An Emmy statuette, presented annually by the Television Academy to recognize achievements in television. Photo courtesy of NASA/Bill Ingalls, via Wikimedia Commons.
By Sophia Romana
TAMPA, Fla. — Television’s biggest night returned Monday, Sept. 14, as the 78th Emmy Awards honored the past year in television with record-breaking wins and unexpected victories.
The ceremony was hosted by Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay, who became the first woman to host the Emmys in 15 years. One of the night’s biggest surprises came when Taylor Swift appeared alongside Hargitay in a prerecorded SVU sketch, playing a rookie detective in a surprise cameo.
Apple TV emerged as the night’s most awarded network, finishing this year’s Emmys with 29 awards across its programming. Widow’s Bay accounted for nearly half of those wins with 14, while Pluribus earned six and Margo’s Got Money Troubles and Palm Royale each picked up three.
Widow’s Bay also set a new record for the most Emmy wins by a comedy series in a single year. The series took home outstanding comedy series, along with several awards for acting, writing, and directing.
The success of Widow’s Bay also helped Matthew Rhys make history of his own. Rhys won lead actor in a comedy series for the show and lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for The Beast in Me, becoming the first performer to win two lead acting Emmys in the same year. He also became the first actor to win lead acting Emmys across all three major genres.
Rhys was not the only performer to make history. According to the Associated Press, Jean Smart won outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for Hacks for the fifth time, becoming the first female performer to win an Emmy for every season of a show. The win brought Smart to eight acting Emmys across her career, placing her among the most awarded performers in Emmy history.
For Rhea Seehorn, the night brought a long-awaited win. After years of Emmy nominations without a win, Seehorn earned her first for Pluribus, taking home lead actress in a drama series.
Jonathan Gallo, Computer Science student at the University of Tampa, said Seehorn’s win stood out because of her previous work on Better Call Saul.
“I remember watching her on Better Call Saul and thought she was a great actress,” Gallo said.
Gallo said he felt Seehorn’s first Emmy was deserved and long overdue.
While some performers celebrated first-time wins, other shows continued their success from previous years. For the second year in a row, HBO Max’s medical drama The Pitt took home outstanding drama series. Noah Wyle also repeated his win for lead actor in a drama series.
For Isabella Romana, a nurse and fan of The Pitt, the show’s continued success at the Emmys was exciting to see.
“I am a nurse, so I always really gravitate towards those medical shows that really show the realities of healthcare,” Romana said. “I think this second season was even better than the first.”
Along with the record-breaking wins, the night also brought notable results. Allison Janney beat four actresses from The Pitt for supporting actress in a drama series, earning her eighth career Emmy for her performance in The Diplomat.
The ceremony also included several emotional moments beyond the awards themselves. Michael J. Fox received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his longtime advocacy and fundraising for Parkinson’s disease research.
The annual In Memoriam segment featured Noah Kahan, who performed Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” while the ceremony honored members of the television industry who died over the past year. The tribute began with remembrances of Catherine O’Hara from her former co-stars and friends Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy, and Dan Levy.
The show also paid tribute to Dolly Parton, who passed away in August, with a performance from her longtime friend Reba McEntire. McEntire performed Parton’s 1983 song “Appalachian Memories” in her honor.
A full list of winners from the 78th Emmy Awards is available on the Television Academy’s website.