The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards had plenty of the usual Hollywood excess — stars, nostalgia, surprise winners and a few head-scratching upsets — but it also had something that awards shows don’t always manage: a host who genuinely seemed to be having fun.
Mariska Hargitay, the longtime Law & Order: SVU star and one of television’s most recognizable leading ladies, proved to be an inspired choice to preside over the ceremony. She was the first woman to host the Emmys in 15 years, and notably, she wasn’t a traditional comedian. Instead, Hargitay leaned into what she does best: warmth, personality, a willingness to make fun of herself and the cultural cachet she has built over nearly three decades as Olivia Benson. The Television Academy notes that she also served as an executive producer of the telecast.
And she wasn’t afraid to play.
Her opening included a surprise appearance by New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson, playing off Hargitay’s well-known New York connection. Later came the evening’s biggest celebrity surprise: Taylor Swift appeared — not in person, but in a cleverly pre-taped SVU parody in which she played a rookie detective investigating the mystery of whether Taylor Swift would actually show up at the Emmys. Hargitay, naturally, was Olivia Benson.
Not every comedy bit landed — the show occasionally drifted into the familiar awards-show territory of sketches that went on a little too long — but Hargitay gave the night a relaxed, celebratory quality. She understood that she didn’t have to become a stand-up comedian to host a television awards show. She just had to be Mariska Hargitay.
Widow’s Bay Owns the Night
If there was one unmistakable winner, it was Apple TV’s bizarre, genre-bending comedy-horror Widow’s Bay. The freshman series entered the evening with enormous momentum and left as the new Emmy powerhouse, winning 14 awards, the most ever for a comedy in a single Emmy season. Six came during Monday night’s telecast, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
The show’s sweep was especially impressive considering that the final season of Hacks had established a new comedy nomination record with 24 nominations. Instead, Widow’s Bay won Outstanding Comedy Series, lead actor for Matthew Rhys, supporting actor for Stephen Root, supporting actress for Kate O’Flynn, writing for Katie Dippold and directing for Hiro Murai.
It was also a watershed night for Apple TV, which finished the three-night Emmy competition with 28 trophies, more than any other network or streaming platform — the first time Apple had topped the overall Emmy haul.
That puts Apple’s rapid rise into some perspective. The company only began producing original television in earnest in the late 2010s, and now it has surpassed the traditional Emmy powerhouses. Widow’s Bay, Pluribus, Slow Horses, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Palm Royale and other Apple productions helped turn the 2026 Emmys into Apple’s night.
Jean Smart Does It Again
At this point, perhaps the only surprise would have been Jean Smart not winning.
Smart took home her fifth consecutive Emmy for playing Deborah Vance on Hacks, giving her a perfect five-for-five record for the show’s five seasons. She became the first woman to win the lead actress Emmy for every season of a series, and the victory gave her eight acting Emmys overall, tying her with Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the all-time record among performers.
It was an especially satisfying victory because Hacks had come into the night with a record 24 nominations and ultimately won only two awards. Smart’s victory kept the show’s final season from being completely overshadowed by Widow’s Bay.
Matthew Rhys Makes Emmy History
If Smart owned the comedy actress race, Matthew Rhys became a record-holder with two wins.
Rhys won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Netflix’s The Beast in Me and then took Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay. The two victories made him the first performer ever to win lead acting Emmys in all three major genres — drama, comedy and limited series/movie. He previously won the drama Emmy for The Americans in 2018.
He also became the first performer to win two lead acting Emmys in the same year — a remarkable achievement made even more unusual by the fact that the victories came for two completely different performances.
And because he was also an executive producer of Widow’s Bay, Rhys ultimately took home three Emmys during the awards cycle.
The Pitt Keeps Its Crown
While Widow’s Bay dominated comedy, HBO Max’s The Pitt proved that last year’s victory wasn’t a fluke.
The medical drama won Outstanding Drama Series for the second consecutive year, while Noah Wyle repeated as lead actor. Wyle became the first actor since Bryan Cranston’s Breaking Bad run to win lead actor for the first two seasons of a series.
But The Pitt was not nearly as dominant as its 25 nominations might have suggested. Its supporting actresses — including Katherine LaNasa, Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif and Sepideh Moafi — canceled one another out, allowing Allison Janney to win for The Diplomat. Tom Pelphrey took supporting actor for Task.
And then there was Rhea Seehorn, who finally got her Emmy.
The longtime Better Call Saul favorite won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus, giving one of television’s most consistently admired performers her long-overdue moment. Gilligan himself won for drama writing, his first individual writing Emmy after years of wins as a producer on Breaking Bad.
The Other Big Wins
Allison Janney also joined the eight-Emmy club with her win for The Diplomat, tying Smart, Leachman and Louis-Dreyfus for the most acting Emmys by a performer.Sally Field delivered one of the night’s most emotional victories, winning lead actress for Remarkably Bright Creatures. At 79, she became the oldest winner ever in that category.
DTF St. Louis won Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, while The Traitors captured its third consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Program. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, in its final season, won Outstanding Variety Series for the second consecutive year. And there was a nice bit of Emmy symmetry in Stephen Colbert’s farewell run: the canceled late-night program finished with six awards during the three-night competition.
Snubs and Surprises
For every big winner, of course, somebody went home wondering what happened.
Despite Hacks’ record 24 nominations and a final season that had plenty of support, the series managed just two wins, Smart’s acting prize and another Creative Arts victory. Widow’s Bay essentially swept the comedy field out from underneath it.
The Pitt’s female ensemble was another conspicuous shutout. With four supporting actresses nominated from the same series, the vote appeared to fragment, allowing Janney to sneak through for The Diplomat.
Beef was another major disappointment, with the acclaimed series failing to convert its nominations into the kind of comeback many expected. And high-profile nominees including Zendaya for Euphoria and Mark Ruffalo for Task were among the prominent acting names left without trophies.
Meanwhile, Harrison Ford’s loss to Stephen Root for supporting comedy actor was one of the night’s more unexpected results — especially given Ford’s veteran-star status and the affection surrounding his performance in Shrinking.
A Night for Television’s Legends
The awards were balanced by a generous dose of nostalgia.
Dolly Parton, who died the previous month, received a beautiful tribute from Reba McEntire, who performed Parton’s “Appalachian Memories.”
Michael J. Fox received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his decades of work raising money for Parkinson’s research and advocating for those living with the disease. Presented by his former The Good Wife co-star Julianna Margulies, the honor was one of the evening’s most heartfelt moments.
The In Memoriam segment, accompanied by Noah Kahan singing “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” also paid tribute to a long list of beloved figures including Catherine O’Hara, Rob Reiner, Robert Duvall, Dolly Parton, James Van Der Beek, Hayden Panettiere and Eric Dane, among many others important to the industry.
The ceremony included reunions celebrating Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charlie’s Angels.
There was plenty of old-fashioned Emmy sentimentality, but it mostly worked.
In the end, the 2026 Emmys belonged to the people who make television rather than merely appear on it: Hargitay proving a non-comedian can carry the biggest night in television, Smart cementing her place in Emmy history, Rhys accomplishing something no actor had done before, Seehorn finally getting her due, Wyle repeating his triumph, and Apple establishing itself as the new awards-season superpower.
And then there was Widow’s Bay, the strange little show that came out of nowhere and, by the end of the night, owned the Emmys.
2026 Emmy Winners — Major Primetime Categories
Outstanding Comedy Series: Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Lead Actor, Comedy: Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Lead Actress, Comedy: Jean Smart, Hacks
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy: Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy: Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Writing, Comedy: Katie Dippold, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Directing, Comedy: Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Drama Series: The Pitt
Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama: Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Outstanding Lead Actress, Drama: Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama: Tom Pelphrey, Task
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama: Allison Janney, The Diplomat
Outstanding Writing, Drama: Vince Gilligan, Pluribus
Outstanding Directing, Drama: Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: DTF St. Louis
Outstanding Lead Actor, Limited Series/Movie: Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me
Outstanding Lead Actress, Limited Series/Movie: Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Limited Series/Movie: David Harbour, DTF St. Louis
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Limited Series/Movie: Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis
Outstanding Television Movie: Remarkably Bright Creatures
Outstanding Reality Competition Program: The Traitors
Outstanding Variety Series: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program: Alan Cumming, The Traitors
Outstanding Variety Special (Live): The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): The Muppet Show
Outstanding Guest Actor, Comedy: Rob Reiner, The Bear
Outstanding Guest Actress, Comedy: Betty Gilpin, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Guest Actor, Drama: Ernest Harden Jr., The Pitt
Outstanding Guest Actress, Drama: Shailene Woodley, Paradise
The 2026 winners above reflect the three-night Emmy competition, with 19 categories presented on the Sept. 14 NBC/Peacock telecast and additional categories presented during the Sept. 5-6 Creative Arts ceremonies.
