The horror-comedy series Widow’s Bay on Apple TV+ turned out to be the surprise winner at this year’s US television awards, the Emmys, clinching 14 prizes and setting a new record. The first and so far only season of the show collected more Emmy trophies in a single year for a comedy series than any other show before it. It surpassed the previous record of 13 prizes set just last year by the Hollywood satire The Studio.
Widow’s Bay wows with a blend of wit and spookiness: the series is set on a fictional island off the East Coast of the United States. The island’s mayor is eager to polish the image of his somewhat faded hometown, while some long-time residents suspect the place might be cursed.
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Openly gay actor Jeff Hiller, who won an Emmy last year for Somebody Somewhere, is one of the crowd-pleasers in Widow’s Bay, portraying Dale, the town’s archivist and official clerk. Although the show never explicitly addresses his character’s sexuality in the first season, Hiller’s casting and performance inject a campy, queer-inflected humor into the island’s dynamics. For the second season, Hiller was promoted to the main cast. Critics also flagged the outsider-gone-insider premise of the series as a compelling and timely angle.
Awards for “Widow’s Bay” also boost Apple TV’s success
Beyond the best comedy series trophy, Widow’s Bay took home prizes for best screenplay and best direction, and its stars also earned recognition: Matthew Rhys as lead actor, with Stephen Root and Kate O’Flynn as supporting players. Thanks in large part to this haul, Apple TV+ for the first time in Emmy history claimed the most Emmys of any provider, totaling 28 awards. In her acceptance speech, creator Katie Dippold promised to “display this now forever in my house,” joking that the trophy would soon become her entire personality. Rhys then set a personal benchmark, winning for his lead turn in Netflix’s miniseries The Beast in Me, making him the first actor ever to win two lead-acting Emmys at a single gala.
“Hacks” despite record nominations with only two prizes
Los Angeles proved to be a mixed bag for Hacks (RTL+). The fifth season earned a record-breaking 24 nominations—the most ever for a single season of a comedy series in Emmy history—yet finished with just two wins. Jean Smart’s victory for her lead role added to her already impressive tally, marking her eighth Emmy, while Allison Janney also took home a prize for Diplomatie Relations. By doing so, Smart and Janney joined Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus at the top of the list for most Emmys won by a single actor.
Hacks centers on the chemistry between Deborah Vance, the legendary comedian played by Smart, and Ava Daniels, the bisexual lead character portrayed by Hannah Einbinder. Einbinder had been nominated as well but did not win.
In the drama category, the acclaimed hospital series The Pitt (HBO Max) came in with 25 nominations and ultimately captured six awards, including the top prize for best drama series. The real-time, emergency-room drama is set in a fictional Pittsburgh hospital and has been praised for its humane storytelling and sensitive character portrayals.
Moderator Mariska Hargitay with a surprise guest
The gala was hosted by American actress Mariska Hargitay, who kept her remarks largely apolitical. She opened in a white dress and sang “I Love TV Screens” to the tune of “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll,” accompanied by dancers wearing TV-screen costumes. She later bantered with actress Nicole Kidman, and in a pre-produced clip even teased a moment with pop star Taylor Swift.
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In a sketch, Hargitay tries to determine whether Swift will attend the Emmy ceremony. Swift herself suddenly appears beside her and quips, “I think what we’re looking for will hide in plain sight.” Swift did not attend the actual Emmys, and instead was photographed at the season opener of her husband Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs football team.
Non-political acceptance speeches from winners
Among the winners who kept their remarks relatively nonpartisan and reflective, bisexual actor and filmmaker Alan Cumming urged Americans to vote, while Vince Gilligan, the creator of the drama Pluribus—Happiness Is Contagious (Apple TV+), urged people to show each other more respect. “There’s nothing stranger than our current reality,” Gilligan said. “We may never agree on everything, but we can still treat each other with respect.”
Across late-night television, Stephen Colbert’s program collected six Emmys, including one during the live show. CBS had previously canceled Colbert’s show—officially for financial reasons, though industry observers speculated that the network’s decision was tied to the creator’s scathing, repeated critiques of then-President Donald Trump. Colbert himself did not use his speech to attack Trump; instead, he thanked his team with thunderous applause.
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Honorary Emmy for Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson’s, received an honorary Emmy and expressed gratitude for the “great and humbling honor.” The evening also honored several members of the TV community who passed away the previous year, including director Rob Reiner. Singer Reba McEntire performed a tribute to her late colleague Dolly Parton, and Macaulay Culkin remembered Catherine O’Hara, the beloved “Schitt’s Creek” star who recently died; Culkin recalled that she had played his mother in the classic film Home Alone. “She was my mom,” Culkin said. “She did forget me—twice—but I will always remember her.” Among the audience, actress Megan Stalter drew attention by arriving in Emmy trophy cosplay.
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“We’re entertainers. We make you laugh, we make you cry, and sometimes we make you squirm,” said R. Scott Gemmill, the creator of The Pitt, in his acceptance remarks. “But when I look around this room, I see something bigger than awards and ratings—a community that’s still trying to do the right thing.”
Queer nominees go home empty-handed
The Emmys were notably stingier for several queer actors who had been nominated. Hannah Einbinder (Hacks), Megan Stalter (Hacks), Colman Domingo (The Four Seasons), Michael Urie (Shrinking), Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), and Sepideh Moafi (The Pitt) all left without a trophy. Even Michael Patrick King, best known for Sex and the City and a nominee as a writer for The Comeback, could not topple Widow’s Bay. RuPaul did not win for RuPaul’s Drag Race this year either; the prize for best reality competition show went to The Traitors—the U.S. version led by Alan Cumming, a repeat of last year’s result.
Heated Rivalry, a purely Canadian series, did not qualify for Primetime Emmys under the current rules, which require a primarily U.S.-produced show or one with substantial U.S. financial and creative co-production from the outset. It is eligible for the International Emmys, which recognize exceptional programs outside the United States; they are set to be awarded on November 23 in New York. (dpa)
