Widow’s Bay and Matthew Rhys lead the charge as Apple TV dominates Emmys

Matthew Rhys (left) in Widow’s Bay

US streamer Apple TV dominated last night’s Emmys with 28 prizes, including 14 gongs for its comedy-drama Widow’s Bay.

The series picked up prizes for Best Comedy Series, Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Matthew Rhys, Outstanding Writing for Katie Dippold and Outstanding Directing for Hiro Murai.

It was supported by Apple TV stablemates Pluribus, which saw Rhea Seehorn named Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and Slow Horses, with Saul Metzstein named Outstanding Director in a Drama Series.

It was Apple’s biggest and best haul since it launched its streaming service in 2019 and the first time it has led all other outlets at The Emmys.

Warner Bros Discovery-owned HBO Max wasn’t far behind with 21 prizes, including The Pitt and DTF St Louis taking the Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Limited Series prizes respectively.

Jean Smart was also again named Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, winning the award for all five seasons of Hacks.

Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content, said: “To see The Pitt recognised as Outstanding Drama Series and DTF St Louis honoured as Outstanding Limited Series is incredibly rewarding, as is celebrating Emmy-winning performances from Noah Wyle and Tom Pelphrey, along with Jean Smart’s history-making Emmy win. We are grateful to the talented creative teams whose passion and artistry continue to inspire audiences around the world.”

Netflix won 16 prizes while Prime Video collected 10. Disney+ trailed its streaming rivals with six, while broadcast networks NBC, Peacock and CBS got eight, seven and six respectively.

The main winners were:

Drama series – The Pitt
Comedy series – Widow’s Bay
Limited or anthology series – DTF St Louis
Lead actor in a drama series – Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Lead actress in a drama series – Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
Lead actor in a comedy series – Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay
Lead actress in a comedy series – Jean Smart, Hacks
Lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie – Matthew Rhys, The Beast In Me
Lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie – Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
Supporting actor in a drama series – Tom Pelphrey, Task
Supporting actress in a drama series – Allison Janney, The Diplomat
Supporting actor in a comedy series – Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay
Supporting actress in a comedy series – Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay
Reality competition programme – The Traitors
Variety series – The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Outstanding writing for a drama series – Vince Gilligan, Pluribus
Outstanding writing for a comedy series – Katie Dippold, Widow’s Bay
Outstanding directing for a drama series – Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses
Outstanding directing for a comedy series – Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay