The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards are here, and much like a passing glance at a cloudless night sky, the stars are out!
But this is no time for puns! Television’s biggest night was hosted by “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” icon Mariska Hargitay, and there were plenty of big wins and upsets.
See some of the night’s biggest snubs and surprises below.
Despite being a more subtle character study compared to buzzy heavy hitters like the second season of “Beef” and the Matthew Rhys-led “The Beast in Me,” it ended up with seven statues, including top honors.
My colleague Clayton Davis wrote about it at length, but every lead and supporting acting award went to a white performer this year. Why is this still happening in 2026?
Swift did indeed support her BFF Hargitay’s hosting gig, pre-taping a comedy sketch so she could also attend her husband Travis Kelce’s first game of the season with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Isaac’s performance in “Beef” was predicted to win by the pundits, but Rhys pulled off a record win, taking both lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie and lead actor in a comedy series.
With starry and showy noms like Noah Wyle and Vince Gilligan, “Slow Horses” director Saul Metzstein sneaked in with a win for the episode “Scars.”
While Allison Janney is brilliant, it’s likely that “Pitt” vote splitting opened the lane for her work on “The Diplomat” to be recognized.
The writing category is always full of surprises, and the dramatic side of the category was no different, with Gilligan’s out-there “Pluribus” besting more down-to-earth storytelling.
A bit of background: In 2015, outstanding variety series was broken into two categories: outstanding variety sketch series and outstanding talk series. This year, the split was reversed; the categories were merged. Given all of the controversy about his show ending, Colbert certainly had a shot at winning the combined category, as he won talk series last year. But it had to squeeze by the juggernaut of John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight,” which consistently won the variety sketch series statue.
It’s no surprise that Mulaney was funny, but his introduction to lead actor in a dramatic series squeezed so many laughs and inside-baseball showbiz jokes that it gave the night a great jolt. Also bonus for nominee Mark Ruffalo chuckling along in the crowd. That man deserves a hearty laugh!
Despite what the pundits may have predicted, it seems so wonderful that a character as deliciously weird as Patricia Moyer can be victorious at a major award show. O’Flynn is just too undeniable on “Widow’s Bay.”
Brevity is the soul of wit, and this year’s ceremony kept things tight! “Leave ’em wanting more” is a mantra that other award shows could stand to learn …
There was a moment that, while the duo was lounging in bed together watching TV, Smart gave an unmistakable look to her bedmate. Should have kept that camera rolling!
Very few celebs brought their A-game to the red carpet and ceremony. Let’s spice things up a bit next year!
Believe it or not, there are many TV addicts who also love sports. It’s the first week of the NFL returning, the year’s first Monday Night Football and it’s a Kansas City Chiefs game. Award show ratings are struggling … why go up against a gridiron giant?