Widow's Bay wins 14 Emmy Awards as The Pitt repeats drama series victory
Apple TV comedy Widow's Bay secured a record 14 trophies at the 2026 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, while HBO Max medical drama The Pitt won best drama series for the second consecutive year.
Record night for Apple TV comedy
The annual Emmy Awards ceremony concluded on Monday, 14 September 2026, at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. Apple TV comedy series Widow's Bay dominated the comedy division with 14 awards, surpassing the previous record of 13 statuettes held by Hollywood satire The Studio. The horror comedy follows a New England mayor seeking to revive tourism on an island reputed to be haunted. Matthew Rhys won the award for lead actor in a comedy series for his performance as the town mayor. Creator Katie Dippold received the award for best writing, while Hiro Murai won for best directing. Supporting acting prizes in the comedy division went to Kate O'Flynn and Stephen Root.
During his acceptance speech, Rhys credited the series creator for the project's vision.
All of this is solely down to the depraved and twisted mind of Katie Dippold, and her genius truly lies in the recesses of her deranged brain.
- Widow's Bay
- 14
- The Studio
- 13
Drama honors and acting milestones
Rhys collected a second acting trophy during the ceremony, winning lead actor in a limited series for The Beast in Me. The achievement makes him the first actor to win lead actor Emmys across three separate categories: comedy, limited series, and drama series, following his 2018 win for The Americans.
In the drama categories, HBO Max series The Pitt secured the prize for best drama series for the second year in a row. The medical series depicts an hour-by-hour shift of emergency room staff at a hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Noah Wyle won lead actor in a drama series for his role as the emergency department chief, bringing the total awards for The Pitt to six on the night. The series finished ahead of dystopian drama Pluribus, created by the creator of Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Rhea Seehorn received the lead actress in a drama series award for her role in Pluribus.
Jean Smart joins career leaders
HBO Max comedy Hacks entered the ceremony with 24 nominations, behind only The Pitt with 25 nominations and ahead of Widow's Bay with 19 nominations.
- The Pitt
- 25
- Hacks
- 24
- Widow's Bay
- 19
Although Widow's Bay collected most comedy prizes, Hacks star Jean Smart won the award for lead actress in a comedy series. The win marks her fifth consecutive victory for playing a veteran stand-up comic partnering with a young writer. At 75 years old, Smart brought her career total to eight Emmy Awards, tying the record held by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Cloris Leachman, and Allison Janney.
Smart addressed the audience at the Peacock Theatre upon accepting the trophy.
Thank you very much to all of you! What an adventure it has been!
Limited series results and tributes
In the limited series division, HBO Max drama DTF St. Louis won best limited or anthology series. The production explores a failing romantic triangle and finished ahead of fellow nominees Beef and Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette. The broadcast also included an on-stage tribute to Dolly Parton.
