'Widow's Bay' scores big and 'The Pitt' wins again at TV's Emmy Awards

"The Widow's Bay" horror comedy, set in a cursed New England town, claimed 14 Emmy Awards, including best comedy, in a record-breaking year. The series topped the competition, even surpassing the final season of the previous winner "Hacks." Jean Smart, who portrayed a tenacious stand-up comic on "Hacks," won her fifth Emmy for best comedy actress, making her the first performer to achieve this milestone for a single series.

Matthew Rhys won back-to-back lead acting awards, one for his role as a small-town mayor on "Widow's Bay" and another for the Netflix psychological thriller "The Beast in Me." Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who won best comedy actress for six of the seven seasons of "Veep," was the only woman to come close to Smart's achievement. The Emmy Awards provided a rare celebration for Hollywood as the industry navigated production cutbacks, concerns over artificial intelligence, and the contentious Paramount Skydance purchase of Warner Bros.

Discovery. Noah Wyle, who played Dr. "Robby" Robinavitch on "The Pitt," expressed his overwhelming joy at winning his second consecutive Emmy for the HBO Max medical drama. Rhys, who won for best comedy actor and best actor in a limited series for "Widow's Bay," felt "slightly giddy and a little bit dizzy" upon receiving the honors.

Stephen Root won the award for best supporting actor in a comedy, edging out Harrison Ford of "Shrinking." "Widow's Bay" also claimed awards for supporting actress, directing, and writing, making it Apple TV's record-breaking show with 14 Emmys. "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," which was canceled by CBS and aired its final episode that year, won best variety series.

HBO Max murder mystery "DTF St. Louis" won best limited series, while best drama actress went to Rhea Seehorn for her role in "Pluribus." The Hollywood Foreign Press Association honored Michael J. Fox for his advocacy for Parkinson's disease research and treatment.