LOS ANGELES — The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards recognised the standout shows and performances of the television season in a ceremony staged at the Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. Apple TV’s horror-comedy Widow’s Bay emerged as the biggest winner, taking home eight Emmys, followed by HBO’s limited series DTF St. Louis with six awards and the HBO drama The Pitt with four.
Major winners and what they mean
The awards season — split between technical and performance ceremonies earlier in the week and the prime-time telecast — reflected continuing strength from streaming platforms and prestige cable networks. Early ceremonies on 5 and 6 September honoured a range of artistic and technical achievements, setting the tone for the main broadcast.
Among dramas, a number of series and actors were singled out across categories. Programs named in the winners and nominees list included The Diplomat, The Gilded Age, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Paradise, Pluribus and Slow Horses. Notable acting winners and nominees in drama categories included:
- Carrie Coon (drama lead actress)
- Rhea Seehorn and Keri Russell among other recognised lead performers
- Leading drama actors named included Sterling K. Brown, Gary Oldman, Mark Ruffalo and Noah Wyle
In supporting drama categories, winners and nominees included performers such as Allison Janney, Julianne Nicholson and Karolina Wydra, with male supporting nods for actors including Billy Crudup, Tom Pelphrey and Jack Lowden.
Comedy contenders and standouts
The comedy race featured a mix of returning favourites and newer entries. Series cited among nominees and winners were Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, Only Murders in the Building, Shrinking and Widow’s Bay — the latter notable for crossing genre boundaries as a horror-comedy while collecting multiple prizes.
Key comedy acting names highlighted included:
- Quinta Brunson and Ayo Edebiri for lead actress recognition
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Steve Carell and Jason Segel among those cited in lead actor categories
- Supporting comedy mentions included Michelle Pfeiffer, Dale Dickey and Hannah Einbinder
Winners in comedy categories underscored the Emmy voters’ appetite for both workplace and ensemble comedies as well as risk-taking genre hybrids. The prominence of Widow’s Bay demonstrated that a show blending horror elements with comic timing can perform strongly across both creative and technical fields.
Top prize tally
| Show | Emmys won |
|---|---|
| Widow’s Bay (Apple TV) | 8 |
| DTF St. Louis (HBO) | 6 |
| The Pitt (HBO) | 4 |
The results reflect an awards landscape that continues to favour high-concept and prestige storytelling, often delivered by subscription platforms investing heavily in limited series, anthology projects and auteur-driven dramas.
What South African viewers should watch for
While many of the winners are US productions, the Emmys often influence international commissioning and streaming decisions. Expect South African streaming line-ups and local broadcasters to react to big Emmy winners — particularly genre-busting hits such as Widow’s Bay — as platforms look to import acclaimed content that attracts global audiences.
The night also serves as a reminder of how awards season can elevate performers and creative teams, driving renewed interest in their back catalogues and future projects. For fans at home, the winners list offers viewing suggestions for the months ahead and signals the titles likely to be part of next year’s industry conversations.
Detailed, category-by-category winners and nominees were announced across the ceremonies on 5, 6 and during the main telecast; the evening’s full list compiles those earlier technical and performance awards alongside the primetime honours.
