Emmy Awards 2026 live: The Pitt takes out Best Drama as Widow’s Bay wins Best Comedy Series at TV's big night
LIVE UPDATES: The Pitt has taken out Outstanding Drama series as Widow’s Bay dominated the comedy categories at the 2026 Emmy Awards.
The 2026 Emmys have crowned Widow’s Bay as its new champion with the freshman series sweeping every category it was nominated in.
The horror-comedy won six gongs including best comedy series, three acting trophies for stars Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn and Stephen Root as well as writing for creator Katie Dippold and directing for Hiro Murai.
It was a decisive victory for streamer Apple TV, which won nine of out of the 19 categories awarded as part of the Primetime Emmys, having also collected victories for its sci-fi drama Pluribus (best drama actress for Rhea Seehorn, writing for a drama) and spy thriller Slow Horses (directing for a drama).
Rhys became the first double lead acting winner, first emerging victorious in the limited series lead actor race for Netflix show The Beast in Me.
The Pitt defended its title of best drama series, winning for the second year in a row, as well another consecutive victory for star and producer Noah Wyle, who won for lead drama actor for his performance as the leader of an emergency room.
Jean Smart went five for five, winning lead comedy actress for the final season of Hacks. She has won for every season of the show.
Stephen Colbert’s now cancelled series picked up a swan song Emmy in the variety race while reality show The Traitors won for the third year in a row in its category. DTF St Louis picked up best limited series.
Most of DTF’s gongs were bumped from the primetime ceremony into the Creative Arts event last week. The result of which is also the show ran short of its scheduled three-hour slot - there was an increase of ad breaks in the last hour, and final presenters Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey admitted onstage they were asked by the producers to vamp for time.
Two of the more surprising wins were in the supporting drama actor categories with Allison Janney picking up for The Diplomat and Tom Pelphrey for Task.
Australian nominees Sarah Snook (lead actress in a limited series or TV movie) and Nicole Kidman (executive producer on nominated comedy series Margo’s Got Money Troubles) both missed out.
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Welcome!
You cannot stop Widow’s Bay
Woo for Hiro Murai. If you know good TV, you know Hiro Murai, who has been behind the camera on some of the best and most exciting TV shows of the past decade, including Barry, Atlanta and Childish Gambino videos. He was also an executive producer on The Bear and Mr & Mrs Smith.
Now, he will also be associated with Widow’s Bay, on which he directed five episodes, including as its set-up director.
DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
The Chair Company
Hacks
The Mrs Pat Show
Widow’s Bay - WINNER
Colbert’s swan song
This isn’t a surprise given how the past year has turned out for Stephen Colbert, being unceremoniously being dumped by his new bosses at the behest of someone, maybe, in the White House.
It’s being a Colbert love-in ever since, and it’s capped off by an Emmy for outstanding variety series.
Colbert makes a pitch for his former writers and crew, asking the industry to hire them. It’s sweet.
“And, I want to say to the audience, thank you so much for watching. We hope you enjoyed the show. We had a great time doing it for you.”
VARIETY SERIES
The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - WINNER
Saturday Night Live
Slow Horses finishes first
The dry-as-hell British spy thriller (and sometimes comedy) won directing for a drama series.
DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
The Gilded Age
Paradise
The Pitt
Pluribus
Slow Horses - WINNER
Task
Widow’s Bay creator Katie Dippold triumphs
We’ve heard three actors thank Katie Dippold all night, and now it’s the woman herself, picking up for writing a comedy series.
She brought that trademark humour to her speech, promising to be obnoxious now that she’s an Emmy winner.
“OK, you know, I always told myself if I ever won one of these things, I would stay humble. Maybe I wouldn’t even display it, and I would just do one of those cool Hollywood things where you keep it in the garage.
“But standing here now, I promise all of you that no one will ever step foot in my home without seeing this thing. It will have its own spotlight. It is going to sit on a rotating turntable. I will create a system of mirrors, so no matter where you stand in my home, this is going to be in your direct eyeline.”
She added an apology to her longtime boyfriend and said, “This is going to become my entire personality now”.
WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary
The Chair Company
The Comeback
Hacks
Jury Duty Presents Company Retreat
Widow’s Bay - WINNER
Matthew Rhys makes history
With his win in lead actor for Widow’s Bay, Rhys is the first man to ever win two lead gongs in the same night.
If anyone is going to do it, Rhys is a worthy holder of that made-up title. We josh, he’s the best.
“This is purely because of the depraved and twisted mind of Katie Dippold, who, and her genius, really, does live in the recesses of her disturbed brain. It is also because of my hero, Hiro Murai who held us so beautifully and deftly as is all of them,” he said, paying tribute to Widow’s Bay’s creator Dippold and main director Murai.
And one of the other reasons we love Rhys is his pride in his Welsh heritage. He added, “Finally, to the great and good people of Wales, who were as much a nurturer as anyone else. We are a small but mighty nation.”
By the by, in an usual run order, that’s all the acting categories done.
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder Man
Steve Carell, Rooster
Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay - WINNER
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Sally Field is remarkably bright
The legendary actor and awards veteran won the lead actor in a limited series or TV movie for the streaming flick Remarkably Bright Creatures.
She shouts out a lot of acknowledgments and one those was for Canada - “Blessed Canada!”.
She added, “I have been so grateful and so proud to be a part of this community, the arts, for 62 years or something.
“Our voices matter, our diversity, our unique storytelling matters. We can’t let those voices be silenced or compromised or merged.”
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Claire Danes, The Beast in Me
Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures - WINNER
Carey Mulligan, Beef
Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette
Sarah Snook, All Her Fault
Taylor Swift makes an appearance, kind of
Ms Swift was not present in the room but she did get involved in a pre-taped sketch in which Hargitay and her Law & Order co-stars try to figure out whether the pop star would be at the ceremony.
It was ... a thing that happened.
Maybe if you’re a Swiftie, it was a medium deal.
Kaley Cuoco reacts to partner Tom Pelphrey’s win
Tom Pelphrey really knows how to pay tribute to his partner, Kaley Cuoco.
The actor won for his performance in Task, the crime drama that also stars the wonderful Mark Ruffalo.
As his speech built up, Cuoco became visibly emotional in the audience.
“To my favourite actor in this room. My love, my best friend, my partner, the very pregnant Kaley Cuoco. I love you more than anything. Our family is the crown jewel of my life. Matilda, daddy loves you. Baby girl in that belly, Daddy loves you.”
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Patrick Ball, The Pitt
Billy Crudup, Morning Wars
Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
Gerran Howell, The Pitt
Jack Lowden, Slow Horses
Tom Pelphrey, Task - WINNER
Carlos-Manuel Vesga, Pluribus
The doctor is in the house
Noah Wyle does it two years in a row winning for his lead performance in The Pitt.
Guys, seriously, how good is The Pitt, and if you watched the second season finale, that scene with Dr Robby, when he finally unspools all the darkness that he has been feeling, that is a masterclass in acting.
Just gorgeous work.
Wyle paid special tribute to fellow nominee Gary Oldman, and called him the benchmark.
He added, “To all the men and women who work so hard on stage 22, each and every day, we’re going to be back there, hitting it hard tomorrow morning really early to pick some hard stuff.
“I grew up in L.A. I’m a Hollywood kid. I was raised on a television and movie theatres were my place of worship. This is all I’ve ever wanted to do, and this is the only club I’ve ever wanted to join.”
A class act.
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Sterling K. Brown, Paradise
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Mark Ruffalo, Task
Rufus Sewell, The Diplomat
Noah Wyle, The Pitt - WINNER
Traitors is the new The Amazing Race
Traitors has won the reality competition category for the third time in a row, which suggests it’s just going to keep happening.
The Amazing Race once had a 10-year winning streak.
Host Alan Cumming said it was great that everyone had come together for this show.
“That is so beautiful that a show about treachery and betrayal brings people together,” he said.
He finished his speech by encouraging everyone to register to vote.
REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
Dancing with the Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
The Traitors - WINNER
