Television's biggest night came with a few predictable wins, a few surprises and one show that simply refused to stop collecting trophies.
The 78th Emmy Awards, hosted by Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay, took place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 14. But the awards season had actually begun several days earlier, with the Creative Arts Emmys held on September 5 and 6.
By the time all the trophies were handed out, Apple TV's Widow’s Bay had emerged as the night's biggest comedy winner, while HBO's The Pitt once again ruled the drama categories.
Widow’s Bay took home Outstanding Comedy Series, along with major acting, directing and writing honours.
Matthew Rhys won Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, while Stephen Root and Kate O'Flynn won the supporting acting categories. Hiro Murai won for comedy directing and Katie Dippold won for comedy writing.
The show's success was even more remarkable because its haul stretched far beyond the main ceremony. It became the most-awarded comedy series of the season, collecting 14 Emmys across the Primetime and Creative Arts ceremonies.
The Pitt once again won Outstanding Drama Series, making it two consecutive victories for the medical drama.
Noah Wyle also repeated his win for Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Meanwhile, Pluribus had a strong night, with Rhea Seehorn winning Lead Actress and Vince Gilligan winning Drama Writing. Task star Tom Pelphrey won Supporting Actor, while Allison Janney took Supporting Actress for The Diplomat.
Jean Smart continued her extraordinary run with another Emmy for Hacks.
Her win for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series was her fifth consecutive victory in the category, making her the first woman to win the category for every season of a show. Her eighth acting Emmy also put her alongside some of the most decorated performers in Emmy history.
Matthew Rhys had perhaps the most unusual night of all. He won two acting Emmys at the same ceremony — Lead Actor in a Comedy for Widow’s Bay and Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me.
The Emmy Awards are much bigger than the handful of trophies handed out during the televised ceremony.
The Creative Arts Emmys recognise the cinematographers, editors, casting directors, costume designers, hairstylists, makeup artists, sound teams, stunt performers, visual-effects artists and many other craftspeople who help bring television to life.
Here is the complete winners list across the 2026 Emmy categories.
Emmys 2026: Complete Winners List
Outstanding Comedy Series
🏆 Widow’s Bay
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
🏆 Matthew Rhys — Widow’s Bay
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
🏆 Jean Smart — Hacks
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
🏆 Stephen Root — Widow’s Bay
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
🏆 Kate O'Flynn — Widow’s Bay
Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
🏆 Rob Reiner — The Bear
Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
🏆 Betty Gilpin — Widow’s Bay
Directing for a Comedy Series
🏆 Hiro Murai — Widow’s Bay
Writing for a Comedy Series
🏆 Katie Dippold — Widow’s Bay
Casting for a Comedy Series
🏆 Widow’s Bay
Cinematography for a Series — Half-Hour
🏆 Widow’s Bay
Contemporary Costumes for a Series
🏆 Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Contemporary Hairstyling
🏆 Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Contemporary Makeup — Non-Prosthetic
🏆 Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series
🏆 Hacks — “Hacks (Finale)”
Picture Editing for a Multi-Camera Comedy Series
🏆 Leanne — “Having Big Feelings”
Production Design for a Narrative Program — Half-Hour
🏆 Widow’s Bay
Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series — Half-Hour
🏆 Widow’s Bay
Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series — Half-Hour
🏆 Widow’s Bay
Music Composition for a Series — Original Dramatic Score
🏆 Widow’s Bay
Music Supervision
🏆 Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Drama Series
🏆 The Pitt
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
🏆 Noah Wyle — The Pitt
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
🏆 Rhea Seehorn — Pluribus
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
🏆 Tom Pelphrey — Task
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
🏆 Allison Janney — The Diplomat
Guest Actor in a Drama Series
🏆 Ernest Harden Jr. — The Pitt
Guest Actress in a Drama Series
🏆 Shailene Woodley — Paradise
Directing for a Drama Series
🏆 Saul Metzstein — Slow Horses
Writing for a Drama Series
🏆 Vince Gilligan — Pluribus
Casting for a Drama Series
🏆 The Pitt
Cinematography for a Series — One Hour
🏆 Spider-Noir
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes
🏆 Fallout
Period Costumes
🏆 Palm Royale
Period/Fantasy/Sci-Fi Hairstyling
🏆 Bridgerton
Period/Fantasy/Sci-Fi Makeup — Non-Prosthetic
🏆 Palm Royale
Prosthetic Makeup
🏆 The Pitt
Picture Editing for a Drama Series
🏆 Pluribus — “We Is Us”
Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program — One Hour or More
🏆 Pluribus
Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program — One Hour or More
🏆 Fallout
Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series — One Hour
🏆 Spider-Noir
Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series — One Hour
🏆 Pluribus
Stunt Coordination for Drama Programming
🏆 The Boys
Stunt Performance
🏆 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
🏆 DTF St. Louis
Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
🏆 Matthew Rhys — The Beast in Me
Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
🏆 Sally Field — Remarkably Bright Creatures
Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
🏆 David Harbour — DTF St. Louis
Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
🏆 Linda Cardellini — DTF St. Louis
Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
🏆 DTF St. Louis
Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
🏆 DTF St. Louis
Outstanding Television Movie
🏆 Remarkably Bright Creatures
Casting for a Limited Series
🏆 Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
🏆 DTF St. Louis
Contemporary Costumes for a Limited Series
🏆 Beef
Music Composition for a Limited Series — Original Dramatic Score
🏆 The Beast in Me
Picture Editing for a Limited Series
🏆 DTF St. Louis
Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special
🏆 Beef
Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
🏆 Beef
Outstanding Reality Competition Program
🏆 The Traitors
Outstanding Structured Reality Program
🏆 Antiques Roadshow
Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
🏆 Love on the Spectrum
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program
🏆 Alan Cumming — The Traitors
Outstanding Game Show
🏆 Jeopardy!
Outstanding Game Show Host
🏆 Jimmy Kimmel — Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Directing for a Reality Program
🏆 The Traitors
Casting for a Reality Program
🏆 Love on the Spectrum
Cinematography for a Reality Program
🏆 The Traitors
Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program
🏆 The Traitors
Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program
🏆 Love on the Spectrum
Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series
🏆 The Traitors
Sound Mixing for a Reality Program
🏆 Welcome to Wrexham
Stunt Coordination for Comedy Programming
🏆 Spider-Noir
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
🏆 Mr. Scorsese
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
🏆 My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay
Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special
🏆 Tucci in Italy
Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
🏆 The Librarians
Outstanding Narrator
🏆 Octavia Spencer — Lost Women of Alaska
Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
🏆 Ocean With David Attenborough
Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program
🏆 My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay
Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program
🏆 Sean Combs: The Reckoning
Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program
🏆 Ocean With David Attenborough
Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program
🏆 Billy Joel: And So It Goes
Writing for a Nonfiction Program
🏆 The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize
Music Composition for a Documentary/Nonfiction or Reality Program — Original Dramatic Score
🏆 John Candy: I Like Me
Outstanding Variety Series
🏆 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Outstanding Variety Special — Live
🏆 The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Outstanding Variety Special — Pre-Recorded
🏆 The Muppet Show
Directing for a Variety Series
🏆 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Directing for a Variety Special
🏆 The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Writing for a Variety Series
🏆 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Writing for a Variety Special
🏆 The Muppet Show
Picture Editing for Variety Programming
🏆 The Muppet Show
Picture Editing for Variety Programming — Segment
🏆 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Production Design for a Variety Special
🏆 The Muppet Show
Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Series
🏆 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Special
🏆 The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Music Direction
🏆 The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special
🏆 The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Series
🏆 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Special
🏆 The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program
🏆 Saturday Night Live
Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program
🏆 RuPaul’s Drag Race
Costumes for Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Programming
🏆 The Masked Singer and The Traitors — tie
Outstanding Animated Program
🏆 South Park
Character Voice-Over Performance
🏆 Julie Andrews — Bridgerton
Individual Achievement in Animation
🏆 Eyes of Wakanda — “Into the Lion’s Den”
🏆 Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal — “Kingdom of Sorrow”
🏆 Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal — “Vengeance of Death”
🏆 The Mighty Nein — “Mote of Possibility”
🏆 Star Wars: Visions — “The Duel: Payback”
Emerging Media Program
🏆 Uncanny Alley: A New Day
Innovation in Emerging Media Programming
🏆 Crafting Crimes
Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series
🏆 Colbert Before Air
Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
🏆 Inside the Pitt
Outstanding Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
🏆 Desi Lydic — The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains
Outstanding Commercial
🏆 “I’m Not Remarkable” — Apple
Outstanding Main Title Theme Music
🏆 Pluribus
Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics
🏆 The Pitt — “Need Someone”
Picture Editing for a Drama Series
🏆 Pluribus — “We Is Us”
Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series
🏆 Hacks — “Hacks (Finale)”
Picture Editing for a Multi-Camera Comedy Series
🏆 Leanne — “Having Big Feelings”
Picture Editing for a Limited Series
🏆 DTF St. Louis — “No One’s Normal. It Just Looks That Way From Across the Street”
Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program — One Hour or More
🏆 Pluribus
Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program — One Hour or More
🏆 Fallout
Production Design for a Narrative Program — Half-Hour
🏆 Widow’s Bay
Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series
🏆 The Traitors
Production Design for a Variety Special
🏆 The Muppet Show
Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series — Half-Hour
🏆 Widow’s Bay
Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series — One Hour
🏆 Spider-Noir
Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special
🏆 Beef
Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program
🏆 Ocean With David Attenborough
Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series — Half-Hour
🏆 Widow’s Bay
Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series — One Hour
🏆 Pluribus
Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
🏆 Beef
Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program
🏆 Billy Joel: And So It Goes
Sound Mixing for a Reality Program
🏆 Welcome to Wrexham
Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special
🏆 The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie
🏆 Stranger Things
Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode
🏆 Spider-Noir — “Nightmare on a Gurney”
Stunt Coordination for Comedy Programming
🏆 Spider-Noir
Stunt Coordination for Drama Programming
🏆 The Boys
Stunt Performance
🏆 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Outstanding Title Design
🏆 Spider-Noir
The 2026 Emmys were ultimately defined by three shows.
Widow’s Bay dominated the comedy field and became the season's biggest Emmy winner. The Pitt proved its first drama victory was no fluke by winning the top drama prize again. And Pluribus quietly emerged as one of the night's strongest performers, picking up major acting, writing, editing, production-design and sound honours.
There were also major individual milestones. Jean Smart extended her extraordinary Hacks run, Allison Janney joined the elite group of performers with eight acting Emmys, and Matthew Rhys managed the exceptionally rare feat of winning two acting categories at the same ceremony.
And while the televised ceremony gets most of the attention, the Creative Arts Emmys underline just how many people are responsible for making television work — from editors and cinematographers to sound designers, stunt teams, costume departments and visual-effects artists.
In short: the 2026 Emmys weren't just about the stars on stage. They were a celebration of everyone who makes television happen.
Sources: Television Academy, Associated Press, The Guardian, People
