Cast and crew of “Widow’s Bay” including Colton Dunn, presenter Woody Harrelson, Katie Dippold, Matthew Rhys, Carver Karaszewski, Neil Casey, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Jeff Hiller and Kevin Carroll, accept the Outstanding Comedy Series Award on stage during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026.
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Who won the most Emmys? Move over, HBO and Netflix—the Television Academy has a new favorite. Less than a decade after launching its TV operations, Apple TV emerged as the biggest winner at Monday night’s Primetime Emmy Awards, winning more trophies than any other network and establishing a new standard for streaming.
Led by critical darling Widow’s Bay, which won Outstanding Comedy Series as well as a slew of other acting, writing and technical awards, Apple TV garnered 29 trophies (including one for a commercial). Widow’s Bay, which set a new record for victories by a first-year comedy, finished with 14 total.
That included historic victories for lead actor Matthew Rhys, who became the first man ever to take home two lead actor trophies on the same night (he also won for limited/anthology series for The Beast in Me), and acclaimed director Hiro Murai, who became the first Asian winner of the best comedy directing award.
It marked the first time in a decade that Netflix or HBO did not finish as the night’s top network. And it capped a slow but increasingly urgent rise for Apple, which only began producing streaming content in 2019.
Who Won Most Emmys: Apple TV Builds Strength In Comedy
Apple TV’s first critical and commercial hit was The Morning Show, which launched to great hoopla in 2019. It boasted an impeccable cast—headlined Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell—and built on the timeliness of the #MeToo movement.
But while the drama has done well, Apple TV eventually built its bona fides more on comedy. During the pandemic, it launched Ted Lasso, which went on to become its first best comedy winner and earned 61 nominations (13 wins) during its initial three-year run. The show recently relaunched for a fourth season.
Last year, The Studio became Apple TV’s latest breakout hit. It set the record that Widow’s Bay broke Monday night for most comedy wins by a first-year program, including best comedy and best actor for Seth Rogen.
This year, a couple dramas also shared in Apple TV’s fun. Pluribus won several high-profile trophies, including best actress in a drama for Rhea Seehorn, and Slow Horses also earned a victory for outstanding director for a drama series for Saul Metzstein.
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