The 78th Emmy Awards were presented Monday night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, honoring television programs and performances from the 2025-26 season.
Hosted by Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay, the ceremony saw The Pitt repeat as Outstanding Drama Series, while Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay took Outstanding Comedy Series and finished the night with six awards. HBO Max’s DTF St. Louis was named Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
Widow’s Bay Sets a Comedy Record
Widow’s Bay entered Monday’s ceremony with eight awards from the Creative Arts Emmys and added another six during the primetime telecast, bringing its total to 14. That surpassed the 13 awards won by The Studio in 2025 for the most Emmys won by a comedy series in a single year.
The series won Outstanding Comedy Series, while Matthew Rhys received Lead Actor, Kate O’Flynn won Supporting Actress and Stephen Root won Supporting Actor. Katie Dippold won for writing and Hiro Murai received the directing award. Murai became the first Asian director to win Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.
Rhys also won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me, making him the first performer to win two lead acting Emmys in the same year. Combined with his 2018 drama win for The Americans, Rhys has now won lead acting Emmys in drama, comedy and limited series categories.
The Pitt Repeats in Drama
The Pitt won Outstanding Drama Series for the second consecutive year, becoming the first show since Mad Men to win the category for each of its first two seasons. Noah Wyle also repeated as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Rhea Seehorn received her first Emmy for her performance in Pluribus, winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The series also earned Vince Gilligan the Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series award. Slow Horses director Saul Metzstein won for drama directing, while Task star Tom Pelphrey received Supporting Actor.
Allison Janney won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The Diplomat. The award was Janney’s eighth acting Emmy, tying her with Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the most acting Emmy wins by a performer. Jean Smart joined the same group Monday with her eighth acting Emmy, winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks.
Sally Field, Stephen Colbert Among Other Winners
Sally Field won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Remarkably Bright Creatures. At 79, Field became the oldest winner in the history of the category. The film had previously won Outstanding Television Movie at the Creative Arts Emmys.
DTF St. Louis received Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series after collecting six awards during the Creative Arts ceremony, including supporting acting wins for Linda Cardellini and David Harbour.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which ended its run earlier this year, won Outstanding Variety Series for the second consecutive year. The Traitors also repeated, earning its third consecutive Outstanding Reality Competition Program Emmy.
Michael J. Fox Receives Humanitarian Award
Michael J. Fox was presented with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his work in Parkinson’s disease research and advocacy. His former The Good Wife co-star Julianna Margulies presented the award.
The broadcast also included a 30th anniversary tribute to Buffy the Vampire Slayer featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz, as well as a 50th anniversary reunion of Charlie’s Angels stars Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith.
Noah Kahan performed “Bridge Over Troubled Water” during the In Memoriam segment, while Reba McEntire performed “Appalachian Memories” as part of a tribute to Dolly Parton.
2026 Emmy Awards Winners
Outstanding Drama Series: The Pitt
Outstanding Comedy Series: Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: DTF St. Louis
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Tom Pelphrey, Task
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Allison Janney, The Diplomat
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart, Hacks
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series: Vince Gilligan, Pluribus
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series: Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: Katie Dippold, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series: Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Variety Series: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Outstanding Reality Competition Program: The Traitors
The 78th Emmy Awards aired live on NBC and streamed on Peacock. The 2026 Emmy ceremonies were held across three nights, with the Creative Arts Emmys taking place Sept. 5 and 6 ahead of Monday’s primetime ceremony.