Widow's Bay and The Pitt Dominate 78th Emmy Awards

The Apple TV comedy Widow's Bay was the biggest winner of the 78th Emmy Awards, securing the prize for Best Comedy Series and a total of 14 awards when including the Creative Arts Emmys. The series also won for Best Actor in a Comedy for Matthew Rhys, as well as awards for supporting actors Kate O'Flynn and Stephen Root, and prizes for writing and directing. Matthew Rhys made history by becoming the first actor to win lead actor awards in two different categories in a single night, winning for both Widow's Bay and the limited series The Beast in Me. Meanwhile, HBO Max's The Pitt won Best Drama Series for the second consecutive year, with Noah Wyle again winning Best Actor in a Drama. DTF St. Louis, also from HBO Max, took home the award for Best Limited Series. Other notable acting wins included Rhea Seehorn for Pluribus and Jean Smart, who won her fifth consecutive Emmy for her role in Hacks. The ceremony was hosted by Mariska Hargitay at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The event featured emotional tributes to late stars including Dolly Parton, Rob Reiner, and Catherine O'Hara, and Michael J. Fox received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. Some established series faced a difficult night, as Euphoria and Stranger Things left without awards, and The Bear won only one of its eight nominations. Center left sources highlighted the lack of recognition for Latino talent and the political context of Stephen Colbert's departure from The Late Show. Center right sources focused more on the records broken and the nostalgic elements of the evening, such as the reunion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars.