'Widow's Bay' breaks Emmy record with 14 including Outstanding Comedy Series

When I wrote 'Widow's Bay' wins 8 Emmys and could win up to 6 more, I was anticipating a possible sweep by Widow's Bay with Hacks winning only one award. That happened. Widow's Bay won all six categories it was contesting Monday night, including Outstanding Comedy Series. Time to revisit the predictions.

Gold Derby's prognosticators reacted to Widow's Bay's Creative Arts Emmy Awards eight wins the same way they did to DTF St. Louis winning six Emmy Awards, elevating it over the prior favorite, Hacks. The latest odds have improved 26% for Widow's Bay while they've dropped 24% for Hacks, as 87.0% of experts, 70.0% of editors, and 65.8% of users are now voting for Widow's Bay, while 13.0% of experts. 30.0% of editors, and 32.7% of users are sticking with Hacks. The remaining 1.5% of users have made long-shot bets on the rest of the nominees, 0.4% each for Abbott Elementary and The Bear (lo, how the mighty have fallen!), 0.3% each for Margo's Got Money Troubles and Only Murders in the Building, and 0.1% for Nobody Wants This. No one picked poor Shrinking.

The oddsmakers continued to move to Widow's Bay, which had the votes of 89.3% of experts, 77.8% of editors, and 74.3% of users, while support for Hacks fell to 10.7% of experts, 22.2% of editors, and 24.4% of users as people at Gold Derby jumped aboard the Widow's Bay bandwagon. Like DTF St. Louis, the bandwagoneers called it. Watch Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

The team from Widow's Bay accept the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 78th Emmy Awards.

Congratulations! I'll have a winnerview from Katie Dippold, who accepted the award, just above the jump. In the meantime, I'm moving on to Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, the one comedy category not won by Widow's Bay.

Meanwhile, the Gold Derby odds have actually improved for Jean Smart by 2% this week as every editor, 91.7% of experts, and 92.1% of users expect she will repeat for her final turn at the role. Speaking of final turns, the remaining 8.3% of experts along with 5.6% [of users] chose Lisa Kudrow for her final season of The Comeback. The rest of the users distributed their picks among Saturn Award winner Elle Fanning with 1.4%, Quinta Brunson with 0.8%, and Ayo Edebiri with 0.2%.

Every expert joined all of the editors and 94.6% of the users expecting Jean Smart to win, which she did. Watch Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

Jean Smart accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks at the 78th Emmy Awards.

Smart continued being funny in Jean Smart: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Jean Smart from Hacks talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

Congratulations to Smart on her final Emmy for Hacks and good luck with Paradise General!

On the other hand, the odds for Matthew Rhys increased 2% this week as every editor and expert along with 95.5% of users expect he will walk away from the podium with his second Emmy (he's likely to get a third for the show as a producer). Martin Short is the users' second choice with 3.0%, followed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jason Segal tied at 0.6%, then Steve Carell with the final 0.3%.

By the time of the ceremony, 97.0% of the users joined every editor and expert in predicting Rhys. They were right. Watch Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

Matthew Rhys accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay. After his win for The Beast in Me, it is his second Emmy win of the night.

Listen to that ovation! They knew they were seeing history in the making! Also, it's not every year I hear Welsh at an awards ceremony.

Now Matthew Rhys: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview, which I promised in the previous installment of this series.

Matthew Rhys talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me, and the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay.

Again, congratulations!

The Gold Derby odds for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series had been close until Sunday, but that night's results caused Kate O'Flynn to fly high above Hannah Einbeinder, as O'Flynn's chances rose 16%, while Einbeinder's dropped 14% and Janelle James' odds sank 2% with hers. O'Flynn is now the choice of 83.3% of experts, 60.0% of editors and 74.3% of users, while Einbeinder retains 12.5% of experts, 30.0% of editors, and 21.7% of users. James has the remaining 4.2% of experts plus 2.5% of users. Professional and user opinion splits on the rest of the field, as the last 10.0% of experts but only 0.4% of users decided Dale Dickey deserves the Emmy, while 1.1% of users made Michelle Pfeiffer their choice. No one is picking Megan Stalter or Jessica Williams.

More of Gold Derby climbed aboard the bandwagon by the ceremony, when 93.1% of experts, 66.7% of editors, and 79.0% of users were riding it to victory. Watch Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

Kate O'Flynn accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

O'Flynn had more to say in Kate O'Flynn: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Kate O'Flynn from Widow's Bay talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Congratulations! Now on to the last acting category today, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Harrison Ford's odds dropped 8% this week pulling Paul W. Downs 3% with him while Stephen Root's chances rose 11%. Even so, Ford still leads with the support of 58.3% of experts, 20.0% of editors, and 57.2% of users, while Root is gaining as the choice of 80.0% of editors, 25.0% of experts, and 33.9% of users. Gold Derby's editors really like Widow's Bay. Downs' chances depend on retaining 12.5% of experts and 4.7% of users. Professionals and amateurs diverge on fourth on the odds, as 4.2% of experts but only 0.4% of users count Colman Domingo in, while 3.1% of users opt for Nick Offerman. Tyler James Williams' chances also fell 1% this week as he now has the votes of 0.5% of users, while Michael Urie retains the support of 0.1% of users.

Ford barely led by Monday's ceremony with the support of 57.1% of experts, 10.0% of editors, and 54.2% of users, while is voters drifted to Root, who ended up with the backing of 90.0% of editors but still 25.0% of experts and 37.4% of users. As I've written, the editors love Widow's Bay and they were right. Watch Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

Stephen Root accepts the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy for Widow's Bay at the 78th Emmy Awards.

Root was a good sport, thanking his fellow actors and Harrison Ford, who appreciated it. He had more to say in Stephen Root: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Stephen Root from Widow's Bay talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

I'm with Albert Lawrence; don't let Root's words fall on deaf ears.

Despite my using the image for Lucia Aniello of Hacks, she's in second in Gold Derby's odds behind Hiro Murai of Widow's Bay, whose chances rose 13% this week while Aniello's fell 12%. Murai is the choice of 92.0% of experts, 90.0% of editors, and 83.5% of users while Aniello retains 8.0% of experts, 10.0% of editors, and 15.4% of users. The rest of the nominees have 0.1-0.6% users support each.

One of the experts moved from Murai to Aniello, lowering his percentage to 10.0%, while multiple users shifted to Murai, raising their portion to 89.7%. Still, the overwhelming portion called it. Watch Directing for a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

Hiro Murai accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay at the 78th Emmy Awards.

That was a very modest acceptance speech, which carried over to Hiro Murai: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Hiro Murai talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for Widow’s Bay.

I appreciated Murai's insights into the fine line between comedy and horror, which has now had a great year at the Emmys to match the genre's great year at the Oscars.

Hacks' odds fell 6% but the show still leads, barely, as the choice of 52.0% of experts, 30.0% of editors, and 76.7% of users while Widow's Bay rose 6% but still sits in a close second with 48.0% of experts, 70.0% of editors, and 20.9% of users. I told you, the editors love Widow's Bay. The rest of the nominees have between 1.4% and 0.2% of users choosing them.

Another 10% of editors switched to Widow's Bay for a total of 90.0% by Monday night, where the Emmy electorate proved them right. Watch Writing for a Comedy Series: 78th Emmys.

Katie Dippold accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay.

Dippold is just as funny and clever in person as she is on the page as translated to the screen. That carried over to Katie Dippold: 78th Emmy Awards Winnerview.

Katie Dippold talks to Albert Lawrence backstage at the 78th Emmy Awards after winning the Emmy for Writing For A Comedy Series for Widow's Bay.

Lawrence has been trying to get the winners to spoil Season 2 all evening and failed every time. Nice try!

Follow over the jump for comedy winners other than Widow's Bay at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

'Widow's Bay' wins 8 Emmys and could win up to 6 more

I closed 'PBS NewsHour' on 9/11 25 years later by telling my readers, "Stay tuned for more Emmy Awards coverage. Tragedy today, comedy tomorrow." I begin by sharing 78th Emmys Nominations: Comedy Series from the Television Academy.

The nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series are Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, Margo's Got Money Troubles, Nobody Wants This, Only Murders In The Building, Shrinking and Widow's Bay.

Widow's Bay was the big winner Sunday night, taking home eight Emmys. It also has seven nominations at next Monday's Primetime Emmy Awards, tying it with Hacks, which only earned one Emmy on Sunday. Abbott Elementary follows with six pending nominations but no wins, then Shrinking with five nominations, Margo's Got Money Troubles with four nominations pending and three wins, The Bear with three nominations and one win, Only Murders in the Building with two nominations, and Nobody Wants This with only this one.

Gold Derby's prognosticators reacted to Widow's Bay's Creative Arts Emmy Awards eight wins the same way they did to DTF St. Louis winning six Emmy Awards, elevating it over the prior favorite, Hacks. The latest odds have improved 26% for Widow's Bay while they've dropped 24% for Hacks, as 87.0% of experts, 70.0% of editors, and 65.8% of users are now voting for Widow's Bay, while 13.0% of experts. 30.0% of editors, and 32.7% of users are sticking with Hacks. The remaining 1.5% of users have made long-shot bets on the rest of the nominees, 0.4% each for Abbott Elementary and The Bear (lo, how the mighty have fallen!), 0.3% each for Margo's Got Money Troubles and Only Murders in the Building, and 0.1% for Nobody Wants This. No one picked poor Shrinking.

The next category in Gold Derby order is 78th Emmys Nominations: Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series are Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, Elle Fanning, Lisa Kudrow and Jean Smart.

Meanwhile, the Gold Derby odds have actually improved for Jean Smart by 2% this week as every editor, 91.7% of experts, and 92.1% of users expect she will repeat for her final turn at the role. Speaking of final turns, the remaining 8.3% of experts along with 5.6% chose Lisa Kudrow for her final season of The Comeback. The rest of the users distributed their picks among Saturn Award winner Elle Fanning with 1.4%, Quinta Brunson with 0.8%, and Ayo Edebiri with 0.2%.

The last category that the Television Academy uploaded a video for is 78th Emmys Nominations: Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series are Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Steve Carell, Matthew Rhys, Jason Segel, and Martin Short.

On the other hand, the odds for Matthew Rhys increased 2% this week as every editor and expert along with 95.5% of users expect he will walk away from the podium with his second Emmy (he's likely to get a third for the show as a producer). Martin Short is the users' second choice with 3.0%, followed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jason Segal tied at 0.6%, then Steve Carell with the final 0.3%.

The Gold Derby odds for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series had been close until Sunday, but that night's results caused Kate O'Flynn to fly high above Hannah Einbeinder, as O'Flynn's chances rose 16%, while Einbeinder's dropped 14% and Janelle James' odds sank 2% with hers. O'Flynn is now the choice of 83.3% of experts, 60.0% of editors and 74.3% of users, while Einbeinder retains 12.5% of experts, 30.0% of editors, and 21.7% of users. James has the remaining 4.2% of experts plus 2.5% of users. Professional and user opinion splits on the rest of the field, as the last 10.0% of experts but only 0.4% of users decided Dale Dickey deserves the Emmy, while 1.1% of users made Michelle Pfeiffer their choice. No one is picking Megan Stalter or Jessica Williams.

Harrison Ford's odds dropped 8% this week pulling Paul W. Downs 3% with him while Stephen Root's chances rose 11%. Even so, Ford still leads with the support of 58.3% of experts, 20.0% of editors, and 57.2% of users, while Root is gaining as the choice of 80.0% of editors, 25.0% of experts, and 33.9% of users. Gold Derby's editors really like Widow's Bay. Downs' chances depend on retaining 12.5% of experts and 4.7% of users. Professionals and amateurs diverge on fourth on the odds, as 4.2% of experts but only 0.4% of users count Colman Domingo in, while 3.1% of users opt for Nick Offerman. Tyler James Williams' chances also fell 1% this week as he now has the votes of 0.5% of users, while Michael Urie retains the support of 0.1% of users.

Those are all the nominees in front of the camera. Follow over the jump for all the nominees behind the camera and the winners on Sunday night.

'South Park' leads Outstanding Animated Series while 'Star Wars: Visions' has already won an Emmy

I'm resuming my awards show coverage with the animation nominations. Here are the nominees and winners (yes, already) at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Animated Program

• Bob's Burgers: "Grand Pre-Pre-Pre-Opening" (Fox)
• Rick and Morty: "There's Something About Morty" (Adult Swim)
• The Simpsons: "Homer? A Cracker Bro?" (Fox)
• Smiling Friends: "Le Voyage Incroyable de Monsieur Grenouille" (Adult Swim)
• South Park: "Sermon on the 'Mount" (Comedy Central)
• Star Wars: Visions: "BLACK" (Disney+)

South Park leads with three nominations, followed by Star Wars: Visions with one nomination and a win, The Simpsons with two nominations, and Bob's Burgers, Rick and Morty, and Smiling Friends with just this one nomination. Gold Derby's prediction page for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards also has South Park leading, as every editor, 90.9% of experts, and 92.6% of users believe it will win with professional and user opinion split among the rest of the nominees with the remaining 9.1% of experts and 1.7% of users selecting Smiling Friends while Bob's Burgers and The Simpsons tied at 2.5% of users each, followed by Rick and Morty with the final 0.8% of users. No one at Gold Derby thinks Star Wars: Visions has a chance, but the series earned an Emmy anyway in the next category.

Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation (Juried)

• Eyes of Wakanda: "Into the Lion's Den" – Uzoma Dunkwu (Disney+)‡
• Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal: "Kingdom of Sorrow" – David Krentz (Adult Swim)‡
• Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal: "Vengeance of Death" – Scott Wills (Adult Swim)‡
• The Mighty Nein: "Mote of Possibility" – Howard Chen (Prime Video)‡
• Star Wars: Visions: "The Duel: Payback" – Takashi Okazaki (Disney+)‡

Congratulations to all the winners, including Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal twice!

I covered the next category in 'The Muppet Show' leads Taylor Swift and 'Wicked' for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) at the Emmys.

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance

• Pamela Adlon – King of the Hill: "Any Given Hill-Day" as Bobby Hill (Hulu)
• Julie Andrews – Bridgerton: "The Waltz" as Lady Whistledown (Netflix)
• Hank Azaria – The Simpsons: "Keep Chalm and Gary On" as Gary Chalmers (Fox)
• Trey Parker – South Park: "The Crap Out" as Satan (Comedy Central)
• Matt Vogel – The Muppet Show as Kermit the Frog (Disney+)
• Steven Yeun – Invincible: "Don't Leave Me Hanging Here" as Mark Grayson / Invincible (Prime Video)

Julie Andrews leads with every expert, 66.7% of editors, and 79.6% of Gold Derby users selecting her to win. She's followed by Pamela Adlon with the remaining 33.3% of editors and 12.4% of users. The rest of the users are split among Trey Parker with 4.4%, Matt Vogel with 1.8%, then Hank Azaria and Steven Yeun tied at 0.9%.

The prognosticators are consolidating around Julie Andrews as every expert, 75% of editors, and 85.1% of users are now choosing her to win. Meanwhile, 25% of editors and 9.9% of users remain with Pamela Adlon, 4.1% of users are sticking with Trey Parker, and 0.8% maintain their support for Matt Vogel. Hank Azaria and Steven Yuen have lost all their voters. That took less than a week!

Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics

• The Boys: "The Frenchman, the Female, and the Man Called Mother's Milk" – "Raise Him Up" by Christopher Lennertz and Daveed Diggs (Prime Video)
• Hacks: "EGOT" – "Mis Figuritas" by Carlos Rafael Rivera and David Stal (HBO Max)
• The Pitt: "12:00 P.M." – "Need Someone" by Gavin Brivik and Andrew Bird (HBO Max)
• South Park: "The Crap Out" – "Christian Woman" by Trey Parker (Comedy Central)
• Spider-Noir: "A Mistake I'll Never Make Again" – "The Devil You Know" by Warren Oak Felder, Sebastian Kole, and Daniel Pemberton (MGM+ / Prime Video)
• Wednesday: "Woe Me the Money" – "The Dead Dance" by Lady Gaga, Andrew Watt, and Henry Russell Walter (Netflix)

This is a three-way contest for the Emmy according to Gold Derby among "The Dead Dance" from Wednesday with 45.5% of experts, 50% of editors, and 56.3% of users expecting Lady Gaga will win her first Emmy, 27.3% of experts, 25% of editors, and 25.2% of users predicting The Boys will repeat with "Raise Him Up," and 18.2% of experts, the remaining 25% of editors, and 16.8% of users hoping Hacks will take home the Emmy for "Mis Figuritas." User and professional opinion split on their final choice, as 1.7% of users think "The Devil You Know" from Spider-Noir is the dark horse while the remaining 9.1% of experts think "Need Someone" will pick up a trophy as part of a sweep by The Pitt. No one thinks "Christian Woman" will win. Listen to A Christian Woman Knows Her Place — Singing ONLY — SOUTH PARK Christmas Song S28 Ep5 and hear why.

That's mean comedy like one would expect from South Park (and Borat) that succeeds at being a deliberately a bad song, bad enough to make me root even harder for Lady Gaga.

Follow over the jump for a category Gold Derby didn't handicap.

'The Boys' and 'Widow's Bay' lead TV winners at the Critics Choice Super Awards

I wrote yesterday that "the Critics Choice Super Awards winners will be announced later today, so I'm going to shift focus to those this weekend." That happened, so I'm quoting Winners Announced For The Critics Choice Association’s 6th Annual “Critics Choice Super Awards”.

“THE BOYS” AND “WIDOW’S BAY” LEAD TELEVISION WINNERS WITH THREE WINS EACH
...
“The Boys” and “Widow’s Bay” were the standouts among this year’s television winners, each taking home three trophies. “The Boys” earned three wins from its five nominations, including Best Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie. Antony Starr won Best Actor in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie, as well as Best Villain in a Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie. “Widow’s Bay” swept all three categories in which it was nominated, with wins for Best Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie; Matthew Rhys for Best Actor in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie; and Kate O’Flynn for Best Actress in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie.

I called most of these. In 'The Boys' leads TV nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards, I wrote "This is a three-way contest among The Boys, Fallout, and Spider-Noir" — The Boys and Spider-Noir tied — and "I think Starr has the best shot at winning [Best Villain in a Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie], as he's the only nominee here who is also nominated for a Best Actor in a genre TV show category" — he won, again. I also called Danielle Brooks winning Best Actress in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie for her role in Peacemaker. On the other hand, I thought Best Actor in a Superhero Series was "between Cage and Abdul-Mateen," but Starr won. I'm O.K. with that, as he's won this award before.

I also called the wins for Widow's Bay. I wrote "Dexter: Resurrection and Widow's Bay are the favorites, which I'm resolving in favor of Widow's Bay... Matthew Rhys...[is] going to win here, [and] I can see Kate O’Flynn winning this award as part of a Widow's Bay sweep..." Widow's Bay swept!

Follow over the jump for the TV winners not mentioned in the lead paragraphs of the press release.

'Dexter: Resurrection' and 'Widow's Bay' lead horror TV nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards

As I promised yesterday, I'm continuing my series on the Critics Choice Super Awards with the horror nominees. Here they are from the press release.

BEST HORROR SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE

The Beauty
The Boroughs
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
Dexter: Resurrection
Ghosts
IT: Welcome to Derry
Wednesday
Widow’s Bay

Dexter: Resurrection and Widow's Bay lead this field with three nominations each, The Boroughs, Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, IT: Welcome to Derry, and Wednesday follow tied at two, and The Beauty and Ghosts each have just this one. On that basis alone, Dexter: Resurrection and Widow's Bay are the favorites, which I'm resolving in favor of Widow's Bay, which I voted for in the 2026 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. It also has 19 nominations at the Emmy Awards while Wednesday has six, It: Welcome to Derry two, and the rest none. The critics are not the Hollywood creatives, but both still embody elite entertainment opinion, so they are likely to agree on Widow's Bay. As I usually write about awards shows but haven't written before in this series, electorates matter.

Follow over the jump for the acting categories.