Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay” led Night 2 of the 78th Emmys with eight Emmys wins— putting it firmly in the frontrunners position among comedy contenders heading into the Primetime ceremony on September 14.
“Widow’s Bay” was one of several big wins for Apple TV, which wound up scoring 18 Emmys on Night 2, more than any other outlet. Other big hauls for the streamer included “Pluribus” with four wins, as well as three apiece for “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” and “Palm Royale.”
Among the “Widow’s Bay” wins: Betty Gilpin landed the guest actress in a comedy series Emmy. The show also picked up casting for a comedy series, music supervision, cinematography for a series (half hour), sound mixing for a comedy or drama series (half hour) and animation, sound editing for a comedy or drama series (half hour) and animation, music composition for a series (original dramatic score) and production design for a narrative program (half hour).
Also dominating on Sunday: HBO Max’s “DTF St. Louis,” which won six total on Sunday. The program both supporting acting categories for limited/anthology series, with David Harbour and Linda Cardellini, while Steve Conrad won double Emmys for both directing and writing for a limited/anthology series or movie.
This repped the first Emmy wins for both Harbour and Cardellini. During his speech on stage, Harbour said he was really moved by the recognition. He said, “I can’t believe that you’ve embraced our show so much this beautiful, vulnerable, weird show that I love so much.” Cardellini thanked her “DTF family,” including her co-stars Jason Bateman, David Harbour and Joy Sunday, on stage. Addressing showrunner Steve Conrad, she said, “Thank you for your beautiful heart and your beautiful mind. Thank you for this part and giving me this chance.”
Meanwhile, another big winner for the night was a bit of an unexpected surprise. Prime Video’s “Spider-Noir” took home five Emmys just days after learning that the show had been canceled and wouldn’t return for a second season. Despite that unfortunate news, the series won for stunt performance, sound editing for a comedy or drama series (one hour), title design, special visual effects in a single episode and cinematography for a series (one hour).
Speaking about the cancellation of the show while having a triumphant moment at the Emmys, supervising stunt coordinator Freddy Bouciegues said, “I’m excited because we got to do a cool show. We got to do some big action. We got to do everything we wanted. Our showrunners let us let the stunt team. We came to the table with ideas. They said, ‘Yes, run with it,’ and we got to do everything we wanted.” Added stunt coordinator Hugh Aodh O’Brien: “I’m happy we got the win, and that’s, I guess the icing on the cake.”
Perhaps the most emotional moment of the evening came when the late Rob Reiner won the comedy guest actor Emmy, posthumously, for his role on “The Bear.” The audience inside the Peacock Theatre gave Reiner’s win a lengthy standing ovation.
“Paradise” star Shailene Woodley won for guest actress in a drama series. Speaking about her win, Woodley told members of the press, “I’m a fan of the show and I’m a small piece of it and I feel very excited to be on board their bigger mission and to have my little slice of the pie and contribute what I was able to contribute.” She added, “I think that the show is so dynamic in its range, and the fact that it’s a sci-fi show that brings so much humanity and art to the genre is really unparalleled.”
Also, Julie Andrews won her fourth Emmy, landing the award in the character voice-over performance category. This was her second win in the category. The first time around, Andrews made history as the oldest woman ever to win at age 89. At 90, she extended her own record at the ceremony.
The Sunday ceremony included 53 categories mostly focused in the scripted arena (Night 1 was centered on unscripted categories). Among the key races are the guest star categories in both comedy and drama, as well as animated program, cinematography, character voice-over, stunt performance, costumes and makeup.
RELATED: Bad Bunny ‘Super Bowl Halftime Show,’ ‘Muppets’ and ‘Traitors’ Win Night 1 Creative Arts Emmy Awards
But perhaps the most anticipated categories of the night come with a bit of controversy: In order to free up time during NBC’s Emmys ceremony on Sept. 14, five categories originally expected to be passed out during the telecast were instead moved to tonight. That includes writing for a variety series, supporting actor and actress in a limited/anthology series or movie, directing for a limited series/anthology or movie and writing for a limited series/anthology or movie.
Meanwhile, with so many major awards switching to what has traditionally been known as the “Creative Arts Emmys,” the TV Academy also dropped the “Creative Arts” distinction for the Sept. 5 and Sept. 6 ceremonies — and now refers to all three events (including the Sept. 14 telecast) as simply the “Emmys.”
Also on Sunday, the Television Academy handed out its first-ever “Legacy Award,” given to “I Love Lucy” — the series that set the blueprint for sitcoms and created the template for TV syndication. As announced in January, the new Legacy Award was created to recognize television programs “that have made a profound and lasting impact on audiences and remain relevant to society, culture and the industry.” The org’s Special Awards committee (formerly known as the Governors Award committee) selects candidates for the Legacy Award annually, and then the Board of Governors votes on the entries.
“Lucy’s electric energy and elastic physicality didn’t just influence me, it became a part of me,” said June Diane Raphael (“The Morning Show”), who introduced the honor. “.Without Lucy we don’t have Carol Burnett, Tina Fey or Kristen Wiig. Lucy’s performances were all so vanity free. What could be more beautiful.”
Bringing production back to Los Angeles was a theme among the artisans throughout the evening. “Palm Royale” costume designer Alix Friedberg praised her team. She said, “This show was built with the hands of the most incredibly talented costume teams, textile artists, and builders based in the great city of L.A.”
She was one of the many winners of the night to give a shout out to Los Angeles. Similarly, “The Pitt” casting director Cathy Sandrich Gelfond spoke backstage and about working in the city. She said, “We’re so happy to give all these actors jobs and bring work back to L.A.”
“Fallout” costume designer Dayna Pink, who won the outstanding fantasy/sci-fi costumes category, also praised the Prime Video show which shot season 2 in the city. Speaking backstage, Pink said it was great to shoot in Los Angeles because of all the resources in the city.
“The rental houses are here. We have great crews here, and supporting this city in particular, spreads out,” she said. “It isn’t just the costumes, but the more people that are here, the more businesses we can help along, because this business has had a tough time.” She added, “I’m really proud to be part of something that’s shooting in California and how important it is for Jonathan Nolan to make that happen.”
Prime Video’s “Spider-Noir” took home five Emmys just days after learning that the show had been canceled and wouldn’t return for a second season. Despite that, the stunt team from the show won for stunt performance, while the series also won for sound editing for a comedy or drama series (one hour), title design, special visual effects in a single episode and cinematography for a series (one hour).
Meanwhile, on Saturday’s Night 1, “The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny” led the pack with seven Emmys, including a win for the singer himself. It won for outstanding choreography for variety or reality programming (Charm La’Donna, Karina Ortiz), outstanding production design for a variety special Bruce Rodgers), outstanding music direction (Miguel Gandelman) and outstanding variety special (live). That was followed by Peacock’s “The Traitors,” which won six.
The first two nights of the Emmys will be edited into a single special, set to air Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. on FXX, and streaming the next day on Hulu.
Here are the nominees and winners for the categories honored during this year’s Emmys Night 2, updated throughout the evening: