the segment, saying she felt fortunate to have worked with Parton on Steel Magnolias. She praised Parton’s kindness and humanitarian work. Singer Reba McEntire performed Appalachian Memories, written and popularized by Parton.

Another emotional moment was the In Memoriam segment, introduced by Macaulay Culkin presenting Catherine O’Hara, recounting how he and many other actors called the actress “mom” — O’Hara died in late January 2026. She was the first to appear on the screen, and musician Noah Kahan sang for those who died this year, including James Van Der Beek, Ted Turner, Diane Ladd, Eric Dane, Hayden Panettiere, Robert Duvall, Sam Neill, Tim Curry, James Burrows, Rob Reiner — a moment that visibly moved Jamie Lee Curtis — and even Bob Mackie, who died yesterday.

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