The 2026 Primetime Emmys showcased the best television shows from the past calendar year. This year’s ceremony followed a recent trend of several shows dominating the acting categories before taking home one of the major series awards. In fact, several shows made history with their wins.
Apple TV was arguably the biggest winner of the night. Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn each won individual awards for Pluribus, but a horror comedy from Apple TV made history with its dominant night. Meanwhile, at HBO Max, another comedy had a historic achievement when its lead actress pulled off a remarkable feat for the fifth consecutive year.
Widow’s Bay
Is this town haunted?
It was a great night at the Emmys for Widow’s Bay, Apple TV’s innovative show that blends horror with comedy. Matthew Rhys stars as Tom Loftis, the widowed mayor of Widow’s Bay, a small island town off the coast of New England. Mayor Loftis wants to reignite tourism at Widow’s Bay. The townspeople have other plans, as they believe Widow’s Bay is haunted. It turns out that the residents are right, and Mayor Loftis has to hilariously deal with the supernatural elements that come with the town.
Across the Creative Arts Emmys and Primetime Emmys, Widow’s Bay came away with 14 wins, making it the most awarded comedy series in a single year ever. Widow’s Bay swept the major categories, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Katie Dippold), Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Hiro Murai), Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Rhys), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Kate O’Flynn), and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Stephen Root).
Widow’s Bay
- Release Date
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April 28, 2026
- Network
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Apple TV
- Showrunner
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Katie Dippold
Hacks
Deborah Vance takes her final bow
For the last time, the cast and crew of Hacks garnered Emmy recognition. The fifth and final season of Hacks wrapped up earlier this spring on HBO Max. The comedy stars Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, an aging stand-up comedian looking to reenter the spotlight. To help rejuvenate her career, Deborah gets paired with Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), a disgraced comic looking for her big break. Together, the duo forms an unlikely team and realize that to advance their careers, they surprisingly need to rely on one another.
Hacks season 5 received 24 nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series. Smart won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. With the victory, Smart went five-for-five as Deborah Vance, becoming the first actress to win an Emmy for every single season of a series. The win takes Smart’s career total to eight Emmys, putting her in a tie with Cloris Leachman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Allison Janney for the most acting wins.
Hacks
- Release Date
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2021 – 2026-00-00
- Network
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HBO Max
- Showrunner
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Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky
The Beast in Me
Matthew Rhys makes his mark
Going into the night, Rhys was a heavy favorite to win an acting award for his memorable turn in Widow’s Bay. However, most prognosticators did not predict that Rhys would win a second acting Emmy for The Beast in Me. Netflix’s mystery thriller stars Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs, a struggling author overcome with grief over the death of her son, so much so that she stops writing. However, inspiration strikes with the arrival of her new neighbor, Nile Jarvis (Rhys), a real estate tycoon who was once the prime suspect in the disappearance of his first wife.
The Beast in Me is exactly the type of psychological story that fits in with Netflix’s push for scripted thrillers and true crime documentaries. It turns out that Emmy voters loved Rhys, who won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie in an upset over Oscar Isaac of Beef season 2. Rhys became the first performer to win two lead acting Emmys in one night. Rhys is also the first male actor to win an Emmy for a lead acting performance in a drama, comedy, and limited/anthology series.
The Beast in Me
- Release Date
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2025 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Tyne Rafaeli, Antonio Campos, Lila Neugebauer
The Diplomat
Allison Janney becomes TV royalty
If Allison Janney is nominated for an Emmy, she tends to win. Heading into the 2026 Emmys, Janney was not expected to win an acting award for her role as Grace Hagen Penn in The Diplomat season 3. The Netflix political drama stars Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to the U.K. In the third season, Janney is sworn in as the President of the United States, which presents new challenges for Kate in the political realm.
The Diplomat is essentially Netflix’s version of The West Wing, but that type of political drama still plays. And with heavy hitters like Russell and Janney in the cast, you can expect strong performances and even stronger writing. For her work, Janney took home Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for a minor upset over Katherine LaNasa in The Pitt. The win marked Janney’s eighth acting Emmy, moving her into a tie with Smart, Leachman, and Louis-Dreyfus for the most acting wins of all time.
More Emmy content to watch
There are certainly more Emmy-nominated shows from this past year to watch. The Pitt and DTF St. Louis are two must-watch series to check out when you have time. Plus, HBO Max has critically acclaimed shows like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and The Gilded Age that have developed strong followings.