The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards have concluded in Los Angeles, with The Pitt, Widow’s Bay and DTF St. Louis among the major winners at this year’s ceremony.
The awards were held on 14 September at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay hosting the ceremony. Several other Emmy categories had already been decided during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards held on 5 and 6 September.
Medical drama The Pitt won Outstanding Drama Series, securing the award for a second consecutive year.
The series stars Noah Wyle, who also won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in the show. He was competing against Sterling K. Brown for Paradise, Gary Oldman for Slow Horses, Mark Ruffalo for Task and Rufus Sewell for The Diplomat.
Other drama acting awards went to Rhea Seehorn for Pluribus, Allison Janney for The Diplomat and Tom Pelphrey for Task.
Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, won Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for Pluribus. Saul Metzstein received the directing award for Slow Horses.
Apple TV+ series Widow’s Bay won Outstanding Comedy Series and collected several acting awards.
Matthew Rhys was named Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, while Kate O’Flynn won Outstanding Supporting Actress and Stephen Root won Outstanding Supporting Actor. The programme also won awards for directing and writing.
Jean Smart, meanwhile, won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks. The victory marked her fifth consecutive win in the category and her eighth Emmy overall. Her latest win also put her alongside Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the record for most acting Emmy wins.
HBO’s DTF St. Louis won Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
The programme was among the strongest performers during the awards season, collecting multiple trophies across the Creative Arts Emmys and the main ceremony.
Matthew Rhys also won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me. Sally Field received the corresponding lead actress award for Remarkably Bright Creatures.
The Traitors won Outstanding Reality Competition Program, beating Dancing with the Stars, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Survivor and Top Chef.
In the variety category, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert won Outstanding Variety Series, ahead of The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Saturday Night Live.
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show starring Bad Bunny also received an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live).
Zendaya was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Euphoria. She competed against Rhea Seehorn, Carrie Coon, Chase Infiniti and Keri Russell, with Seehorn ultimately taking the award for Pluribus.
Colman Domingo was also among this year’s nominees, receiving a supporting actor nomination for The Four Seasons. Sarah Snook was nominated for lead actress in All Her Fault. Neither won their respective categories.
The 2026 ceremony capped a television awards season that saw established performers, returning favourites and several newer productions compete across drama, comedy, limited series, reality and variety categories.
