The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards celebrated another year in television Sunday night, with The Pitt, Widow’s Bay and Pluribus walking away with the ceremony’s biggest prizes. Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU, Lake Placid) hosted the ceremony, becoming the first woman to host the Emmys in 15 years. She opened the night with a parody of “I Love Rock and Roll” before guiding viewers through a ceremony filled with returning winners, first-time victories, tributes and several surprises.
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The Pitt continued its Emmy success by taking Outstanding Drama Series. Noah Wyle (ER, Falling Skies) also won Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance on the HBO medical drama, marking his third Emmy victory. During his acceptance speech, Wyle thanked his fellow nominees and reflected on growing up around Hollywood and maintaining his love for acting throughout his career.
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Comedy belonged to Widow’s Bay, which won Outstanding Comedy Series after entering the ceremony with nineteen nominations. Stephen Root (Barry, Office Space) won Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the show, while Hiro Murai earned his first Emmy for directing a comedy series.
Jean Smart (Hacks, Designing Women) continued her run of Emmy victories with Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks. The award marked Smart’s fifth victory for playing Deborah Vance and her eighth Emmy overall. Kate O’Flynn (Landscapers, Everyone Else Burns) also earned her first Emmy after winning Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Matthew Rhys (The Americans, Perry Mason) had an especially successful evening, taking home two acting awards. Rhys won Lead Actor in a Limited Series for The Beast In Me before later returning to the stage after winning Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay.
Drama brought several other major victories. Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul, Cooper’s Bar) won Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Pluribus and became emotional while thanking Vince Gilligan for giving her the role. Allison Janney (The West Wing, Mom) earned her eighth Emmy with a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series win for The Diplomat, while Tom Pelphrey (Ozark, Love & Death) took Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Task.
DTF St. Louis completed the night’s trio of major program winners by claiming Outstanding Limited Series. Creator Steven Conrad accepted the award on the series’ behalf. Sally Field (Forrest Gump, Brothers & Sisters) also added another Emmy to her career after winning Lead Actress in a Limited Series for Remarkably Bright Creatures.
The ceremony was not limited to handing out trophies. Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future, Family Ties) received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award and reflected on the support he has received throughout his career. Field later introduced a tribute to Dolly Parton (9 to 5, Steel Magnolias), followed by a musical performance from Reba McEntire (Reba, Big Sky).
Hargitay also leaned into her television history throughout the broadcast. One sketch brought Taylor Swift (Cats, The Lorax) into the Law & Order world, while Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones, Me Before You) later joined the fun during a presenting bit that included High Valyrian. The ceremony also took time to recognize television series that recently ended before moving into its annual In Memoriam segment.
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Other winners included The Traitors for Reality Competition Program and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert for Variety Series. Saul Metzstein won for directing a drama series, Vince Gilligan took the award for drama writing, and Katie Dippold won for comedy writing.
By the final stretch of the ceremony, attention returned to the three major program categories. DTF St. Louis took Limited Series, The Pitt claimed Drama Series, and Widow’s Bay closed out the comedy race.
The wins capped a ceremony that mixed familiar Emmy favorites with new victories, while Hargitay kept the show moving between awards, tributes and comedy. With The Pitt, Widow’s Bay and DTF St. Louis taking the top program honors, the 2026 Emmys ultimately belonged to three very different corners of television.
Full list of winners below:
Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series – Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay
Lead Actress In A Comedy Series – Jean Smart, Hacks
Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie – Matthew Rhys, The Beast In Me
Supporting Actress In A Drama Series – Allison Janney, The Diplomat
Lead Actress In A Drama Series – Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series – Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Reality Competition Program – The Traitors
Lead Actor In A Drama Series – Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Supporting Actor In A Drama Series – Tom Pelphrey, Task
Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie – Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
Lead Actor In A Comedy Series – Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay
Writing For A Comedy Series – Katie Dippold, Widow’s Bay, “Welcome To Widow’s Bay!”
Directing For A Drama Series – Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses, “Scars”
Outstanding Variety Series – The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Directing For A Comedy Series – Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay, “Welcome To Widow’s Bay!”
Writing For A Drama Series – Vince Gilligan, Pluribus, “We Is Us”
Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series – DTF St. Louis
Outstanding Drama Series – The Pitt
Outstanding Comedy Series – Widow’s Bay
