15 September 2026 Punjab Khabarnama Bureau : The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards delivered a night of major wins, repeat victories and unexpected upsets, with Widow’s Bay emerging as the biggest winner in comedy while The Pitt retained its grip on the drama category.
The ceremony, held in Los Angeles and hosted by Mariska Hargitay, featured historic acting wins, emotional tributes and several surprises among the night’s most closely watched categories.
‘Widow’s Bay’ Wins Best Comedy Series
Apple TV+’s Widow’s Bay took home the award for Outstanding Comedy Series, confirming its status as one of the year’s breakout television hits.
The series had a dominant night, collecting 14 Emmys overall, including awards presented at the Creative Arts Emmys. Six of those came during the main ceremony.
The comedy also won several acting and writing honours, turning it into one of the defining shows of the 2026 awards season.
‘The Pitt’ Wins Best Drama Series Again
HBO Max’s The Pitt won Outstanding Drama Series for the second consecutive year, reinforcing its position as one of television’s leading dramas.
The medical series also saw Noah Wyle win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the second year in a row. The Television Academy lists The Pitt among the major 2026 nominees and winners, with the show earning multiple awards across technical, acting and creative categories.
Matthew Rhys Makes Emmy History
One of the night’s biggest individual stories was Matthew Rhys, who won two lead-acting Emmys.
Rhys won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me.
The double victory made him the first male actor to win two lead acting categories in the same Emmy year.
Jean Smart Scores Fifth Straight Win
Jean Smart continued her extraordinary Emmy run by winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks.
It marked her fifth consecutive victory in the category, while bringing her career Emmy total to eight. She now shares the record for the most acting Emmys with Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Rhea Seehorn Finally Wins for ‘Pluribus’
Another major moment came when Rhea Seehorn won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Pluribus.
The victory marked her first Emmy win, adding another major chapter to her long awards-season journey.
Sally Field Scores a Surprise Win
Sally Field won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Remarkably Bright Creatures.
Her victory was among the night’s notable surprises, particularly in a category featuring strong competition from performers including Sarah Snook and Claire Danes.
Stephen Root Beats Harrison Ford
One of the biggest acting upsets came in the supporting comedy category.
Stephen Root won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay, defeating favourite Harrison Ford of Shrinking. The result was widely highlighted as one of the night’s biggest surprises.
Kate O’Flynn also won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay, adding to the show’s impressive sweep.
‘DTF St. Louis’ Takes Limited Series
DTF St. Louis won Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
The show also picked up supporting acting honours, including wins for David Harbour and other members of its cast.
‘The Traitors’ Wins Reality Competition
In the reality category, The Traitors won Outstanding Reality Competition Program.
The victory added another major television honour to a night dominated by established favourites as well as breakout productions.