Widow’s Bay Leads Early Emmys With Eight Wins as The Pitt Takes Four

Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay emerged as the biggest winner at the opening weekend of the 78th Emmy Awards, collecting eight trophies, while HBO Max’s The Pitt added four. DTF St. Louis also had a major night, and the ceremony delivered an emotional posthumous acting Emmy for Rob Reiner.

The 78th Emmy Awards are already producing major winners before television’s biggest stars take the main stage.

Widow’s Bay dominated Sunday’s early ceremony with eight awards for its first season, establishing itself as one of the weekend’s biggest success stories. The Pitt, which entered the awards season as the year’s leading nominee, followed with four wins.

The early ceremonies also produced emotional moments, first-time Emmy victories and a posthumous honor for veteran actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner.

The awards presented this weekend will be combined into a broadcast scheduled for September 12 on FXX, with streaming on Hulu beginning the following day. The main Primetime Emmy ceremony is scheduled for September 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Widow’s Bay Scores Eight Early Emmys

Apple TV’s horror-comedy Widow’s Bay had the strongest showing of the night, taking home eight awards from its debut season.

The series stars Matthew Rhys as the mayor of a small New England community confronting a centuries-old curse. Its early Emmy haul recognized several technical and creative areas, including cinematography, sound, music and production design.

Betty Gilpin also won for guest actress in a comedy for her performance on the series.

Gilpin turned her acceptance speech into a rapid-fire comic poem, using the moment to deliver a series of jokes while celebrating the people working in television.

Her victory adds another high-profile acting honor to Widow’s Bay‘s impressive first Emmy campaign.

The series can still add additional trophies during the main ceremony on September 14.

The Pitt Continues Its Emmy Momentum

The Pitt entered the weekend with 25 nominations, the largest total of any program this year.

The HBO Max medical drama already had a major advantage heading into the ceremony after winning the Emmy for outstanding drama series for its first season.

Its second-year awards haul began with four victories, including recognition for prosthetic makeup and guest acting.

One of the night’s most emotional wins came for Ernest Harden Jr., who won guest actor in a drama at age 73.

Harden portrayed Louie Cloverfield, a troubled and frequently struggling alcoholic who has become a familiar presence in the emergency department depicted by the series.

The veteran actor became visibly emotional after hearing his name announced.

“I am just on cloud 25,” Harden said backstage, reflecting on what his first Emmy meant after a career spanning decades.

Ernest Harden Jr. Finally Gets Emmy Recognition

Harden’s victory is particularly notable because of how long he has worked in the entertainment industry.

His early screen work included the 1975 thriller Three Days of the Condor, starring Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway. He also appeared on The Jeffersons during the sitcom’s run.

Despite decades of acting credits, an Emmy had remained out of reach until The Pitt brought him his first nomination and eventual victory.

The award recognizes not only his performance as Louie Cloverfield but also the strength of the character’s place within the medical drama.

Singer-songwriter Andrew Bird and composer Gavin Brivik also won for original music and lyrics connected to the character.

Bird noted that The Pitt is not especially dependent on music, making the opportunity to create a musical moment around a character particularly meaningful.

DTF St. Louis Scores Six Wins

Another major winner at the early Emmy ceremony was DTF St. Louis, which collected six awards across the limited-series categories.

The show produced acting victories for David Harbour and Linda Cardellini, with both performers earning their first Emmy Awards.

Harbour’s victory came on his third Emmy nomination.

Cardellini, meanwhile, won after receiving four nominations across her career.

The actress has built a particularly diverse television résumé, with notable work including Freaks and Geeks and Mad Men.

Her acceptance speech became an emotional celebration of the people who supported her career.

Cardellini thanked those who had helped her reach what she described as a long-held dream.

The Creative Arts Emmys Get a New Identity

The Television Academy has changed how it presents this year’s early awards.

What were traditionally known as the Creative Arts Emmys are now being positioned as the opening two nights of the 78th Emmy Awards.

The ceremonies still primarily recognize the extensive group of artists, technicians and production professionals who work behind the camera.

However, several acting categories that historically appeared during the main television broadcast were moved to the earlier ceremonies this year.

That decision gives the opening weekend considerably more star power.

Among the acting categories shifted were supporting actor and supporting actress honors in the limited-series field, helping make the early ceremonies more significant for viewers following the overall awards race.

Rob Reiner’s Posthumous Emmy Creates an Emotional Moment

The ceremony took a more somber turn when Rob Reiner was announced as the winner of the Emmy for guest actor in a comedy for his work on The Bear.

The announcement prompted an extended ovation inside the theater.

Reiner had died in December alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. His death had already cast a shadow over the entertainment community, making the Emmy recognition especially poignant.

Jamie Lee Curtis, who also appeared as a guest performer on The Bear, was among those present during the tribute.

Reiner’s connection to the Emmys stretches back decades.

Long before his later work in film and television, he won two Emmy Awards for his performance as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on All in the Family.

His latest Emmy therefore adds another chapter to a career that had already produced some of television’s most memorable performances.

Pluribus Makes an Early Impact

Apple TV also enjoyed another strong showing through Pluribus, the new series from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan.

The Emmy newcomer collected four awards during Sunday’s ceremony.

Among its victories were honors for editing, production design and sound mixing.

The early success could make Pluribus an increasingly important title when the main drama categories are announced.

With Gilligan behind the project, the series entered the Emmy season with considerable attention. Its early wins suggest it could become a significant competitor to The Pitt during the final ceremony.

Shailene Woodley Wins Her First Emmy

Shailene Woodley also reached a major career milestone.

The actress won her first Emmy for guest actress in a drama for her role in Paradise.

Her victory adds another prominent acting name to a weekend that already saw several performers receive their first Emmy recognition.

For Woodley, the award marks a new achievement in a career that has moved between film and television.

Spider-Noir Wins Despite Cancellation

One of the weekend’s more unusual Emmy stories involved Spider-Noir.

The Nicolas Cage-led series had been canceled by Amazon Prime Video after a single season, but the show’s conclusion did not prevent it from succeeding at the awards.

Spider-Noir collected five Emmys, including awards for visual effects and stunts.

Its performance demonstrates that a show’s awards recognition can continue even after its commercial or production future has changed.

Mariska Hargitay Adds More Emmy Hardware

Mariska Hargitay also became a multiple winner during the weekend.

The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star collected two awards for My Mom Jayne, the documentary she directed about her mother, actress Jayne Mansfield.

The honors add to Hargitay’s earlier Emmy success. She previously won the outstanding lead actress in a drama award in 2006 for her long-running role as Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU.

Her latest victories therefore recognize a different side of her television career, this time as a documentary filmmaker.

Bad Bunny Wins His First Emmy

Saturday’s opening ceremony also produced a milestone for Bad Bunny.

The Puerto Rican singer earned his first career Emmy for his Super Bowl halftime show.

The performance itself collected seven awards during the first ceremony of the weekend, giving the global music star an impressive start to his Emmy history.

His win further illustrates how the modern Emmys increasingly recognize entertainment that extends beyond traditional scripted television.

The Main Emmy Race Is Still Wide Open

Despite the large number of trophies already distributed, several of the night’s biggest races remain undecided.

Widow’s Bay and The Pitt can each add as many as six more Emmys during the September 14 Primetime ceremony.

Pluribus could also become a major factor in the drama categories, particularly after its strong showing during the early awards.

The final ceremony will therefore determine whether The Pitt can convert its record-setting nomination total into another dominant Emmy campaign—or whether one of the year’s newer contenders will steal the spotlight.

For now, though, the early scoreboard belongs to Widow’s Bay.

With eight wins from its debut season, the Apple TV series has made one thing clear before the main ceremony even begins: its first Emmy campaign is already a substantial success.