Many well-crafted series were in the running, yet few stood out for their originality. Who took home the Emmys?

More so than the Oscars, the Emmy Awards for television give the impression of an eternal cycle: the judges always reward the same series, as if they had neither the time nor the inclination to watch the (too many) new entries. “Hacks” – showrunners Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky – reached its fifth series in 2026, having racked up a string of awards. Actress Jean Smart swept the board, winning five Emmys in a row. Supporting actress Hannah Einbinder won one, and made her triumphant debut on the big screen thanks to her role as Kris Williams in the film “Camp Miasma – Adolescence, Sex and Death”, directed by Jane Shoenbrun. A horror parody, reimagined through a feminist and queer lens: the most interesting film seen at Cannes 2026.

An eternal return, or perhaps an obsession: last year, “The Studio”, starring Seth Rogen – actor, screenwriter and director – won 13 Emmys out of 23 nominations. It seemed as though no other comedy series was worth mentioning. On the drama front, The Pitt was making its mark – the hospital-set series starring Noah Wyle (after a long apprenticeship, he’d previously had a role in ER, back when George Clooney was running around with a stethoscope). Another Emmy went to “Adolescence”, a miniseries by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, directed by Philip Barantini: a rare example of a “limited series” – as they say in the United States – that remains firmly just that.

“The Pitt” has been honoured once again this year. Amidst stretchers and operating theatres, doctors and nurses are overwhelmed by exhaustion. In near real time – each season is as long as a 15-hour shift. It has won six Emmys. One of our new favourite series has won just as many: a single season, plenty of mysteries, and no idea if or when they’ll be unravelled. We’re talking about “Pluribus”, with showrunner Vince Gilligan and lead actress Rhea Seehorn, who finds herself alone in the world. The world hasn’t disappeared, but it’s gone mad. Happily, we must assume, given that the already-mutated ones recommend the joys of their new condition to the non-mutated (of whom there are fewer than ten left in the world).

A drum roll, to welcome the big winner. It is rare for actors to take home two Emmys in the same year (that usual statuette of dubious taste which they’ll have no idea where to put at home: an angel holding a globe). In 2026, Matthew Rhys managed it. An Emmy for Best Lead Actor for "The Beast in Me" and another Emmy – also for Best Lead Actor – for "Widow’s Bay".

“The Beast in Me” is a miniseries created by Gabe Rotter and directed by Antonio Campos, starring Matthew Rhys alongside Claire Danes (the unforgettable Juliet opposite Romeo—Leonardo DiCaprio—in Baz Luhrmann’s marvellous film “Romeo + Juliet”). Years have passed, and Danes now portrays a writer in crisis. So profound is her creative block that she decides to dedicate a book to her wealthy neighbour, a much-talked-about high-end property developer: rumour has it he killed his wife, who vanished without a trace. He is unpleasant and arrogant. She has just been dumped by her lesbian partner, and, under the pretext of writing the book, she finds herself drawn to him.

“The Widow’s Bay” won 14 awards and received 19 nominations. Matthew Rhys plays an optimistic and visionary mayor who wants to transform the small, fictional island of Widows Bay – situated 40 km off the coast of New England – into a tourist paradise. The locals are opposed; they believe the place is cursed and that tourists bring misfortune, unleashing the forces of evil. The tone is grotesque. Perhaps the awards are concentrated on this series because the rest of the landscape is utterly uneventful. Series that may be well-made, but lacking even a shred of originality.