"Widow's Bay" scored a major Emmy win. The Apple TV series about the eccentric inhabitants of a haunted New England island was crowned Best Comedy and closed out the 78th annual "TV Oscars" with 14 statuettes , more than any other title and a new all-time record for a comedy in a single year. It surpassed the record of 13 set just a year ago by "The Studio." In addition to the eight Emmys it had already won in the technical awards, including Best Guest Actress for Betty Gilpin, "Widow's Bay" took home six more at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, winning every category in which it was nominated: Best Series, Best Male Lead for Matthew Rhys, Best Supporting Actor for Stephen Root and Kate O'Flynn, Best Director for Hiro Murai, and Best Writing for creator Katie Dippold.
Overall, while there were plenty of names and series that are now familiar to the Television Academy, it was primarily the newcomers that took center stage this year. In addition to the triumph of "Widow's Bay," another debuting Apple TV title, "Pluribus," also closed with six statuettes, including two yesterday for Best Actress in a Drama Series for Rhea Seehorn and Best Writing for Vince Gilligan, creator of "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul." This success puts Apple TV at the top of the most awarded studios for the first time: 28 statuettes overall, thanks in part to the three technical awards for "Margo's Got Money Troubles," starring Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Nicole Kidman, the three for "Palm Royale," and the wins for "Slow Horses," starring Gary Oldman, and the documentary "Mr. Scorsese." Apple has seen steady growth, having already had the most awarded series last year, "The Studio," but trailing HBO Max and Netflix in the final medal count. This is only the second time in twenty years that one of the latter two hasn't led the Emmys: in 2024, FX did so, thanks to the combined success of "Shogun" and "The Bear" (on Disney+ in Italy). There were no surprises in the drama category, however, where "The Pitt," HBO Max's medical drama starring Noah Wyle as Dr. "Robby," won best series for the second year in a row.
