It was five o’clock in the afternoon on a hot day in Los Angeles when the Emmy Awards began, which the American Television Academy has been presenting every year for 78 years. Three hours later, the bets were settled when The Pitt was crowned best drama series and The Curse of Widow’s Bay won, in a two-hour gala hosted by actress Mariska Hargitay, who shone in her first time as host.
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The night, in which 20 awards were given — there had been two previous award ceremonies — started with comedy, the most contested category. The battle was between Hacks, saying goodbye, and The Curse of Widow’s Bay, newly arrived. In fact, it also ended with that award, best comedy series, when it is usual to close with drama. A detail that shows the powerful fight between the nominees. And yes, the surprise was given by that mix of horror and humor that is The Curse of Widow’s Bay, which took 14 of the 19 awards it was nominated for, including best comedy. Its creator, Katie Dippold, dedicated it to her mother, “for always making Halloween so much fun.”
The award for best lead actress went, as it could not be otherwise, to Jean Smart for her role as Deborah Vance in Hacks, which only won two of the 24 awards it was nominated for. That diva as unbearable as human has given many joys to the 71-year-old actress, who has won thanks to her on all five occasions she has been nominated, breaking a record: being the only performer to win an Emmy for every single season of her series.
Tears appeared in her eyes when she went on stage, and also in those of Hannah Einbinder, her co-star, who did not win. She asked her colleagues to sit down, if the men wanted, they could remain standing: “With the girdle, and the heels, and everything…,” she joked. She dedicated it to her children, who had supported her, to everyone present. But above all to the three creators and writers of the series. “I dedicate this to Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky, and Paul W. Downs,” she said, to the emotion of the trio from the audience. “It all started and ended with you guys, thank you, thank you. What a journey.”
The rest of the comedy categories went to The Curse of Widow’s Bay. The best lead actor in the humor category went to Matthew Rhys, who with the award made a double: he had already won it, half an hour earlier, as a miniseries actor. The surprised actor dedicated it to his wife, Keri Russell, who cheered him on in the audience, to his sister, to his colleagues, to his town, to Wales: “We have a small but powerful nation,” he said.
Everything was taken by the gloomy little town of Widow’s Bay. The award for best supporting actor in comedy went to Stephen Root. The veteran actor felt “excited and delighted,” but said he was there mainly thanks to the writing of Katie Dippold, the series creator. The supporting actress award went to Kate O’Flynn for her Patricia, the mayor’s assistant, the odd one: “And this is for all the Patricias out there.” It also won best directing, for the first episode of the series, and best writing, surpassing even the final episode of Hacks in both categories. Dippold had had the series in mind for years: she wrote the pilot 18 years ago.
Drama: ‘The Pitt’ reigned, but success for ‘Pluribus’
As for drama, there were also some surprises. Not in the main category: best drama series went to the second season of The Pitt, as expected. “We are grateful to be in this business,” said its creator, R. Scott Gemmill. “We are lucky to be in this community, the best thing is working every day with these people.” He also focused on the medical community that inspires it, and on “how important it is to tell the stories of real people.” “People need to know the truth and we have to keep telling it, in whatever way we can,” he assured, with the entire cast on stage.
There were also no surprises in the male lead, which went to Noah Wyle, for his doctor Robby in The Pitt, who recognized the work of all his colleagues, but especially Gary Oldman. “I grew up in Los Angeles,” he said, “I’m a Hollywood kid, I grew up with television, cinemas were my place of worship. This is all I’ve ever wanted to do and the only club I’ve ever wanted to belong to.” Before, John Mulaney introduced him, with a funny speech joking about how “underrepresented” men are on television in the United States, which made the audience embarrassed and laugh to tears.
The award for best lead actress went to Rhea Seehorn, the lead of that dystopia in New Mexico that is Pluribus. Emotional, she said her fellow nominees were “brilliant, brilliant” and thanked Vince Gilligan, the creator, “for taking risks that make us better artists.”
As for best supporting actress, it went, to her and everyone else’s great surprise, to Allison Janney, for The Diplomat. She did not expect it, because of the seven nominees in the category, four were from The Pitt, and the nurse Evans, played by Katherine LaNasa, was the favorite. She stood up to applaud Janney’s well-deserved award, in her 16th nomination, but the first for the Netflix fiction.
To spread the awards a bit more, the best supporting actor award went to Tom Pelphrey for Task, who thanked God, his family, and his “dear friend, Mark Ruffalo.” “And the best performer in this room, the incredible and very pregnant Kaley Cuoco,” he said about his wife, who couldn’t stop crying. The best directing in a drama series was also shared, and went to Slow Horses, for the episode Scars, Cicatrices, the sixth and last of the fifth season. The best writing category for an episode went to the first of Pluribus, and to its creator, Vince Gilligan. It is his fifth Emmy after 26 nominations for Gilligan, the mind behind Breaking Bad, who spoke about the importance of not using power to divide.
‘DTF St. Louis’, unexpected triumph in miniseries
As for miniseries, there were some surprises. It was also a very open category, with Bronca and The Beast Within Me as favorites. In the end, DTF St. Louis, HBO’s original proposal about a couple of dark suburban families, triumphed. Its actors, Linda Cardellini and David Harbour, had already won as supporting actors in the previous ceremonies.
With the actors, more surprises when Matthew Rhys won for the unbearable millionaire he plays in The Beast Within Me and took it from Oscar Isaac, who was the favorite for Bronca. The best actress award went to Sally Field, in her fourth Emmy and tenth nomination, becoming, at 79 years old, the oldest actress to win this category thanks to the TV movie Bright Lights. She thanked her co-star, Lewis Pullman, and Canada, where they filmed. “Blessed Canada,” she said, at a time when political tension between the United States and its neighbor is on the table.
A grand farewell for Colbert
In best reality, the great success that The Traitors has been in the United States, hosted by Alan Cumming, earned him the Emmy. The actor and host encouraged the audience to register to vote in the midterm elections: “It’s time to vote, America.” As for best variety show, it went to Stephen Colbert, who just ended his broadcast last May. He brought dozens of people from his team on stage, precisely, his writers were the ones who had written this Emmy gala. He praised all of them and commented as “good news” that they were all available. “We hope you liked our show, we did it for you,” he said, in what is his final farewell.
In her first assignment as host, Mariska Hargitay knew how to step out of her role as Olivia Benson in Law & Order and started with a musical number praising television screens, and telling how NBC has been on air for 100 years… and she the same in her role, she joked. Not that many, but many have passed since a woman hosted the awards: no less than 15. “I was given two pieces of advice: don’t do it and, whatever you do, don’t be sincere. I ignored the first and join me in doing the second,” she said.
One of the best moments of the night was her sketch trying to solve a case with a board full of clues in the style of Taylor Swift — of whom she is a fan —… and in which Swift herself appeared as an investigator with her cat Olivia, who owes her name to Hargitay’s character, under her arm. The metasketch was only for fans, but of course, both have many, many fans.
Hargitay was also great singing a farewell to the series and shows that end, from Outlander to Stranger Things, from Hacks to Stephen Colbert’s show. “What will a world without The Bear be like? At least we will have a second season of Pluribus,” she sang.
Night of farewells: from Dolly Parton to Catherine O’Hara
Besides the awards, there was time for tributes. Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz came out to celebrate the 30 years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And for the 50 years of Charlie’s Angels, the original cast of the series appeared, Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd, and Kate Jackson. They presented an award and were hugely applauded. Smith asked for applause for Farrah Fawcett: “She is here with us and in our collective memory.” “Her iconic poster lives in the minds and garages of many men,” joked Jackson.
Michael J. Fox received an announced award: the humanitarian one, called Bob Hope, created in 2002, but only awarded six times, as his presenter and friend, actress Julianna Margulies, recalled. A consummate activist, with a foundation that has raised more than 3 billion dollars, the most important in Parkinson’s worldwide, Fox has continued working in the entertainment industry. He, in his wheelchair, managed to get the audience to stand. “I’m excited to be here and that you stood up for me,” he said, also proclaiming himself “proud” and “deeply grateful” for all that his foundation has achieved.
The most anticipated tribute of the night was for Dolly Parton. “If there are angels on earth, we just lost one,” said Sally Field when presenting it, who said she was “lucky” to have worked with her in Steel Magnolias. She praised her kindness, her humanitarian work. “God bless you, Dolly Parton, I’m not the only one on this Earth who will love you forever.” Singer Reba McEntire sang Smoky Mountains Memories or Appalachian Memories, written and popularized by Parton.
Another emotional moment of the gala was the in memoriam, where Macaulay Culkin introduced Catherine O’Hara, telling how she called mom, and how he and many other actors also called the actress mom, who passed away at the end of January 2026. She was the first to appear on screen, but musician Noah Kahan sang for those who died this year, including James Van Der Beek, Ted Turner, Diane Ladd, Eric Dane, Hayden Panettiere, Robert Duvall, Sam Neill, Tim Curry, James Burrows, Rob Reiner — with whom Jamie Lee Curtis could not help but get emotional — and even Bob Mackie, who died today.