Widow's Bay takes 14 Emmys, and the comedy record with them
Matthew Rhys became the first man to win two leading actor Emmys in the same year. The Pitt took best drama, and Katie Dippold won writing for a show she had never been nominated for before.
A first-season horror comedy about a cursed New England island won 14 Emmy Awards on Monday night, more than any comedy series has won in a single year.
Widow's Bay beat the previous record of 13, set by The Studio in 2025.
What the show is
The Apple TV series was created by Katie Dippold and follows an island community in New England reckoning with a centuries-old curse. Matthew Rhys plays the mayor.
It is a first season, which is the part that makes the total unusual: the show took its 14 awards at the first opportunity it had to win any.
Six of the fourteen
Widow's Bay won outstanding comedy series, lead actor for Rhys, supporting actor for Stephen Root, supporting actress for Kate O'Flynn, directing for Hiro Murai and writing for Dippold. Those are the six both accounts itemise; the remaining eight are not listed in either.
Dippold had never been nominated for an Emmy before winning one. Root, at 74, is the oldest winner in the supporting actor category.
Matthew Rhys wins two lead acting awards
Rhys left with three Emmys, and one of the combinations had not been achieved before.
He won lead actor in a comedy series for Widow's Bay and lead actor in a limited or anthology series for The Beast in Me, becoming the first man to win two leading actor categories in the same year.
His third came as an executive producer on Widow's Bay, which shares in the outstanding comedy series award.
Elsewhere
The Pitt won outstanding drama series, and Noah Wyle won lead actor in a drama series for it.
Jean Smart won lead actress in a comedy series for Hacks. Rhea Seehorn won lead actress in a drama series for Pluribus.
The ceremony
The awards were presented on Monday, 14 September, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Mariska Hargitay hosted, and the ceremony was broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
What the record measures
The six that are itemised span acting, writing and directing, so the total is a measure of breadth rather than of any single performance.
What it does not settle is durability. The Studio set the mark it has just lost in 2025, one year before losing it. Widow's Bay set its own in a debut season, which leaves the question of whether it becomes a series that keeps winning to the next two ceremonies rather than this one.
Sources
- AP via Boston.com — AP, Andrew Dalton. 14 wins breaking The Studio's 13 from 2025; Apple TV series created by Katie Dippold, New England island and a centuries-old curse, Rhys as mayor; Murai directing, Dippold writing and first-time nominee, Root oldest at 74, O'Flynn supporting actress; Rhys first man to win two lead actor categories in a year; Peacock Theater, 14 Sep, Hargitay hosting on NBC.
- TV Insider — Meaghan Darwish, own reporting, no wire credit. Full winners list: Widow's Bay comedy series, lead actor Rhys, supporting Root and O'Flynn, directing and writing; Rhys also lead actor limited for The Beast in Me; Jean Smart lead actress comedy for Hacks; The Pitt drama series with Noah Wyle; Rhea Seehorn lead actress drama for Pluribus; 14 Sep on NBC and Peacock, hosted by Mariska Hargitay.
