Widow’s Bay and The Pitt tipped for success at Emmy Awards
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Apple TV's horror-comedy series Widow's Bay and hospital drama The Pitt have emerged as the favourites ahead of the Emmy Awards.
PHOTO: AFP
LOS ANGELES – The brightest stars in television are set to walk the red carpet on Sept 14 at the Emmy Awards, with horror-comedy series Widow’s Bay and gritty hospital drama The Pitt expected to win big.
Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay, which stars Matthew Rhys as the leader of an isolated New England island that appears to be haunted, has emerged as one of the most talked-about debut series of 2026.
“People just love that show,” Christopher Rosen, deputy editor of Hollywood news outlet The Ankler, told AFP.
It scooped up eight awards in the pre-gala ceremonies and is in position to become the most awarded comedy series in a single year, surpassing the 13 trophies won in 2025 by Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire The Studio.
Rosen said he believes that Rhys – a winner for Best Drama Actor for The Americans in 2018 – could now earn his first comedy Emmy.
Welsh actor Matthew Rhys attending the 32nd Annual Actor Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on March 1.
PHOTO: AFP
A strong night for Widow’s Bay does not bode well for Hacks, the tale of a stand-up comedian trying to revive her career and the dysfunctional millennial assistant who helps her.
Its one solid bet left in the running – and maybe its only statuette, says Rosen – is a Best Actress prize for Jean Smart.
“That’s a great way to honour the final season,” Rosen told AFP. “She’s never lost from playing this part. I don’t see why she would lose in the final season.”
Smart, who turned 75 on Sept 13, has won four Emmys for the show so far.
A win on Sept 14 would give her eight acting Emmys, tying her with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most ever by a performer. Allison Janney is also vying for her eighth Emmy, for The Diplomat.
The Pitt expected to repeat as Best Drama
The Pitt, the 2025 winner for Best Drama, follows the stressed-out workers in a Pittsburgh emergency room, with each episode unfolding in real time.
Tackling everything from abortion rights to immigration crackdowns to mass shootings, the show is the odds-on favourite to sweep several drama prizes, including Best Series.
“If The Pitt doesn’t win, it would be a tremendous shock,” Rosen said.
It led all shows with 25 nominations and has already won four awards in the early ceremonies, including Best Casting for a Drama Series.
Star Noah Wyle, who has racked up awards over the past year, including an Emmy, is expected to triumph again. Seven of his co-stars are hopefuls in the supporting acting categories.
For Best Drama Actress, Rosen says it will be a race between Pluribus star Rhea Seehorn and Keri Russell for political soap opera The Diplomat.
In the limited series categories, HBO Max’s DTF St Louis – the tale of a middle-aged love triangle gone wrong – is a top contender.
The show has scooped up six prizes so far, including two for actors David Harbour and Linda Cardellini.
Dolly tribute
The 78th Emmy Awards gala will be hosted by Law And Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay, who won two Emmys for her documentary My Mom Jayne.
It will feature a tribute to late country music icon Dolly Parton, who was also an Emmy winner, and a performance from Noah Kahan, who will sing Bridge Over Troubled Water during the broadcast’s In Memoriam segment.
The gala will also deliver some TV nostalgia, with Buffy The Vampire Slayer stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz among the presenters, along with Charlie’s Angels stars Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd, and Jaclyn Smith.
Zendaya, a past winner and current nominee for Best Drama Actress for Euphoria, is among the presenters, guaranteeing at least one bona fide red-carpet moment.
The Emmys ceremony begins at 5pm on Sept 14 (8am on Sept 15, Singapore time). AFP