And that’s a wrap
Somehow, though the Television Academy relegated even more awards to the pre-telecast ceremonies, this year’s Emmys still felt stuffed. Maybe it was the spaghetti-at-the-wall approach of SVU star Mariska Hargitay, who tried multiple musical numbers (eek), a Taylor Swift cameo (better) and seemingly two seasons’ worth of dresses (impressive, frankly) to make her first-time hosting gig stick.
It was smooth enough, aided by a packed awards schedule that mostly went according to prognosticators – big wins for The Pitt in drama, a single televised award for DTF St Louis in limited series, Widow’s Bay nearly sweeping the comedy awards – though still with some surprises. I don’t think many, not least Matthew Rhys, saw the Widow’s Bay star also winning lead actor in a limited series for The Beast in Me, thus becoming the first actor to win two leading awards in one night.
There were some highlights – John Mulaney’s brilliant send-up of a man’s man, Sally Field and Reba McEntire’s tribute to Dolly Parton, every time the Widow’s Bay creator, Katie Dippold, spoke – and some low-lights (whatever it was Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson were doing, for far too long), as well as a notable lack of pointed political speeches, with many, such as the Pitt’s R Scott Gemmill, talking vaguely instead about our crumbling shared reality. But the show went on … and on.
And so goes another season of TV. Thanks for joining us! We’ll see you back here next year.
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My colleague Sian Cain has a full run-down of the evening, from Matthew Rhys’s historic double win to Jean Smart’s record-breaking fifth comedy actress trophy for Hacks:
Related: Emmys 2026: Widow’s Bay dominates as Matthew Rhys and Jean Smart land historic wins
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Feels like it was ages ago now but mere hours earlier there was a red carpet – backless dresses are, well, back, it seems? Here are some highlights:
Related: Emmys 2026: red carpet looks and outfits at TV’s biggest night – in pictures
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Here’s a full list of winners from tonight, if you still need to get up to speed:
Related: Emmy winners 2026: the full list
This year’s ceremony was noticeably less political than last year, when Hannah Einbinder used her acceptance speech to call for a free Palestine and stars wore solidarity pins and keffiyeh on the red carpet.
Accepting best writing in a drama for Pluribus, the show’s creator, Vince Gilligan, obliquely reminded us of the outside world when he described the show as set in a world “in which everybody gets along – that’s so sci-fi. But think about it: there’s nothing weirder than our current reality.” He added:
“We will never agree on everything but we can treat each other with respect – and we can stop listening to a relative few who think that is for suckers.
The Pitt creator R Scott Gemmill, meanwhile, referred to AI when accepting the best drama Emmy:
It is so hard to tell what is real and what we can believe any more, which makes telling honest stories about real human struggles so much more important than ever. What you do, it changes people’s lives.
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In case you missed it earlier – here’s John Mulaney’s hilarious intro for lead actor in a drama series, which was easily the best presenting bit of the night, both genuine and appropriately deranged. Please, John Mulaney, stop saying no to hosting award shows!
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WINNER: Widow’s Bay – outstanding comedy series
No surprise here – Widow’s Bay, the breakout hit of the summer, completes its comedy sweep (sorry to the final season of Hacks) by winning the night’s final award, best comedy, for its truly outstanding freshman season.
Creator Katie Dippold, of Babadook Halloween tweet fame, speaks on behalf of the show and starts with her mom, “for always making Halloween fun”, as well as Apple TV, “for letting us take this crazy creative swing. They truly just let us do this crazy weird show.” And last but not least, she thanks “the evil entity on the island that trusted us with its story”. And with that perfect note, that’s a wrap on awards!
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We are still waiting for the night’s final award, best comedy series, which is being held up by Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey doing a very extended bit about their respective dad and mom knowing each other, in support of their new show Brothers. Get it? I’d like this to stop.
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WINNER: The Pitt – outstanding drama series
The Pitt came into this evening with the momentum, the most nominations and a sweep last year, and The Pitt emerges victorious again.
Creator R Scott Gemmill speaks on behalf of the PTMC team, who appear just as thrilled as last year, with a lengthy speech celebrating both the storytellers of Hollywood and the unsung staff of emergency rooms across the nation.
“We are so blessed to have the most talented and passionate cast and crew, and I know that it’s not just our show … the best part of this job are the people we get to work with every day,” he says, before turning attention to “the real life heroes in the emergency departments who are there for us day in and day out”:
When I look around this room, I see something more important than the award and the ratings. I see a whole community that is still trying to do the right thing …
People need to know the truth, and people need to keep telling them that in whatever way they can.
On to season three!
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Still going with the in memoriam, still very heavy, as the pride of Vermont, Noah Kahan, sings Bridge Over Troubled Water in honor of the many, so many industry figures we lost this year. Among them: Dolly Parton, Catherine O’Hara, Hayden Panettiere, James Van Der Beek and Rob Reiner, who won a posthumous Emmy last weekend for his guest role on The Bear.
His win, a teary Jamie Lee Curtis tells us, set a record for the longest gap between Emmy awards – 48 years, breaking a feat set by none other than his father, Carl Reiner.
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Back to the in memoriam with another tear-jerking tribute, this time by Macauley Culkin, Annie Murphy and Dan Levy to their collective on-screen mom, Catherine O’Hara.
The Canadian comedy icon “wasn’t just a wife and mother to Beau and Matthew and Luke, she was my mom, our mom, all of our moms,” said Culkin, appearing near tears. Murphy recalled how her laugh was “a perpetual yes” before detailing numerous humorous (and very Canadian) encounters with strangers also mourning her death, showing “how profoundly Catherine has impacted the world, and it’s because she brought us joy”.
The biggest lesson O’Hara taught Levy was to “always say yes … Say yes to her stories and her dinner invites and her wisdom and her stories.” Cue tears.
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WINNER: DTF St Louis – limited or anthology series
I would’ve guessed Beef but HBO’s DTF St Louis, barely heard from this evening, has already won seven Emmys this season – though most of them, including acting awards for stars David Harbour and Linda Cardinelli, were handed out before the telecast.
The dark comedy’s creator, Steven Conrad, makes quick work of the acceptance speech, thanking all 175 people who worked on the show – “We are all grateful and we each send our appreciation, thank you” – just as the whole cast makes it on to the stage.
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Oh man, cue the tissues – we’re headed into the in memoriam segment of the evening, first with Dolly Parton. “If there are truly angels on earth, then we just lost one,” says her Steel Magnolias co-star Sally Field, who “adored her from day one – how could you not?”
Parton, she adds, was “blisteringly funny”, with a bawdy sense of humor that would send “any rude guy-looking for a place to hide”. But she also was a “real giant” – not just as an entertainer, but “as a human”. And if that didn’t have you crying, Reba McEntire enters with a stirring, appropriately smoky rendition of Parton’s nostalgic tribute to her home town, Appalachian Memories.
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WINNER: Vince Gilligan (Pluribus) – writing for a drama series
The celebrated creator of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and now Pluribus quite charmingly opens his speech by shouting out fellow nominee Valerie Chu, a former writer’s room assistant on Better Call Saul now nominated for her work on The Pitt.
And he still quite charmingly manages to address the political moment, of sorts, by jokingly scoffing at Pluribus’s world “in which everybody gets along – that’s so sci-fi. But think about it: there’s nothing weirder than our current reality.”
“We will never agree on everything, but we can treat each other with respect,” he adds as two cents – and “We can stop listening to a relative few who think that is for suckers.”
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In perhaps the sweetest moment of the night so far, Julianna Margulies presents the Bob Hope humanitarian award to Michael J Fox, the beloved actor and advocate for people with Parkinson’s, for his tireless philanthropic work to eradicate the disease.
The love in the room for the 80s star is quite evident, especially as Fox thanks viewers for “this amazing and humbling honor” and his peers for not dropping him upon his diagnosis with the degenerative disease in his late 20s. He stayed in Hollywood “because you stood up for me, and I appreciate it”.
“Accepting Parkinson’s didn’t mean I had to surrender to it,” he continues, noting he’s “proud of the progress we’ve made” toward a cure for the disease and, most importantly, in patients’ lives. A very deserved standing ovation.
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WINNER: Hiro Murai (Widow’s Bay) – directing for a comedy series
There’s just no stopping Widow’s Bay tonight – Hiro Murai, who directed much of the Apple TV show’s first season, is rightfully celebrated for his work making the show at once hilarious and deeply unsettling.
“I always say my job isn’t to make the show, it’s just to let the right people in the room,” the former director of Atlanta says, keeping it short and sweet. The cast and crew of Widow’s Bay, he adds, are “the kindest, most gifted people”.
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WINNER: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – variety series
Well, it probably couldn’t have been any other way. The Emmys honor the final season of Stephen Colbert’s Late Show, which was cancelled by CBS amid the network’s acquisition by Paramount Skydance (owned, of course, by Trump ally David Ellison).
“I just want to point out that if you like the comedy tonight, my writers wrote it,” says a visibly jubilant Colbert, speaking on behalf of “the over 200 people” who put their best into the decade-plus late-show program.
Of that crew, so many of whom stood behind him on stage. He adds:
I’ve got some great news. They are all tech avail. Hire them. They will make your day better and your lives easier.
After thanking his wife (and Covid producer) Evie – Colbert is forever a wife guy – the longtime host signs off by addressing his audience:
Thank you so much for watching. We hope you enjoyed the show. We had a great time doing it for you. That’s it!
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WINNER: Saul Metzstein (Slow Horses) – directing for a drama series
A bit of a surprise win for Slow Horses! (I, once again, assumed The Pitt would sweep). Director Saul Metzstein, who has directed much of the show’s third and fourth seasons, keeps it brief and British:
Everyone gets up here and says they have the best crew ever. Simply not true, because we have the best crew ever.
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WINNER: Katie Dippold (Widow’s Bay) – writing for a comedy series
It’s shaping up to be a Widow’s Bay sweep for the comedy awards, with show creator and “twisted mind” – so says Matthew Rhys – taking the stage. Though Katie Dippold claims to have always planned to play it cool, she assures the audience: “No one will ever step foot in my home without seeing this thing.” In fact, she will build a system of mirrors “so that no matter where you stand in my home, this will be in your direct eyeline”. No notes.
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WINNER: Matthew Rhys (Widow’s Bay) – lead actor in a comedy series
Emmys history! Matthew Rhys becomes the first actor to win two awards in one night for different series, for The Beast in Me and now for Widow’s Bay, the magnetic horror-comedy that exists “because of the depraved and twisted mind of Katie Dippold”
Speaking to a very, very warm room on their feet, the ever-delightful Welshman thanks “the crew of all crews [that] carry us,” his parents “who kicked me on to stage at a very early age”, his sister and “the great and good people of Wales”, the “small but mighty nation” that raised him. And with that triumph, he signs off in Welsh (to the cheers of a very happy Keri Russell).
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WINNER: Sally Field (Remarkably Bright Creatures) – lead actress in a limited or anthology series
Another surprise! I don’t think many people saw Sally Field walking away tonight with her fourth all-time Emmy win, and she looks as delighted as everyone else to witness it.
She speeds through many, many thanks, correctly noting that “the story of an old woman, a young man and an octopus doesn’t come around too much” before ending up, somehow, with Canada? “Blessed Canada, our neighbors, our friends!” and a nod to her many, many years in the arts – “62 years, or something,” she laughs:
We can’t let those voices be silenced, or compromised, or merged.
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The Pitt came into this year’s Emmys with 25 nominations, up from 13 last year – but with such a talented cast, many of those nominees were in competition with each other in the supporting acting categories. It appears such dominance may have split the vote, with the supporting actor nominees (Patrick Ball, Shawn Hatosy and Gerran Howell) and supporting actress nominees (Sepideh Moafi, Fiona Dourif and Katherine LaNasa) all missing out.
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Well, we got a brief reprieve from the onslaught of awards via another one of those “cool, pretaped segments in support of the host” – so says noted Law & Order: SVU fan Taylor Swift, pitching in at SVU headquarters to help Detective Olivia Benson (the character) solve the pressing question of “will Taylor Swift show up to the Emmys?” alongside Detective Olivia Benson (the cat).
The answer is no, alas, but the very conspiratorial way of getting there serves as a nice, if polite, send-up of Swiftie Easter-egging.
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WINNER: Tom Pelphrey (Task) – supporting actor in a drama series
Another dramatic supporting actor surprise! It’s looking like the many Pitt nominees have split the vote but I’m happy for underdog Tom Pelphrey of Task. “I thank God for my life and my sobriety,” the first-time winner says, looking slightly overwhelmed, before shouting out his costal, “the beautiful Mark Ruffalo” and very pregnant (and sobbing) partner Kaley Cuoco.
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WINNER: Noah Wyle (The Pitt) – lead actor in a drama series
First of all, we’ll be returning to John Mulaney’s presenting, which was easily the best bit of the evening so far. But this win is about Noah Wyle, now back-to-back best actor on what is looking like another big night for The Pitt.
The former ER star first thanks his fellow nominee Gary Oldman – “I don’t know if there’s an actor my age who didn’t look at your work in Sid and Nancy and think that’s the benchmark I want to hit in my career” – before turning to the cast and crew of PTMC.
We’re going to be back there hittin’ it hard tomorrow morning!
And finally, this self-described “Hollywood kid” addresses the whole room:
This is all I’ve ever wanted to do and this is the only club I’ve wanted to join. Thank you for accepting me.
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WINNER: The Traitors – reality competition series
The Traitors dominance continues! For the third straight year, Alan Cumming and co are victorious not only for reality competition series but for all six awards it was nominated for this year.
Cumming, accepting on behalf of the team, promises the additional wins inspires them to “do better and to go bigger” – oh boy – thanks his dog as co-host, and marvels that “a show about treachery and betrayal brings people together” before, on a more serious note, reminding Americans that US voter registration starts tomorrow.
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WINNER: Stephen Root (Widow’s Bay) – supporting actor in a comedy series
Widow’s Bay is two for two so far, with the first Emmys win for Stephen Root, playing the gruff heart, more or less, of the haunted would-be Martha’s Vineyard.
“I’m thrilled and delighted,” he says, “but the reason I’m up here is Katie Dippold, Katie Dippold, Katie Dippold” – the show’s creator – along with series director Hiro Murai and co-stars Matthew Rhys and Kate O’Flynn, whose “comic stylings” are “the best thing in the 21st century” (I’ll take it!)
He also shouted out Harrison Ford, who would’ve been the oldest Emmy winner yet had he won, for “all your many years of great, great acting”.
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An extra historic detail about Jean Smart’s win for her performance on Hacks: this was her fifth award for lead comedy actress in five seasons, making her the first female performer ever to take home an Emmy for every season of a show. (Hacks finished this year.)
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WINNER: Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus) – leading actress in a drama series
Better Call Saul fans, rejoice! The beloved and perennially under-awarded star of Pluribus, twice nominated for her work in the Breaking Bad spin-off, is finally an Emmy winner for dramatic actress.
“This is me on a beta blocker, it’s pretty bad,” she jokes through tears, before thanking the show’s cast and crew and fellow nominees – including, again, apparent Emmys star Keri Russell, who it seems sent Seehorn a pre-show card quoting the late Gloria Steinem: “We are linked, not ranked.”
“I feel that way about all you women,” says Seehorn, “so thank you for that.”
She also shouts out Pluribus/Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan, “for giving me not only the role of a lifetime but creating sets where we all get to collaborate and we actually all get to feel safe to take risks as artists”.
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WINNER: Allison Janney (The Diplomat) – supporting actress in a drama series
Wow, it’s a good day to be cheered by Keri Russell – her co-star in The Diplomat. Allison Janney is a bit of an upset in this category, which most pundits (myself included) assumed would go to one of the women from The Pitt.
Like Rhys, Janney – who, with eight wins, is now tied with Jean Smart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most in Emmys history – seems truly “very surprised and very grateful to be here”. And she thanks, of course, “the coolest woman on the planet, Keri Russell”, who stands and cheers.
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WINNER: Matthew Rhys (The Beast in Me) – lead actor in a limited or anthology series
Oh, wow, I thought Matthew Rhys was a lock for best comedy actor (for Widow’s Bay) but not this, which could make him a rare double winner tonight … and he seems a bit overwhelmed by the prospect? He says:
This is a real shock, not least because of the caliber and company of the actors in this category.
He shouts out the show’s “holy trinity” of writers and his “intimidating scene partner”, the one and only Claire Danes. The cutaway to Keri Russell beaming proudly is greatly appreciated!
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WINNER: Jean Smart (Hacks) – outstanding lead actress in a comedy series
Jean Smart, who seems genuinely moved even after EIGHT Emmy wins (five from Hacks alone), thanks the room, then orders all the men to stay standing and let the women sit down.
Smart now ties for the most acting wins in Primetime Emmy history, tied with Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus who also have eight. (Leachman also has a daytime Emmy.)
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WINNER: Kate O’Flynn (Widow’s Bay) – supporting actress in a comedy series
An early opening salvo for what could be a huge night for Widow’s Bay! Kate O’Flynn, arguably the best part of this delightful spooky series, seems genuinely shocked to win her first major US acting award.
“This is the role of a lifetime,” she beams, thanking the show’s creators for “trusting this Lancashire lass to play a sassy broad like a Patricia”:
She adds: “This is for all the Patricias out there” – read: social outcast weirdos with a deadpan sense of humor and a knack for the attracting the occult – “See you at sunset cocktails.”
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It’s showtime!
And we’re off! The stars are seated, host Mariska Hargitay has taken the stage and the 78th annual Primetime Emmy awards are under way. Everyone’s fave Captain Olivia Benson is joined by none other than New York Knicks star (and her No 1 fan) Jalen Brunson for a pre-taped segment in which the two are steaming dresses, leading to a song in which she sings the praises of loving TV screens to the tune of I Love Rock’n’ Roll (with a little help from Jeff Hiller, Jean Smart and Jennifer Coolidge, who I wish was doing this montage instead …)
Hargitay is, by her own admission, not a comedian but she fares better in the live element (perhaps it’s that Broadway training!), taking the stage at the Peacock Theater with a joke about the seemingly 100-year tenure on Law & Order: SVU and being the first woman to host the Emmys in 15 years. “Imagine that, for 15 straight years, Amy and Tina said no,” she quipped.
After another bit botching the word “finale” – “I’m sorry guys, I’ve just never had one!” – she takes a seemingly serious and sincere turn:
I am truly, deeply moved and so incredibly grateful to be in a room full of people who have dedicated their lives to telling stories.
… which evolves into a parody of the heavily meme-d Nicole Kidman AMC intro, interrupted by Kidman herself. “Zip it movie lady, it’s TV’s night!” Hargitay shouts. Onwards!
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Does Nicole Kidman rest? Fresh off the promo circuit for Practical Magic 2, the Aussie star is a late but always welcome addition to the red carpet:
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Just under 10 minutes to go now, and the last of the red carpet arrivals are hustling (I hope) into the theater…
Key event
This year’s red carpet is actually peacock blue this year – a colour switch to mark the 100th anniversary of NBC, which broadcasts the ceremony.
It’s a sea of Jessica Rabbit red, glittering gold and bold backless dresses on the red carpet before the 78th annual Primetime Emmy awards. Zendaya, Selena Gomez, Mariska Hargitay and power couple Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell have all arrived. The award for best effort surely goes to Hack’s Meg Stalter (who can beat that?)
Related: Emmys 2026: red carpet looks and outfits at TV’s biggest night – in pictures
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It could also be a big year for couple goals. The adorable Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell aren’t just onscreen lovers, they’re together in real life (since 2013, catch up!).
If they both win an Emmy tonight, they would be the first couple to do so in 40 years. They’d also be the first real-life couple to win for different shows. Before them, married couple Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne took home two Emmys for The Magnificent Yankee, and William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett both won for St Elsewhere.
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Who will make history tonight?
Several records could be broken at this year’s Emmys. Take Harrison Ford for example; the 84-year-old actor (who hasn’t won an Emmy in his career yet) could become the oldest person to win the supporting actor category for comedy, taking the crown from Henry Winkler, who was 72 when he won for Barry in 2018. And if the prize goes to Stephen Root instead for Widow’s Bay, Winkler still gets knocked off the plinth, as Root is 74.
Neither would be the oldest person to ever win an Emmy though – that title belongs to David Attenborough, who last year became the oldest Emmy winner in history, aged 99. A tough one to beat!
Noah Wyle (55 years young) could also make history as the first performer to win both acting and directing prizes for a drama series in the same year. The Pitt star added a directing credit to his name on season two – and as Dr Robby is widely tipped to win the acting gong, Wyle could become the first to win both acting and directing Emmys on the same night for drama. The “for drama” bit is important because this feat has been achieved before in comedy: by Seth Rogan and Donald Glover.
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There will be many eyes tonight on The Pitt, which heads into tonight’s telecast with 25 nominations, the most of any series this year (and it has already won four). The second season of this ER shift from hell may have garnered some pushback from viewers – it was tough, though I’d argue realistic, to watch Noah Wyle’s Dr Robby snipe, undermine and belittle some of his female coworkers – but I have little doubt the sophomore season will be an awards juggernaut again. My money’s on Wyle and co-star Katherine LaNasa as beloved charge nurse Dana Evans to both repeat their acting wins this year.
While we’re at it … my colleague Owen Myers and I took a crack at some predictions for tonight’s awards:
Related: Emmys 2026 predictions: who will win and who should win?
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Just an interesting note re Apple TV, which has really come into its own over the last couple years: the streamer has won best comedy three times now (Ted Lasso twice and The Studio once) – but it has never won best drama, despite giving us great shows like Slow Horses and Severance. But Apple TV has two best drama nominations tonight – season five of Slow Horses and season one of Pluribus – so it could yet win TV’s most prestigious prize (if The Pitt somehow doesn’t win it again).
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Also making their grand entrance … my two faves, Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, looking classy as ever. The Americans power couple turned once again dual nominees tonight could potentially become the first couple to win Emmys for different shows (Widow’s Bay and/or The Beast in Me for him, The Diplomat for her).
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Zendaya is here! With even shorter hair than she’s been sporting of late and a dazzling silver gown that I will be examining from multiple angles:
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Several of the best actress nominees – in drama, comedy and limited series – are making their way into the Peacock Theater:
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Just a note on that Bad Bunny win at the un-televised night formerly known as the “Creative Arts Emmys”… the Puerto Rican superstar’s groundbreaking performance smashed the record for Emmys won by a Super Bowl half-time show, with seven total awards. (The only other Super Bowl half-time show to win for best live variety special – the 2022 hip-hop show starring Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent – took home three awards.) Bad Bunny’s show, for which he won as both performer and producer, also became the first Spanish-language program to win live variety special. The big Bad Bunny year continues!
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With a little under an hour till showtime, the stars are starting to trickle in, including a very glam Detective Olivia Benson AKA first-time host Mariska Hargitay:
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Well, it wouldn’t be a red carpet without Hacks’s Meg Stalter and Paul W Downs stunting with a coordinated costume … and for the show’s final Emmys go-around, Stalter is going as Miss Emmy Trophy herself, gold overhead globe and angel wings and all. Which is making for some amazing cutaways from the more serious folk posing for photos nearby.
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As a reward for sticking with me, here are some of the Emmy winners already announced:
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
Guest actress in a drama series: Shailene Woodley – Paradise
Guest actor in a drama series: Ernest Harden Jr – The Pitt
Guest actress in a comedy series: Betty Gilpin – Widow’s Bay
Guest actor in a comedy series: Rob Reiner – The Bear
Television movie: Remarkably Bright Creatures
Variety special (live): The Apple Music Super Bowl LX half-time Show Starring Bad Bunny
Variety special (pre-recorded): The Muppet Show
Outstanding animated program: South Park
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Why have some Emmy winners already been announced?
There are more than 100 Emmys categories every year (yes, you read that right) and no one wants to make Mark Ruffalo sit through all that, he’s too nice. So roughly a week before there is a pre-Emmys Emmys ceremony called the Creative Arts Emmys, where the wonderful production crews behind your favourite shows get their much-deserved awards with no public fanfare whatsoever.
But broadcast television is dying (RIP), so the Television Academy (the group behind the Emmys) has increasingly been shuffling more and more categories out of the main televised ceremony (dubbed the Primetime Emmys) into the Creative Arts Emmys. These categories include some acting awards, such as best guest actor and supporting actor in a limited series, meaning there will be 19 awards given out tonight, down from 26 last year.
This has irritated some people in Hollywood but the Emmys are already three hours long and I am charging the Guardian through the arse to liveblog this, so it is good for journalism, good for Mark Ruffalo, good for all of us.
This year the Creative Arts Emmys on 5 and 6 September were renamed Emmys Night 1 and Emmys Night 2, as part of a rebranding effort to make the Emmys a sort of two-week bender. Which is a bit like that one friend of yours who insists their birthday celebrations go for the whole month. It doesn’t work like that, Television Academy. Also that makes this Emmys Night 3, which is just a bad name.
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The Pitt may lead the night in nominations but Hacks has already made history – its 24 nominations are the most in a single year for a comedy, ever. And should Jean Smart win a fifth award in as many seasons playing the inimitable piece of work known as Deborah Vance, she’ll set the record for the most number of Emmy wins held by one person at eight. (That is, if The Diplomat’s Allison Janney, nominated for best supporting actress in a drama, doesn’t also win and tie her, or break the record herself.)
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The staff of Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center – aka The Pitt – have hit the red carpet:
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Could Rhea Seehorn finally win her first Emmy?
The Emmys don’t always get it right: Better Call Saul famously holds the record for the most primetime nominations (53) without bagging a single win over its six seasons. The greatest injustice was the fact that Rhea Seehorn never got her flowers for her astounding performance as the ever-dependable lawyer Kim Wexler, the only person on Earth who could inspire Jimmy McGill to do the right thing.
But will the Emmys finally right that wrong tonight? Seehorn is nominated for outstanding actress in a drama for her performance as Carol in Pluribus, a show that largely relies on her talents. Carol is cranky, she’s smart, she has an atom bomb. As Rebecca Shaw wrote, she ushered in the “Bitch Lesbian” era of television. Our feelings for you haven’t changed, Carol.
Seehorn is up against Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age), Chase Infiniti (The Testaments), Keri Russell (The Diplomat) and Zendaya (Euphoria) – but surely this is finally her night.
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When and where can I watch the Emmys?
If you are interested in watching today, the Emmys ceremony begin at 8pm ET/5pm PT in the US, 10am AEST in Australia and 1am in the UK.
As for where to watch the ceremony:
US: NBC/Peacock.
Australia: Binge and Foxtel.
UK: no British broadcaster is scheduled to show it live (but if you are in the UK and up at 1am just for the Emmys, I admire your dedication).
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Mariska Hargitay’s Emmys host debut
In an unusual move for the Emmys, tonight’s host is not a comedian but four-time Emmy winner Mariska Hargitay. When the Law & Order: SVU actor was first contacted for the gig, she initially thought it was a joke or that she was about to be fired from her longtime role as Olivia Benson. Thankfully neither was true, and now Hargitay is the first woman host for the Emmys in 15 years, since Glee’s Jane Lynch in 2011.
Leading up to the awards, Hargitay enlisted the help of writers from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which aired for the last time in May, to finesse her material. The team even “set up shop” at the SVU set in New York, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Hargitay told THR:
I think one of the most important things is that I, to quote Frank Sinatra, I gotta do it my way. I’m a very different, sort of unconventional host and I love that because I’m not a comedian, so that’s not necessarily what we’re doing.
But you’ve gotta be me, right, you’ve gotta show up as your best self, so that’s what I’m doing.
It’s been a busy time for the 63-year-old actor, who made her Broadway debut this year in Every Brilliant Thing before sprinting to Madison Square Garden to cheer the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship since 1973. Hargitay is also back on set for season 28 of Law & Order: SVU, and last weekend she collected her third and fourth Emmys for the documentary My Mom Jayne, about her mother, Jayne Mansfield.
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Welcome to TV’s night of nights!
Here we are again – that one night, out of sync with all the other awards nights, where you realize how much TV you missed this year. No more time to catch up! The Emmys are back, and we’ve got several real races on our hands.
After crashing the prestige TV gates last year by nearly sweeping the drama awards, The Pitt, HBO Max’s back-to-basics medical drama, is once again the favorite for tonight’s premiere best drama award (and I’d have my money on Noah Wyle for repeat best actor, as well). Another win would make the hit series the first to win for its first two seasons since Mad Men in 2009… but keep an eye out for Pluribus, the critical darling from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, a slow-burn that has a dark horse shot.
On the comedy side, one would ordinarily assume that the fifth and final season of beloved Emmys stalwart Hacks would have this all wrapped up – but then Widow’s Bay, the Apple TV+ horror-comedy starring multiple nominee Matthew Rhys, became the breakout TV hit of the summer. And in limited series/anthology, we have the return of Beef, which cleaned up in three years ago for its first installment, though pre-telecast acting awards for DTF St Louis’s David Harbour and Linda Cardinelli suggest a changing of the guard …
The night, then, promises at least one surprise, as well as the usual cast reunions and tributes shepherded, for the first time, by Mariska Hargitay, who between the Knicks and Detective Olivia Benson becoming the longest-running primetime character ever, is having a championship year. Stick with us for all the highlights!
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