The second night of the 78th Emmy Awards ceremony took place in Los Angeles on September 6. The evening's main triumphant winner was the Apple TV+ comedy series 'Widows Bay,' which collected eight statuettes, while HBO Max and Prime Video projects also marked several wins. By the end of the night, the leader in total number of awards was the Apple TV+ platform, which received 18 prizes, surpassing all other streaming services and television channels.
New Format: Three Evenings Instead of One Ceremony
The current 78th ceremony is being held in an updated format: awards are presented over three evenings — September 5, 6, and 14. The first two nights are devoted primarily to professional categories, while the main television ceremony will take place on September 14 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. That is why the results of each night should be viewed as a separate slice of wins, rather than as a complete list of the year's laureates.
'Widows Bay' and the Triumph of Apple TV+
The comedy series 'Widows Bay' led the second night, receiving eight awards. Among them was Betty Gilpin's win in the category of 'Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series,' as well as prizes for casting, musical accompaniment, cinematography, sound, sound editing, original dramatic music, and set design. For Apple TV+, the evening as a whole turned out to be very successful: the platform collected 18 awards, with the series 'Pluribus' receiving four statuettes, and 'Margo's Money Problems' and 'Palm Royale' — three each.
HBO Max and Prime Video: Unexpected Wins
The second place in number of wins was taken by the HBO Max series 'HCS. St. Louis.' David Harbour won in the category of 'Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Movie,' and Linda Cardellini — in the corresponding female category; for both actors, these are their first Emmy wins. The show's creator, Steve Conrad, also received two awards — for directing and writing. Among the evening's leaders was also the Prime Video series 'Spider-Man Noir,' which received five awards, even though just a few days before the ceremony it was announced that the show would be cancelled after its first season.
Posthumous Award for Rob Reiner and Other Emotional Moments
One of the most emotional moments of the evening was the posthumous win for Rob Reiner, who died together with his wife on December 14, 2025, at the hands of their son Nick. The actor received an Emmy in the category of 'Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series' for his role in 'The Bear.' Also, her first statuette for the series 'Paradise' was awarded to Shailene Woodley.
Results of the First Evening: Bad Bunny, 'The Traitors' and Mariska Cargitey
The first evening of the 78th Emmy Awards took place on September 5. The most awards — seven — went to 'The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny,' which was recognized as the best live variety special, as well as for directing, music, choreography, lighting design, and sound; Bad Bunny himself received his first prize. In second place was the reality show 'The Traitors' with six awards, including Alan Cumming's win in the best host category. 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' collected five statuettes, and 'The Muppets Show' — four, including for the best recorded variety special. In addition, Mariska Cargitey received two prizes for the documentary 'My Mom Jane' — her first Emmys 20 years after her win for the role in 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'; the actress will host the September 14 ceremony.
Contradictory Data
The source material contains a small inconsistency: the caption to one of the photos mentions the 'team of the series "Pitt" with their Emmy awards,' however in the breakdown of the second night's wins the series 'Pitt' does not appear in the list of laureates, while in the nominees announcement it was mentioned as one of the favorites. Also, the name of the Apple TV+ series is rendered differently in various sources ('Widows Bay,' 'Widow's Bay'), which is merely a difference in transliteration, not a factual contradiction. The exact list of 'Pitt's' awards on the second night is not disclosed in the provided sources.
