Emmy Night 2: ‘Widow's Bay,' ‘DTF St. Louis,' and ‘The Pitt' Rule, ‘Spider-Noir' Rises From the Dead

Emmy Night 2 proved that television awards season has its own juicy story arc. A newly canceled superhero series won five Emmys. A prestige medical drama kept flexing its muscles. A beloved Apple TV+ comedy-horror hit dominated the night. And several longtime television veterans finally got the moment they'd been waiting decades to have. By the end of the evening, Widow's Bay had emerged as the night's biggest winner, taking home eight trophies and establishing itself as an early force heading into the Sept. 14 ceremony. Margo's Got Money Troubles also did well, while The Pitt continued to look nearly impossible to beat. The night opened with Noah Wyle taking a moment to recognize the hard work that goes into the 'industry,' reminding viewers that the ceremony recognizes the best artists in the business. It was an appropriate setup for an evening that repeatedly celebrated the people behind television's biggest productions — and some who had waited a very long time to be recognized themselves. The casting awards offered an early preview of the night's storylines. Love Story won casting for a limited or anthology series or movie, while Widow's Bay took comedy casting. Then The Pitt won drama casting, with Noah Wyle himself delivering the award. If anyone was still wondering whether the HBO Max medical drama was going to be the big winner this year, the answer was increasingly obvious. With a record 25 nominations for its second season, The Pitt entered the 78th Emmy Awards as the most-nominated show. Night 2 only strengthened that position. Widow's Bay, meanwhile, was everywhere. In addition to casting, the Apple TV+ series won production design for a half-hour narrative program, cinematography, sound editing, sound mixing, music supervision, and original dramatic score. Betty Gilpin added another trophy, winning Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Gilpin's acceptance speech was one of the evening's sweetest moments. She had written herself a poem on the plane ride out to Los Angeles beginning, 'Read this aloud if for some fluke you win…' — and then actually read it. Among others, she thanked the 'hot guys on set,' her family and her late dog before wrapping things up. Backstage, Gilpin made it clear she isn't ready to leave Widow's Bay behind. 'I'm forever pitching Katie Dippold via text (on) ways in which it would make sense in the world of the show for me to come back,' she said. 'I feel like by her genius, demented 'Widow's Bay' lore math, it doesn't make sense for her to come back, but … c'mon just change it so I can come back.' IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR THE TELEVISION ACADEMY – EXCLUSIVE – Betty Gilpin is seen backstage with her Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the 'Widow's Bay' during night two of the Television Academy's 78th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Content Services) The high-society dramedy Palm Royale, another standout of the night, has officially ended after two seasons, concluding this past January. Its final season won period costumes, while the show also picked up choreography and other technical honors. Its first season earned 11 Emmy nominations, including a nod for star and executive producer Kristen Wiig. Then there was Spider-Noir, which somehow managed to turn cancellation into an awards-season punchline. The Prime Video and MGM+ Nicolas Cage-led live-action superhero series was officially cancelled after one season, reportedly amid high production costs and viewership concerns. Two days after that news, Spider-Noir won five Emmys, including cinematography, title design, stunt coordination, sound editing, and special visual effects for a single episode. Nothing says 'please reconsider Season 2' quite like five Emmys. Another major winner was DTF St. Louis, which collected six trophies. David Harbour won his first Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, while Linda Cardellini won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Steven Conrad took both directing and writing honors for the HBO Max dark comedy. IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR THE TELEVISION ACADEMY – EXCLUSIVE – David Harbour accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for 'DTF St. Louis' during night two of the Television Academy's 78th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Phil McCarten/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Content Services) Harbour's win was especially full-circle. He received previous Emmy nominations for Stranger Things, but his first victory came at last night's 2026 ceremony for playing Floyd Smernitch in DTF St. Louis. The role required a heavy prosthetic stomach, which Harbour wore through long, sweaty 14-hour shooting days. Backstage, Harbour reflected on the long road to this moment. He banged on a lot of doors to get here. 'I was acting professionally for 20 years before Stranger Things, so I sort of knew what life was like as a working actor,' he said. Now, after the success of Stranger Things and his Emmy-winning work on DTF, he's still looking for roles that push him. 'I really love Sonny, [Beef] and I think he's a brilliant writer, so maybe I'll go knocking on his door next,' he told Awards Buzz's Sari Cohen after his win. Cardellini, meanwhile, marked roughly 30 years in the business with her first Emmy. 'One of my friends once told me it's a long life in this business if they're lucky, and I feel very lucky to be here right now holding this Emmy,' she told Awards Buzz backstage. IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR THE TELEVISION ACADEMY – EXCLUSIVE – Linda Cardellini accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for 'DTF St. Louis' during night two of the Television Academy's 78th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Phil McCarten/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Content Services) Another emotional first belonged to Ernest Harden Jr., who won Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for The Pitt at age 73. It was his first Emmy nomination — and his first win — after a career stretching back to 1974. Harden dedicated the honor to Bette Davis, his White Mama co-star, 46 years after the television movie premiered. He also recalled his first film role, in Three Days of the Condor with Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway, before going on to work steadily, including a recurring role on The Jeffersons. IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR THE TELEVISION ACADEMY – EXCLUSIVE – Ernest Harden Jr. accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for 'The Pitt' during night two of the Television Academy's 78th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 in Los Angeles.(Photo by Phil McCarten/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Content Services) Shailene Woodley also collected her first Emmy, winning Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Paradise. Her first Emmy nomination came in 2017 for Big Little Lies. This year, Paradise has seven nominations, up from four for its first season. This marks the first win for the series. Woodley said she admired her character Annie's patience and resiliency. 'I love doing our art, thank god for artists,' she said in her acceptance speech. IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR THE TELEVISION ACADEMY – EXCLUSIVE – Shailene Woodley is seen backstage with their Emmys for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for 'Paradise' during night two of the Television Academy's 78th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Content Services) The evening also delivered a posthumous standing ovation for Rob Reiner, who won Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for FX's The Bear. David Harbour and Linda Cardellini brought DTF St. Louis to six wins, while Beef, Pluribus, Margo's Got Money Troubles and Palm Royale all continued to build their totals. And then there was South Park, winning animated program as Season 29 prepares to premiere Sept. 16 on Comedy Central. With 21 Emmy nominations and five wins across its historic run, the show remains very much alive and kicking. After two nights, the leaderboard tells the story: Widow's Bay leads with eight wins, followed by DTF St. Louis at 6, Spider-Noir sits at five despite already being canceled, and The Pitt stands at four. The platform race is just as revealing. Apple TV leads with 19 wins through Nights 1 and 2, followed by HBO Max with 16 and Netflix with 13. So much for television being predictable. Night 2 delivered veterans finally getting their due, canceled shows getting their flowers, rising series announcing themselves as contenders — and Widow's Bay quietly making the loudest case of all. Nights one and two will air on Sat. Sep 12, 8 p.m. on FXX, and will stream on Hulu the next day. The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will air live on September 14, 2026, at 8 p.m ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock, hosted by Mariska Hargitay from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. 78th Creative Arts Emmy Awards — Night 2 Complete Nominees & Winners — Sunday, September 6, 2026 OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES All Her Fault The Beast in Me Beef DTF St. Louis Love Story — WINNER OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES Abbott Elementary Hacks Only Murders in the Building Shrinking Widow's Bay — WINNER OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES The Diplomat Paradise The Pitt — WINNER Pluribus Slow Horses OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY HAIRSTYLING All's Fair Emily in Paris Euphoria Hacks Margo's Got Money Troubles — WINNER Wednesday OUTSTANDING PERIOD OR FANTASY/SCI-FI HAIRSTYLING Bridgerton — WINNER Fallout The Gilded Age A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Palm Royale OUTSTANDING DRAMA GUEST ACTRESS Brittany Allen, The Pitt Tal Anderson, The Pitt Tina Ivlev, The Pitt Miriam Shor, Pluribus Merritt Wever, The Gilded Age Shailene Woodley, Paradise — WINNER OUTSTANDING FANTASY/SCI-FI COSTUMES Alien: Earth The Boys Fallout — WINNER A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms OUTSTANDING PERIOD COSTUMES Bridgerton The Gilded Age Love Story Monster: The Ed Gein Story Palm Royale — WINNER OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY COSTUMES FOR A SERIES Emily in Paris Hacks Margo's Got Money Troubles — WINNER Only Murders in the Building Wednesday OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY COSTUMES FOR A LIMITED SERIES The Beast in Me Beef — WINNER Black Rabbit DTF St. Louis Remarkably Bright Creatures OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY MAKEUP (NON-PROSTHETIC) All's Fair Euphoria Hacks Margo's Got Money Troubles — WINNER The Pitt Wednesday OUTSTANDING PERIOD OR FANTASY/SCI-FI MAKEUP (NON-PROSTHETIC) Fallout The Gilded Age Love Story Monster: The Ed Gein Story Palm Royale — WINNER OUTSTANDING PROSTHETIC MAKEUP Fallout Monster: The Ed Gein Story The Pitt — WINNER Spider-Noir Stranger Things OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY FOR SCRIPTED PROGRAMMING Bridgerton Noah's Arc: The Movie Palm Royale — WINNER Stumble Wednesday Will Trent OUTSTANDING STUNT COORDINATION FOR DRAMA PROGRAMMING The Boys — WINNER Fallout FBI The Rookie Stranger Things OUTSTANDING STUNT PERFORMANCE Fallout FBI A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — WINNER Palm Royale Spider-Noir OUTSTANDING STUNT COORDINATION FOR COMEDY PROGRAMMING Beef Palm Royale Peacemaker Poker Face Spider-Noir — WINNER Tulsa King OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A SERIES (HALF-HOUR) The Bear Hacks A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms The Upshaws Widow's Bay — WINNER OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A SERIES (ONE HOUR) Alien: Earth Euphoria Margo's Got Money Troubles Pluribus Spider-Noir — WINNER Task OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE Beef Black Rabbit Death by Lightning DTF St. Louis — WINNER Monster: The Ed Gein Story OUTSTANDING PICTURE EDITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES Euphoria, 'In God We Trust' The Pitt, '1:00 P.M.' The Pitt, '9:00 P.M.' Pluribus, 'Got Milk' Pluribus, 'Grenade' Pluribus, 'We Is Us' — WINNER Task, 'A Still Small Voice' OUTSTANDING PICTURE EDITING FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA COMEDY SERIES The Bear, 'Bears' Hacks, 'The Cube' Hacks, 'Hacks (Finale)' — WINNER Widow's Bay, 'Our History' Widow's Bay, 'Welcome to Widow's Bay!' Widow's Bay, 'What to Expect on Your Trip' OUTSTANDING PICTURE EDITING FOR A MULTI-CAMERA COMEDY SERIES Leanne, 'Having Big Feelings' — WINNER The Neighborhood, 'Welcome to the Zhuzh' Shifting Gears, 'Nutcracker' Tyler Perry's Assisted Living, 'A Rolling Stone' The Upshaws, 'Election Day' OUTSTANDING PICTURE EDITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES Beef, 'All the Things We're Never Going to Have' Beef, 'The Increasing Flimsiness of Any Certainties About the Future' Black Rabbit, 'Isle of Joy' Death by Lightning, 'The Man From Ohio' DTF St. Louis, 'No One's Normal. It Just Looks That Way From Across the Street' — WINNER OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A NARRATIVE PROGRAM (HALF-HOUR) Hacks A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Leanne Only Murders in the Building Widow's Bay — WINNER OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A NARRATIVE PERIOD OR FANTASY PROGRAM (ONE HOUR OR MORE) Fallout — WINNER The Gilded Age Palm Royale Spider-Noir Stranger Things OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A NARRATIVE CONTEMPORARY PROGRAM (ONE HOUR OR MORE) Euphoria The Pitt Pluribus — WINNER Slow Horses Wednesday OUTSTANDING PROSTHETIC MAKEUP Fallout Monster: The Ed Gein Story The Pitt — WINNER Spider-Noir Stranger Things OUTSTANDING DRAMA GUEST ACTOR Colman Domingo, Euphoria Ernest Harden Jr., The Pitt — WINNER Jeff Hiller, Pluribus Jeff Kober, The Pitt Jonathan Pryce, Slow Horses Bradley Whitford, The Diplomat OUTSTANDING LIMITED/MOVIE SUPPORTING ACTOR Jason Bateman, DTF St. Louis Richard Gadd, Half Man David Harbour, DTF St. Louis — WINNER Richard Jenkins, DTF St. Louis Charles Melton, Beef Nick Offerman, Death by Lightning OUTSTANDING LIMITED/MOVIE SUPPORTING ACTRESS Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis — WINNER Dakota Fanning, All Her Fault Laurie Metcalf, Monster: The Ed Gein Story Joy Sunday, DTF St. Louis Youn Yuh-jung, Beef Constance Zimmer, Love Story OUTSTANDING COMEDY GUEST ACTOR Michael J. Fox, Shrinking Brett Goldstein, Shrinking Hamish Linklater, Widow's Bay Christopher McDonald, Hacks Rob Reiner, The Bear — WINNER Connor Storrie, Saturday Night Live OUTSTANDING COMEDY GUEST ACTRESS Leslie Bibb, Hacks Jamie Lee Curtis, The Bear Betty Gilpin, Widow's Bay — WINNER Cherry Jones, Hacks Laurie Metcalf, Hacks Kaitlin Olson, Hacks Lauren Weedman, Hacks OUTSTANDING MOVIE Heads of State Miss You, Love You People We Meet on Vacation Remarkably Bright Creatures — WINNER Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM Bob's Burgers Rick and Morty The Simpsons Smiling Friends South Park — WINNER Star Wars: Visions OUTSTANDING CHARACTER VOICE-OVER PERFORMANCE Pamela Adlon, King of the Hill Julie Andrews, Bridgerton — WINNER Hank Azaria, The Simpsons Trey Parker, South Park Matt Vogel, The Muppet Show Steven Yeun, Invincible OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN ANIMATION Eyes of Wakanda, 'Into the Lion's Den' — WINNER Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal, 'Kingdom of Sorrow' — WINNER Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal, 'Vengeance of Death' — WINNER The Mighty Nein, 'Mote of Possibility' — WINNER Star Wars: Visions, 'The Duel: Payback' — WINNER OUTSTANDING MUSIC SUPERVISION The Boys Hacks Nobody Wants This Pluribus Stranger Things Widow's Bay — WINNER OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MUSIC AND LYRICS The Boys, 'Raise Him Up' Hacks, 'Mis Figuritas' The Pitt, 'Need Someone' — WINNER South Park, 'Christian Woman' Spider-Noir, 'The Devil You Know' Wednesday, 'The Dead Dance' OUTSTANDING MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A SERIES (ORIGINAL DRAMATIC SCORE) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Palm Royale Pluribus Slow Horses Spider-Noir Widow's Bay — WINNER OUTSTANDING MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A LIMITED SERIES (ORIGINAL DRAMATIC SCORE) All Her Fault The Beast in Me — WINNER Black Rabbit In the Blink of an Eye Washington Black OUTSTANDING MAIN TITLE THEME MUSIC All Her Fault The Beast in Me The 'Burbs Murderbot Pluribus — WINNER OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (HALF-HOUR) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Murderbot Predator: Killer of Killers Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Widow's Bay — WINNER OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR) Alien: Earth The Boys Fallout Spider-Noir — WINNER Stranger Things OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL The Beast in Me Beef — WINNER Lord of the Flies The Rip Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (HALF-HOUR) The Bear Hacks Shrinking Tires Widow's Bay — WINNER OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR) Fallout The Pitt Pluribus — WINNER Spider-Noir Stranger Things OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE Beef — WINNER Black Rabbit DTF St. Louis Lord of the Flies Monster: The Ed Gein Story OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SINGLE EPISODE Gen V, 'New Year, New U' A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, 'In the Name of the Mother' Paradise, 'Exodus' Spider-Noir, 'Nightmare on a Gurney' — WINNER The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, 'Costa da Morte' OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SEASON OR A MOVIE Alien: Earth Foundation It: Welcome to Derry Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age Stranger Things — WINNER OUTSTANDING TITLE DESIGN It: Welcome to Derry Murderbot Ponies Smoke Spider-Noir — WINNER Young Sherlock