By John Jurgensen and Esther Zuckerman

The TV world may be more fragmented than ever, but it has consolidated around the shows it showers with awards.

The horror-comedy sensation "Widow's Bay" swept every category it was nominated for at the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday night, culminating in a win for outstanding comedy series.

In total, the word-of-mouth hit from Apple TV collected 14 Emmy awards, breaking the record for most single-season wins ever for a comedy series. The previous record of 13 was set just last year by Hollywood satire "The Studio," also from Apple TV.

"Widow's Bay" marked the streamer's fourth win in six years for outstanding comedy series.

"The Pitt," the chaotically paced medical drama that reinvigorated the genre, landed outstanding drama series for the second year in a row, along with a repeat win for lead actor Noah Wyle.

Also in the repeat winners column, Jean Smart, who walked away with her fifth Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy for "Hacks," now has a win for every season of the showbiz series. The win marked Smart's eighth career Emmy and tied a record also held by Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman.

Matthew Rhys pulled off an unprecedented feat by nabbing two lead-actor Emmys in a single night: one for the limited series "The Beast In Me," playing a Robert Durst-coded real-estate developer suspected of murdering his wife; the other in "Widow's Bay" as a frazzled mayor trying to turn a cursed island into the next Martha's Vineyard.

Host Mariska Hargitay, an anchor of the seemingly eternal "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," showed off her range (singing, dancing, joking) as well as some of her most famous fans.

See a list of the winners below.

Drama Series

"The Pitt"

"Pluribus"

"The Diplomat"

"Slow Horses"

"Paradise"

"The Gilded Age"

"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms"

"Your Friends & Neighbors"

Comedy Series

"Widow's Bay"

"Hacks"

"Abbott Elementary"

"Shrinking"

"Only Murders in the Building"

"The Bear"

"Margo's Got Money Troubles"

"Nobody Wants This"

Limited or Anthology Series

"DTF St. Louis"

"Beef"

"The Beast in Me"

"Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette"

"All Her Fault"

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Noah Wyle, "The Pitt"

Sterling K. Brown, "Paradise"

Gary Oldman, "Slow Horses"

Mark Ruffalo, "Task"

Rufus Sewell, "The Diplomat"

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Matthew Rhys, "Widow's Bay"

Martin Short, "Only Murders in the Building"

Steve Carell, "Rooster"

Jason Segel, "Shrinking"

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, "Wonder Man"

Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie

Matthew Rhys, "The Beast in Me"

Charlie Hunnam, "Monster: The Ed Gein Story"

Oscar Isaac, "Beef"

Riz Ahmed, "Bait"

Jason Bateman, "Black Rabbit"

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Rhea Seehorn, "Pluribus"

Zendaya, "Euphoria"

Keri Russell, "The Diplomat"

Carrie Coon, "The Gilded Age"

Chase Infiniti, "The Testaments"

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Jean Smart, "Hacks"

Lisa Kudrow, "The Comeback"

Quinta Brunson, "Abbott Elementary"

Ayo Edebiri, "The Bear"

Elle Fanning, "Margo's Got Money Troubles"

Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie

Sally Field, "Remarkably Bright Creatures"

Claire Danes, "The Beast in Me"

Carey Mulligan, "Beef"

Sarah Pidgeon, "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette"

Sarah Snook, "All Her Fault"

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Tom Pelphrey, "Task"

Patrick Ball, "The Pitt"

Billy Crudup, "The Morning Show"

Shawn Hatosy, "The Pitt"

Gerran Howell, "The Pitt"

Jack Lowden, "Slow Horses"

Carlos-Manuel Vesga, "Pluribus"

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Stephen Root, "Widow's Bay"

Harrison Ford, "Shrinking"

Paul W. Downs, "Hacks"

Michael Urie, "Shrinking"

Nick Offerman, "Margo's Got Money Troubles"

Colman Domingo, "The Four Seasons"

Tyler James Williams, "Abbott Elementary"

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Allison Janney, "The Diplomat"

Katherine LaNasa, "The Pitt"

Karolina Wydra, "Pluribus"

Taylor Dearden, "The Pitt"

Fiona Dourif, "The Pitt"

Julianne Nicholson, "Paradise"

Sepideh Moafi, "The Pitt"

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Kate O'Flynn, "Widow's Bay"

Hannah Einbinder, "Hacks"

Janelle James, "Abbott Elementary"

Jessica Williams, "Shrinking"

Megan Stalter, "Hacks"

Dale Dickey, "Widow's Bay"

Michelle Pfeiffer, "Margo's Got Money Troubles"

Variety Series

"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"

"The Daily Show"

"Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

"Last Week Tonight With John Oliver"

"Saturday Night Live"

Competition Program

"The Traitors"

"Dancing With the Stars"

"RuPaul's Drag Race"

"Survivor"

"Top Chef"

Write to John Jurgensen at John.Jurgensen@wsj.com and Esther Zuckerman at esther.zuckerman@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 14, 2026 23:05 ET (03:05 GMT)