The Emmys take a risk and award the fascinating 'Widow's bay'

BarcelonaIf usually on Emmy night the series that grabs all the headlines is the one that wins for best drama, at the 78th edition of the television awards, which took place from Monday to Tuesday morning, the star was a comedy, La maldición de Widow's Bay, from AppleTV. The fiction created by Katie Dippold and set on a cursed island has confirmed that it is one of the sensations of the moment, sweeping the most important categories of its genre. It won the awards for best comedy; best comedy actor, for Matthew Rhys; best supporting comedy actress, for Kate O'Flynn; best supporting comedy actor, for Stephen Root; best comedy screenplay, for Katie Dippold; and best comedy direction, for Hiro Murai.

Of all the winners from the series, there was one who is doubly happy, Matthew Rhys. The Welshman has made history by becoming the first actor to win two Emmys in one year because he also took home the award as lead actor in a miniseries for The Beast Within Me, from Netflix. With these awards, Rhys now has an Emmy in every acting category, since in 2018 he won the award for best dramatic actor for The Americans. The actor, who has lived in the United States for years, did not forget his country when accepting one of his awards. "To the great and noble people of Wales... we are a small but mighty nation!", he exclaimed on stage.

Another of the attendees at the gala who had a glorious night was Jean Smart, star of Hacks. The actress has won the eighth Emmy of her career, the fifth for the character of comedian Deborah Vance (she has one for each season of Hacks). Smart, an industry veteran, was one of the few stars of the night to receive a standing ovation from the entire audience in the room, a situation to which she responded with humor. "Let the men stay standing. The girls can sit down. I mean it. Every time this happens, I think of the girls, who must be thinking: 'Now that I had gotten comfortable, why did I have to do that?' You're wearing the shapewear, the corset, the duct tape, and shoes that are cutting off your toes, and you think: 'Oh my God. It's not that good either. You only stood up because she's old,'" she joked.

Distributed dramatic categories

As was to be expected, for the second consecutive year The Pitt has taken home two of the major awards in the drama categories: best series and best actor, for Noah Wyle. The surprise came in the best supporting actress in a drama category, where four members of the medical drama's cast were competing. None of them took home the award, which ultimately went to Allison Janney for The Diplomat. The actress, known for having been the iconic C.J. Cregg from The West Wing, already has an extensive collection of Emmys at home: the one she won today is the eighth of her career, tying with Jean Smart, Cloris Leachman, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the performers with the record for Emmy wins.

Regarding the best drama actress, the script was followed and the winner was Rhea Sheeron, for Pluribus, a series that also won the award for best drama screenplay. In the supporting actor in a drama category, the winner was Tom Pelphrey for Task. From the stage, he thanked God for helping him quit alcohol and his wife, fellow actress Kaley Cuoco, the Penny from The Big Bang Theory, who was showing a very advanced pregnancy.

In the miniseries category, DTF St. Louis won, while Sally Field took home the award for best actress in a miniseries or television movie for the film Remarkably bright creatures. Emotional tributes

Despite being a festive gala, the most emotional moments were the tributes to industry figures who have recently passed away. Jamie Lee Curtis had to hold back tears when she remembered her friend Rob Reiner, who died at the end of 2025, presumably murdered by his son. Macaulay Culkin was also visibly moved, as he participated in the tribute to Catherine O'Hara, who played his mother in the Home Alone saga, the films that made him famous around the world. "She cheered me up. She was affectionate. She was funny. But the word that comes to mind is 'mom'. She was my mother. She was our mother. And, by extension, she was the mother of us all. Maybe she forgot me... twice! [in the Home Alone movies] But we will always remember her," Culkin stated of O'Hara, who passed away in January of this year.Another moment that brought the room to its feet was the humanitarian award given to Michael J. Fox for his fight in Parkinson's research, a disease he has suffered from for years. "At first, I kept my Parkinson's diagnosis a secret. I was worried it would affect my work and my relationship with the public. Would they laugh if they knew I was sick? But then I was amazed by the support I received. The support from all of you. It was very encouraging. It made me feel that I could keep doing it, that I hadn't lost what I do and that they couldn't take it away from me. And all thanks to the fact that you stood by me; I truly thank you for it," he said upon receiving the award. The actor, who appeared in a wheelchair, explained that accepting his diagnosis does not mean giving up but rather "doing everything possible for the people living with this disease".

The 2026 Emmy Awards

Comedy series

• The Curse of Widow's Bay (AppleTV)

Drama series

• The Pitt (HBO Max)

Miniseries

• DTF St. Louis (HBO Max)

Comedy actor

• Matthew Rhys, for The Curse of Widow's Bay (AppleTV)

Comedy actress

• Jean Smart, for Hacks (HBO Max)

Drama actor

• Noah Wyle, for The Pitt (HBO Max)

Drama actress

• Rhea Seehorn, for Pluribus (AppleTV)

Miniseries actor

• Matthew Rhys, for Wanderlust (Netflix)

Actress in a miniseries or television film

• Sally Field, for Remarkably bright creatures