Recapping the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards

🏆 It was a big night for television last night, and we got plenty of fun and dramatic moments at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Law & Order: SVU icon Mariska Hargitay. While last year saw Adolescence, The Studio, and The Pitt sweep the categories, this year belonged almost entirely to one show: Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay, which snagged an all-time record-breaking 14 awards for a comedy — surpassing the record set just last year by The Studio.

💡 ICYMI- Widow’s Bay is a horror-comedy with plenty of ludicrous moments you just can’t get enough of. The 10-episode show, starring Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, and Kevin Carroll, follows the residents of an island off the coast of New England going through a… well, rough supernatural patch, let’s just put it that way. Watch the trailer on YouTube (watch, runtime: 1:08).

The Apple TV original snagged several major awards: Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Lead Actor (Matthew Rhys); Outstanding Supporting Actor (Stephen Root); Outstanding Supporting Actress (Kate O’Flynn); Outstanding Writing (Katie Dippold); Outstanding Directing (Hiro Murai); Outstanding Guest Actress (Betty Gilpin); as well as seven technical categories.

AND- Still holding its ground two years in a row, The Pitt took home a total of seven Emmys (to last year’s five), in the following categories: Outstanding Drama Series; Outstanding Lead Actor (Noah Wyle); Outstanding Guest Actor (Ernest Harden Jr.); Casting; Prosthetic Makeup; Original Music and Lyrics.

Some of the other accolades of the evening included:

• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus);
• Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Vince Gilligan, Pluribus);
• Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Shailene Woodley, Paradise);
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Jean Smart, Hacks);
• Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series (DTF St. Louis);
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures).

New records: Matthew Rhys made history as the first actor to snag two lead acting Emmys on the same night, taking home Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me.

Beloved veteran actress Jean Smart’s Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series last night became her eighth ever and her fifth consecutive victory in the same category for the same role. It’s an annual tradition at this point.

ALSO- At 79, Sally Field became the oldest actress to be awarded in her category.

💡 We know what you’re thinking: aren’t the Emmys about TV shows? Well, in fact, made-for-television and streaming movies are indeed awarded at the Emmys. Plus, you’ll find no complaints from us: Sally Field deserves the world (and so does Remarkably Bright Creatures).

The highlights: Did we just get a Targaryen family reunion? We sure did. Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen) and Emma D’Arcy (House of the Dragon’s Rhaenyra Targaryen) took to the stage for one of the evening’s most wholesome — we’re biased — bits, with descendant Daenerys speaking in High Valyrian, and ancestor Rhaenyra translating (watch: runtime 0:47).

Taylor Swift was in the building (kind of): Following speculation over Taylor Swift’s presence at the 78th Emmys, the global pop icon made a surprise appearance in a Law & Order: SVU skit alongside Hargitay with plenty of easter eggs left for her fans (watch, runtime: 4:14).