It was five o’clock on a sweltering afternoon in Los Angeles when the 78th Emmy Awards began, but by the time the two-hour ceremony ended three hours later, the night had produced one of its most unexpected outcomes. The medical drama The Pitt took the prize for best drama series, while Apple TV’s The Curse of Widow’s Bay emerged as the overwhelming force of the evening, winning 14 of the 19 awards for which it had been nominated, including Best Comedy Series.
The result was particularly striking because The Curse of Widow’s Bay entered the ceremony as a newcomer facing Hacks, the established favourite in its farewell season. The competition was so closely contested that the ceremony itself broke with convention, ending with the comedy award rather than the customary drama finale. The horror-comedy’s victory gave the Emmy night an unusual conclusion and established the eerie fictional town of Widow’s Bay as the defining success story of the evening.
Creator Katie Dippoll dedicated the achievement to her mother, “for always making Halloween so much fun.” The scale of the show’s success was reflected across the comedy categories. Matthew Rhys won Best Actor in a Comedy, after already taking home another award earlier in the evening for Best Actor in a Miniseries. Clearly surprised, he dedicated the award to his wife, Keri Russell, his sister, his colleagues, his hometown and Wales. “We have a small but powerful nation,” he declared.
Stephen Root won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy, describing himself as “thrilled and delighted” while attributing much of his achievement to Dippoll’s writing. Kate O’Flynn won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Patricia, the quirky mayor’s assistant, dedicating the award to “all the Patricias out there”. The series also won Best Directing for its premiere and Best Writing, defeating even the final episode of Hacks in both categories. For Dippoll, the recognition represented an unusually long journey: she had written the pilot 18 years ago and had been developing the series for years.
Hacks was not shut out. Jean Smart won Best Lead Actress for her role as Deborah Vance, the role that has brought her repeated Emmy success. At 71, Smart has now won for the role every time she has been nominated, becoming the only performer to win an Emmy for every single season of her series. With tears in her eyes, she asked her female colleagues to sit down, joking that the men could remain standing: “With the girdle, and the heels, and everything…” She dedicated the award to her children, those who had supported her and, above all, the three creators and writers of the series, Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky and Paul W. Downs. “It all started and ended with you, guys, thank you, thank you. What a journey,” she said.
In drama, The Pitt secured the principal prize with its second season. Creator R. Scott Gemill thanked the cast and the wider medical community that inspired the programme, stressing “how important it is to tell the stories of real people.” “People need to know the truth, and we have to keep telling it to them, in whatever way we can,” he said.
Noah Wyle won the male lead award for his role as Dr. Robby in The Pitt. Reflecting on his career, Wyle said: “I grew up in Los Angeles. I’m a Hollywood kid. I was raised on television, and movie theaters were my place of worship. This is all I’ve ever wanted to do and the only club I’ve ever wanted to belong to.” Rhea Seehorn, meanwhile, won Best Leading Actress for Pluribus, thanking creator Vince Gilligan “for taking risks that make us better as artists.”
The drama categories also produced notable surprises. Allison Janney won Best Supporting Actress for The Diplomat, despite four of the seven nominees coming from The Pitt and Katherine LaNasa’s Nurse Evans being considered the favourite. It was Janney’s 16th nomination and her first for the Netflix series. Tom Pelphrey won Best Supporting Actor for Task, while Best Directing was shared, with Slow Horses winning for “Scars”, the sixth and final episode of its fifth season. Gilligan won Best Writing for the first episode of Pluribus, taking his fifth Emmy after 26 nominations.
The miniseries categories provided another unexpected result, with DTF St. Louis winning after Bronca and The Beast Within Me had been regarded as favourites. Matthew Rhys also won for The Beast Within Me, defeating Oscar Isaac, while Sally Field won Best Actress for Bright Creatures. At 79, Field became the oldest actress to win in the category, taking her fourth Emmy from 10 nominations.
Beyond the competition, the ceremony became an evening of farewells. Stephen Colbert won Best Variety Show after his programme ended its run in May. Bringing dozens of his team members onto the stage, he thanked them and noted the “good news” that they were all available. “We hope you enjoyed our show; we made it for you,” he said in what was his final farewell.
Host Mariska Hargitay, in her first Emmy hosting role, brought her experience as Olivia Benson on Law & Order to the ceremony. She opened with a musical number celebrating television and joked about NBC having been on air for 100 years. “I was given two pieces of advice: don’t do it, and whatever you do, don’t be truthful. I ignored the first, and you can join me in ignoring the second,” she said.
Her most memorable sketch involved a detective-style investigation with Taylor Swift, who appeared carrying her cat Olivia, named after Hargitay’s character. Hargitay also performed a farewell to departing programmes including Outlander, Stranger Things, Hacks and The Stephen Colbert Show, ending with a reference to the continuing second season of Pluribus.
The ceremony’s emotional centre came through its tributes. Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz marked the 30th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, while Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd and Kate Jackson reunited to mark 50 years of Charlie’s Angels. Michael J. Fox received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, established in 2002 but awarded only six times. Fox, whose foundation has raised over $3 billion, brought the audience to its feet. “I’m thrilled to be here and that you’ve all stood up for me,” he said.
The most anticipated tribute was to Dolly Parton. Sally Field recalled their work together on Steel Magnolias and praised Parton’s kindness and humanitarian work. Reba McEntire performed “Smoky Mountains Memories”, also known as “Appalachian Memories”, written and popularised by Parton.
The night ended on a more solemn note with the in memoriam segment. Macaulay Culkin introduced Catherine O’Hara, whom he called “Mom”, before musician Noah Kahan performed for those who died during the year. Among those remembered were James Van Der Beek, Ted Turner, Diane Ladd, Eric Dane, Hayden Panettiere, Robert Duvall, Sam Neill, Tim Curry, James Burrows, Rob Reiner and Bob Mackie.
