Hospital drama The Pitt won best drama series and the comedy Widow’s Bay dominated the comedy categories at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, September 14, in a night that belonged above all to Matthew Rhys.
Matthew Rhys’s historic double
Rhys won lead actor in a comedy series for Widow’s Bay and lead actor in a limited series for The Beast in Me, becoming the first actor to win lead performance awards in two categories in the same year. It is his third lead-acting Emmy, following his 2018 win for The Americans.
‘Widow’s Bay’ takes six awards
Alongside best comedy series and Rhys’s award, Widow’s Bay won supporting acting honours for Stephen Root and Kate O’Flynn, directing for Hiro Murai and writing for Katie Dippold — six wins at the main ceremony.
Drama: ‘The Pitt’ and a first win for Rhea Seehorn
The Pitt was named best drama, and its star Noah Wyle won lead actor in a drama. Rhea Seehorn won her first Emmy, for lead actress in a drama for Pluribus, after two earlier nominations for Better Call Saul; the show’s creator Vince Gilligan won for drama writing. Allison Janney won supporting actress in a drama for The Diplomat.
Jean Smart extended a remarkable run, winning lead actress in a comedy for Hacks for the fifth time — every year she has been eligible for the role.
Major winners
- Drama series: The Pitt
- Comedy series: Widow’s Bay
- Limited or anthology series: DTF St. Louis
- Lead actor, drama: Noah Wyle, The Pitt
- Lead actress, drama: Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
- Lead actor, comedy: Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay
- Lead actress, comedy: Jean Smart, Hacks
- Lead actor, limited: Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me
- Lead actress, limited: Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
- Supporting actor, drama: Tom Pelphrey, Task
- Supporting actress, drama: Allison Janney, The Diplomat
- Supporting actor, comedy: Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay
- Supporting actress, comedy: Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay
- Supporting actor, limited: David Harbour, DTF St. Louis
- Supporting actress, limited: Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis
- Directing: Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses (drama); Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay (comedy)
- Writing: Vince Gilligan, Pluribus (drama); Katie Dippold, Widow’s Bay (comedy)
The show itself
Host Mariska Hargitay steered a ceremony that critics found good-natured but unevenly paced; by the end, Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey were filling time on stage. The night’s results confirmed two trends of recent seasons: streaming and cable dramas built around ensemble workplaces, and character-driven comedies with prestige casts.