LOS ANGELES: "Widow's Bay," a horror comedy about a cursed New England town, led this year's Emmy Award winners with a record 14 statuettes, including best comedy, while emergency room drama "The Pitt" repeated as best drama at television's highest honours. Apple TV's "Widow's Bay" overcame the final season of previous winner "Hacks" to earn the comedy prize on Monday night. "Hacks" star Jean Smart won her fifth Emmy for portraying tenacious stand-up comic Deborah Vance, and Matthew Rhys became the first person to win two lead acting honours at the same ceremony, including one for his role as a small-town mayor on "Widow's Bay." Smart's accolade made her the first performer to win the Emmy for best comedy actress for every season of a show's run.
"What a ride this has been!" Smart said on stage after thanking the creators of the HBO Max show. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who won best comedy actress for six of the seven seasons of "Veep," is the only woman to come close to Smart's milestone. The Emmys offered a rare night of celebration as Hollywood grapples with production cutbacks, anxiety over artificial intelligence and the proposed Paramount Skydance PSKY.O purchase of HBO owner Warner Bros. Discovery WBD.O, a deal that has divided the industry and faces legal challenges. Winners largely avoided potentially divisive topics in their acceptance speeches and stuck to thanking their families and co-stars.
"The Pitt" actor Noah Wyle said it felt "overwhelming" to land his second straight Emmy for playing Dr. "Robby" Robinavitch on the HBO Max medical drama set in a Pittsburgh trauma centre. Describing himself as a "Hollywood kid," Wyle told the Emmy audience, "This is the only club I've ever wanted to join. Thank you for accepting me." Rhys claimed awards for best comedy actor for "Widow's Bay" and for best actor in a limited series for the Netflix psychological thriller "The Beast in Me." The Welsh actor said he felt "slightly giddy and a little bit dizzy" to receive the honours.
"At the moment, I genuinely can't believe what's just happened," he told reporters backstage. "I'm from a small country, and I'm glad we get moments to put our flag on the map and say we punch higher than our weight sometimes in Wales," Rhys added. In other awards, "Widow's Bay" star Stephen Root upset favourite Harrison Ford of "Shrinking" for best supporting actor in a comedy. "Widow's Bay" also claimed awards for supporting actress, directing and writing. Combined with technical and other awards handed out earlier this month, the show earned 14 Emmys, a record for a comedy in a single season.