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The 78th Emmy Awards wrapped tonight at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, hosted by Mariska Hargitay, and the trophies more or less confirmed what everyone’s been streaming all year. If your watchlist needs a refresh, consider this your cheat sheet — every major winner, sorted by category, with why it’s worth your next binge.
Comedy: Widow’s Bay Owns the Night
Widow’s Bay (Apple TV) was the story of the night on the comedy side, becoming the most-decorated comedy in Emmy history between its Creative Arts and Primetime wins.
- Outstanding Comedy Series — Widow’s Bay
- Lead Actor — Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay (his second win of the night — more on that below)
- Lead Actress — Jean Smart, Hacks (HBO Max) — her fifth Emmy in the role of Deborah Vance, closing out the series undefeated in this category
- Supporting Actor — Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay
- Supporting Actress — Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay
- Directing — Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay
- Writing — Katie Dippold, Widow’s Bay
- Guest Actress — Betty Gilpin, Widow’s Bay
- Guest Actor — Rob Reiner, The Bear (FX/Hulu), a posthumous win
Watch it if: You loved Only Murders in the Building but want something a little weirder and darker — Widow’s Bay is a horror-tinged comedy that swept nearly every category it touched this year.
Drama: The Pitt Repeats, Pluribus Breaks Through
- Outstanding Drama Series — The Pitt (HBO Max), repeating as champion
- Lead Actor — Noah Wyle, The Pitt, his second consecutive win
- Lead Actress — Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus (Apple TV) — her first-ever Emmy after two nominations for Better Call Saul
- Supporting Actor — Tom Pelphrey, Task (HBO Max), his first Emmy
- Supporting Actress — Allison Janney, The Diplomat (Netflix), her eighth career Emmy
- Directing — Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses (Apple TV), for “Scars” — the third year running the spy series has claimed directing or writing
- Writing — Vince Gilligan, Pluribus, for “We Is Us”
Watch it if: You want the medical-drama adrenaline of The Pitt, or you’re ready for Rhea Seehorn’s overdue leading turn in Pluribus — Vince Gilligan’s eerie follow-up to Better Call Saul.
Limited Series: DTF St. Louis Takes the Crown
DTF St. Louis (HBO Max) was this year’s big limited-series winner, and it delivered breakthrough moments for two first-time Emmy winners.
- Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series — DTF St. Louis
- Supporting Actress — Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis, her first Emmy
- Supporting Actor — David Harbour, DTF St. Louis, his first Emmy
- Lead Actress — Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
- Lead Actor — Matthew Rhys, The Beast In Me (Netflix) — his second win of the night, making him the first actor in Emmy history to win lead performance awards in three different categories (Comedy, Drama, and Limited/Movie) across his career, and the first man to win two leads in the same year
Watch it if: You want a genuinely can’t-look-away limited series — DTF St. Louis swept both the acting and craft categories this year.
Variety & Talk
- Outstanding Variety Series — The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (CBS), a fitting send-off after its cancellation earlier this year
The Bonus Round: Bad Bunny Makes History
This one didn’t happen on the main telecast, but it’s the story worth knowing for your content calendar: at the Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month, The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny won seven Emmys — including Outstanding Variety Special (Live), directing, choreography, music direction, sound mixing, lighting, and technical direction — making it the most-awarded Super Bowl halftime show in Television Academy history, and the first Spanish-language halftime show to win. Bad Bunny, credited as both performer and producer, picked up his first-ever Primetime Emmy.
Watch it if: You haven’t rewatched the halftime show since February — it’s worth revisiting now that it’s officially the most-decorated one ever, with Puerto Rican culture front and center.
The Quick-Reference Watchlist
If you only add five things to your queue this week:
- Widow’s Bay (Apple TV) — Best Comedy Series
- The Pitt (HBO Max) — Best Drama Series
- DTF St. Louis (HBO Max) — Best Limited Series
- Pluribus (Apple TV) — Rhea Seehorn’s first Emmy-winning turn
- Hacks (HBO Max) — Jean Smart’s victory lap, final season
Enjoy the binge.