The 2026 Emmy Awards delivered a memorable night for television, with The Pitt, Widow's Bay, Hacks, Pluribus and DTF St. Louis among the biggest winners.
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on September 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay hosted the ceremony, which was broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock.
While The Pitt dominated the drama categories, Apple's Widow's Bay became the night's biggest overall success. The comedy collected six trophies during the televised ceremony, adding to its eight Creative Arts Emmy wins for a record 14 Emmys in a single year.
🏆 2026 Emmy Awards: Biggest Winners
Here are some of the night's most important winners:
| Category | Winner | Show |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Drama Series | The Pitt | The Pitt |
| Outstanding Comedy Series | Widow's Bay | Widow's Bay |
| Outstanding Limited/Anthology Series | DTF St. Louis | DTF St. Louis |
| Lead Actor – Drama | Noah Wyle | The Pitt |
| Lead Actress – Drama | Rhea Seehorn | Pluribus |
| Lead Actor – Comedy | Matthew Rhys | Widow's Bay |
| Lead Actress – Comedy | Jean Smart | Hacks |
| Lead Actor – Limited Series/Movie | Matthew Rhys | The Beast in Me |
| Lead Actress – Limited Series/Movie | Sally Field | Remarkably Bright Creatures |
| Reality Competition Program | The Traitors | The Traitors |
| Variety Series | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | The Late Show |
The Pitt Wins Outstanding Drama Series
The Pitt successfully defended its title by winning Outstanding Drama Series at the 2026 Emmy Awards.
The HBO Max medical drama entered the ceremony as one of the year's leading contenders, with 25 nominations, the most for any program. Noah Wyle also won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in the show.
The drama category included strong contenders such as The Diplomat, The Gilded Age, Pluribus, Slow Horses and Paradise, but The Pitt ultimately took the top prize.
Widow's Bay Makes Emmy History
One of the biggest stories of the 2026 Emmys was Widow's Bay.
The Apple TV+ horror-comedy won Outstanding Comedy Series, beating shows including Hacks, The Bear, Abbott Elementary and Only Murders in the Building.
The series also picked up several major acting and creative awards:
Matthew Rhys — Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Kate O'Flynn — Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Stephen Root — Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Katie Dippold — Writing for a Comedy Series
Hiro Murai — Directing for a Comedy Series
Combined with its eight Creative Arts Emmy victories, Widow's Bay finished with 14 Emmys, setting a new record for the most wins by a comedy series in one year.
Matthew Rhys Makes Emmy History
Matthew Rhys had one of the most remarkable nights of the 2026 Emmy Awards.
He won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me and then won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay.
According to reports, Rhys became the first performer to win two lead acting Emmy Awards in the same year, while his previous Emmy win for The Americans also means he has now won lead acting awards across drama, limited series and comedy.
Jean Smart Continues Her Emmy Dominance
Jean Smart won another Emmy for her performance as Deborah Vance in Hacks.
Her victory in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category marked her fifth consecutive win for the role. It also brought her career total to eight acting Emmy wins, tying her with other record-holders for the most acting victories.
Smart defeated nominees including Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, Elle Fanning and Lisa Kudrow.
Rhea Seehorn Wins Her First Emmy for Pluribus
Rhea Seehorn won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Apple's science-fiction drama Pluribus.
She beat a competitive field that included Zendaya for Euphoria, Carrie Coon for The Gilded Age, Keri Russell for The Diplomat and Chase Infiniti for The Testaments.
The victory gave Pluribus another major award following a strong showing throughout the 2026 Emmy season.
DTF St. Louis Wins Limited Series
DTF St. Louis won Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, adding another major prize to its successful Emmy campaign.
The series beat All Her Fault, The Beast in Me, Beef and Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.
Its cast also earned major recognition, with David Harbour winning Supporting Actor and Linda Cardellini winning Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Full Major 2026 Emmy Winners List
🏆 Drama
Outstanding Drama Series:
The Pitt
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 Guest Actor in a Drama Series:
Ernest Harden Jr. — The Pitt
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series:
Shailene Woodley — Paradise
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series:
Saul Metzstein — Slow Horses
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series:
Vince Gilligan — Pluribus
😂 Comedy
Outstanding Comedy Series:
** Widow's Bay**
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 Guest Actress in a Comedy Series:
Betty Gilpin — Widow's Bay
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series:
Rob Reiner — The Bear
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series:
Hiro Murai — Widow's Bay
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series:
Katie Dippold — Widow's Bay
🎭 Limited or Anthology Series
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series:
** DTF St. Louis**
Outstanding Lead Actor:
Matthew Rhys — The Beast in Me
Outstanding Lead Actress:
Sally Field — Remarkably Bright Creatures
Outstanding Supporting Actor:
David Harbour — DTF St. Louis
Outstanding Supporting Actress:
Linda Cardellini — DTF St. Louis
Outstanding Directing:
** DTF St. Louis**
Outstanding Writing:
** DTF St. Louis**
📺 Other Major Winners
Outstanding Reality Competition Program:
** The Traitors**
Outstanding Variety Series:
** The Late Show with Stephen Colbert**
Outstanding Live Variety Special:
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Outstanding Pre-Recorded Variety Special:
** The Muppet Show**
Outstanding Animated Program:
** South Park**
Outstanding Structured Reality Program:
** Antiques Roadshow**
Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program:
** Love on the Spectrum**
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program:
Alan Cumming — The Traitors
The Biggest Takeaways From the 2026 Emmys
The 2026 ceremony produced several memorable milestones.
1. Widow's Bay broke the comedy Emmy record.
With 14 total wins including the Creative Arts Emmys, it became the most-awarded comedy in a single Emmy year.
2. Matthew Rhys had an extraordinary double victory.
He won lead acting Emmys for both The Beast in Me and Widow's Bay.
3. The Pitt remained television's top drama.
The series won Outstanding Drama Series for the second consecutive year, while Noah Wyle won Lead Actor.
4. Jean Smart continued her record-setting run.
Her Hacks victory made it five consecutive wins for the role.
5. Rhea Seehorn finally took home an acting Emmy.
Her win for Pluribus was one of the night's major acting highlights.
Final Thoughts
The 2026 Emmy Awards showed just how competitive television has become, with established favorites and newer shows sharing the spotlight.
The Pitt continued its dominance in drama, while Widow's Bay transformed from a major nominee into the night's record-setting comedy winner. Pluribus, Hacks and DTF St. Louis also secured major victories, while performers such as Matthew Rhys, Jean Smart, Noah Wyle, Rhea Seehorn and Sally Field delivered some of the ceremony's biggest moments.
The 78th Emmy Awards were preceded by the Creative Arts Emmys on September 5 and 6, where more than 100 additional awards were presented.
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