Widow’s Bay Leads Night 2 of the 78th Emmy Awards, While The Pitt and Rob Reiner Earn Posthumous Honors

On September 6 2026, the Television Academy presented Night 2 of the rebranded Creative Arts Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Apple TV’s horror-comedy Widow’s Bay captured eight trophies, including Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy for Betty Gilpin. HBO Max’s drama The Pitt added four awards, highlighted by Ernest Harden Jr.’s win for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. The ceremony also featured a posthumous award for Rob Reiner, who received Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy for his appearance in The Bear.

The Guardian

The Academy renamed the former Creative Arts Emmys as the first two nights of the 78th Emmy Awards, moving supporting-acting categories for limited series to these evenings. The change was meant to give craft and guest-acting categories more visibility, though some industry observers noted private complaints from studios and streamers.

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• Widow’s Bay – 8 wins (cinematography, sound, music, production design, plus guest-acting honors) from 19 nominations.

Emmys: Widow’s Bay, Pluribus and The Pitt suggest there may be few surprises left

• The Pitt – 4 wins, including prosthetic makeup and casting, from a season-leading 25 nominations.

KOAT - Albuquerque News

• DTF St. Louis – 6 wins, securing both supporting acting awards in the limited-series field.

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• Rob Reiner – posthumous comedy guest-acting win, marking the longest gap (48 years) between acting Emmys for a single performer.

The Guardian

Winners highlighted personal milestones: Ernest Harden Jr. called his award “unreal,” while Betty Gilpin praised the industry’s openness to unconventional storytelling.

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• “Thank you to everybody who along the way through the years helped me get to this moment of a real dream come true,” — Linda Cardellini

The Guardian

The sweep by Widow’s Bay positions Apple TV as a strong contender for the overall platform award, challenging HBO Max’s lead in nomination count. The Pitt’s performance reinforces its status as the defending drama champion heading into the primetime ceremony. Rob Reiner’s posthumous honor underscores the Academy’s willingness to recognize legacy performances.

Deadline Hollywood

• September 6 2026 – Night 2 of the Creative Arts Emmys; major wins announced.

78th Creative Arts Emmys Night Two: ‘Widow’s Bay’ Dominates, ‘DTF St. Louis’ Wins Big, ‘The Pitt’ and ‘Pluribus’ Make a Race for Drama

• September 12 2026 (scheduled) – Edited broadcast of both nights airs on FXX and streams on Hulu.

People Magazine

• September 14 2026 (scheduled) – Live primetime Emmy telecast at the Peacock Theater, hosted by Mariska Hargitay.

People Magazine

The edited ceremony on September 12 will give a broader audience a glimpse of the night’s highlights before the main awards on September 14. With Apple TV leading the win count after Night 2, the platform’s prospects for the overall “platform of the year” award will be closely watched, as will The Pitt’s bid to repeat as Outstanding Drama Series.

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