Apple TV+ horror comedy Widow's Bay swept the 2026 Emmys, winning Outstanding Comedy Series at the ceremony held September 14 at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live and hosted by Mariska Hargitay. Stars Matthew Rhys, Kate O'Flynn and Stephen Root each took home acting trophies for the show.
Counting last weekend's Creative Arts Emmys, where the freshman series had already become an eight-time winner heading into the main ceremony, Widow's Bay finished the season with a record 14 Emmys, the most ever won by a comedy in a single year.
Backstage, Rhys joked with E! News about the pressure that came with such an immediate haul. "You want to be the slow burn," he said. "You don't want this much attention in season one. You want to build to season five, like The Diplomat," a nod to the acclaimed drama starring his partner, Keri Russell. "It's all the pressure now, isn't it? It's downhill from here, this is the apex."
Rhys needed both hands for his haul that night, having also won lead actor in a limited series for his performance in The Beast in Me.
The Pitt Repeats as Top Drama
The Pitt, which led the field with 25 nominations, repeated as Outstanding Drama Series, and star Noah Wyle won his second consecutive statue for lead actor in a drama. The HBO show's second season finished the night with six wins in total. Wyle's wife, Sara Wells, was on hand to see him off before the win.
Also in attendance were past winners including Euphoria's Zendaya, with husband Tom Holland, and Hacks' Hannah Einbinder, both marking the end of distinguished runs for their respective shows this past year.
Moments the Cameras Missed
Zendaya was photographed with Holland and The Testaments star Chase Infiniti, against whom she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama for her performance across three spread-out seasons of Euphoria.
David Harbour, star of DTF St. Louis, celebrated his win for supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie. Jean Smart won her fifth lead actress in a comedy Emmy for playing Deborah Vance on Hacks, her eighth Emmy overall, and was pictured with fellow nominees Lisa Kudrow and Elle Fanning.
Big Little Lies co-stars Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley reunited following Woodley's win for guest actress in a drama for Paradise. The Witcher's Anya Chalotra captured a photo of Widow's Bay producer-director Hiro Murai with his partner, Emma Barrie.
Reunions and Toasts
Kaley Cuoco sat between her Emmy-winning fiance Tom Pelphrey and his Task co-star Mark Ruffalo. Colman Domingo sipped a mini Ketel One Family Made Vodka martini at the bar, while Ayo Edebiri, Zendaya and Quinta Brunson went home without statues this year, though they share four Emmys between them from past ceremonies.
Hannah Einbinder and Megan Stalter, both nominated for supporting roles in Hacks' final season, celebrated the sitcom's run despite being swept aside by Widow's Bay. Rhea Seehorn won her first Emmy, for lead actress in a drama for Pluribus, a win that made for a less gilded night for fellow nominee Carrie Coon.
Love Story's Sarah Pidgeon enjoyed the evening's dinner, and Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz reunited in a moment that evoked their years together on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Zendaya, Gary Oldman and Tom Holland also posed together on the night.
Cary Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, Youn Yuh-jung, Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny were on hand despite Beef going winless on September 14, the Netflix anthology's second season having already picked up three trophies at the Creative Arts Emmys the previous weekend. Kate O'Flynn celebrated her win alongside Rhys, and Six Feet Under alums Richard Jenkins and Peter Krause enjoyed a rare in-person reunion.
