The horror comedy Widow's Bay and the medical series The Pitt confirmed their status as favorites on Monday at the Emmy Awards, and dominated this equivalent of the Oscars of American television at mid-evening. Produced by Apple TV, Widowâs Bay notably stacked up the trophies. Its creator Katie Dippold received the award for best screenplay, for this series about a New England mayor trying to revive tourism on his island, reputed to be haunted. Its director Hiro Murai was also rewarded.
Matthew Rhys, who plays this whimsical councilor, won the best actor award. âThis is all due to the depraved and twisted mind of Katie Dippold, and her genius truly lies in the recesses of her deranged brain,â said the Scottish actor, also awarded for his performance in the mini-series The Beast in Me.
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Widowâs Bay also won Best Supporting Actor awards for Kate OâFlynn and Stephen Root. Nominated in 19 categories, the series could break the record for the number of awards won by a comedy, previously held by the Hollywood satire The Studio with 13 awards in one ceremony.
Record for Jean Smart
Widowâs Bay thus threatens to steal the spotlight from Hacks, another comedy which nevertheless took the lead with 24 nominations. Its star Jean Smart, who plays an aging stand-up star forced to collaborate with a young screenwriter to revive her career, won a fifth consecutive Best Actress Emmy for the role. Enough to bring her total to eight Emmys in her career, which allows her to join the circle of the most successful actresses with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Cloris Leachman and Allison Janney. âThank you all so much! What an adventure it was!â, thanked the 75-year-old actress.
Already crowned best drama series last year, The Pitt, halfway between Urgences and 24 Heures Chrono, is aiming for the double. The series, which follows hour by hour the day of emergency workers at a hospital in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), addresses subjects as sensitive as the right to abortion, migration policy or shootings. With 25 nominations, a record this year, the series has already won four awards during the preliminary ceremonies, including that for best casting. Its star Noah Wyle, who plays the head of the department, won the award for best actor in the âdrama seriesâ category. âItâs overwhelming,â thanked the 55-year-old actor. âI grew up in Los Angeles. I am a child of Hollywood. I was raised in front of television, and cinemas were my place of worship,â he added. âItâs all Iâve ever wanted to do, and itâs the only club Iâve ever dreamed of being a part of. Thank you for accepting me among you.â Seven of his co-stars from The Pitt are named in supporting roles.
The Pluribus phenomenon
The expected triumph of The Pitt did not prevent the Pluribus phenomenon from shining. The new series from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan caused a sensation this year thanks to its dystopian storyline. Rhea Seehorn, who plays a misanthropic novelist alone in an ocean of happiness because she is immune to a virus that makes humanity entirely blissful, was voted best actress. âThank you, Vince Gilligan, for not only giving me the role of my life, but also for creating sets where we can all collaborate, and where we are truly allowed to feel safe to take risks, to improve as artists,â said the 54-year-old actress.
As for mini-series, DTF St. Louis (HBO Max), chronicle of a love triangle that goes wrong, won the Emmy Award in this prestigious category reserved for single-season series. The series has already won six awards last week during a preliminary ceremony, including two for its performers David Harbor and Linda Cardellini. In addition to the usual trophy presentations, the 78th Emmy Awards ceremony will notably honor country singer Dolly Parton, who died at the end of August. The evening also honored Stephen Colbert and his âLate Showâ hated by Donald Trump. After the controversy linked to its elimination by CBS in the spring, the show was voted best variety program.
