Emmys 2026: Apple TV Officially Beats Netflix With Record Wins After Breakout Show

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards concluded on the night of September 14, 2026, and it was a night full of big moments. Apple TV‘s Widow’s Bay was named Outstanding Comedy Series, while HBO Max‘s The Pitt took home Outstanding Drama Series. DTF St. Louis won the top prize for Limited or Anthology Series.

Matthew Rhys was easily the star of the evening. He won two lead acting Emmys in one night, for Widow’s Bay and The Beast in Me, becoming the first man ever to do so. Rhea Seehorn finally won her first Emmy for Pluribus, again an Apple TV show, making the platform one of the biggest winners of the night. Jean Smart picked up her fifth and final trophy for Hacks.

This year, Apple TV came out on top with 28 wins. HBO Max finished in second place, while Netflix had to settle for third.

Widow’s Bay Helped Apple TV Dominate the Emmy Awards With 28 Wins

Apple TV has been climbing the Emmy Awards ladder for years, and 2026 is when it finally reached the top. For the first time since its 2019 launch, the streamer led every platform in total wins, and half of its 28 trophies came from just one show.

Widow’s Bay, Katie Dippold‘s horror-comedy starring Matthew Rhys as the mayor of a cursed island town, won 14 Emmys in its debut season. That is now the most wins ever for a comedy in a single year, beating the record of 13 set by Apple’s own The Studio last year. During the main telecast, the show won six major awards:

• Outstanding Comedy Series
• Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Matthew Rhys
• Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Stephen Root
• Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Kate O’Flynn
• Directing for a Comedy Series: Hiro Murai (a historic first for an Asian director in the category)
• Writing for a Comedy Series: Katie Dippold

It also won eight awards at the Creative Arts Emmys, which were awarded last week over two nights. The biggest win for the show during that night was the Guest Actress win for Betty Gilpin. It also won seven other awards for casting, cinematography, production design, music composition, music supervision, sound editing, and sound mixing.

During the main broadcast, other Apple TV shows also pulled their weight. Pluribus won Lead Actress in a Drama for Rhea Seehorn and a writing award for Vince Gilligan. Slow Horses earned the Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series award for Saul Metzstein for the episode, Scars.

At the Creative Emmys, Pluribus won four awards, while Margo’s Got Money Troubles and Palm Royale won three each. It also won the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series for Mr. Scorsese.

Every Platform at the Emmy Awards Ranked by Number of Wins

This year’s Emmys shook up the usual order. HBO Max and Netflix have ruled the tally for most of the last two decades, but Apple TV broke through in a big way. Here is how every major platform performed across the Creative Arts ceremonies and the main telecast.

Rank	Platform	Primetime Emmys	Creative Arts Emmys	Total No. of Wins
1	Apple TV	9	19	28
2	HBO Max	5	16	21
3	Netflix	3	13	16
4	Prime Video	0	10	10
5	NBC	0	8	8
6	Peacock	1	6	7
7	CBS	1	5	6
7	Disney+	0	6	6
9	MGM+	0	5	5
10	FX	0	3	3
10	Nat Geo	0	3	3
12	Adult Swim	0	2	2
12	Comedy Central	0	2	2
12	PBS	0	2	2
12	YouTube	0	2	2

The Pitt and DTF St. Louis won seven Emmys each for HBO Max. The Pitt also earned Noah Wyle the Lead Actor in a Drama award, while DTF St. Louis gave David Harbour and Linda Cardellini their first career Emmys.

Beef and Love on the Spectrum led the way for Netflix with three wins each. Bad Bunny’s halftime show helped NBC, The Traitors powered Peacock, and The Late Show gave CBS a strong send-off. The canceled Spider-Noir won big for Prime Video and MGM+, winning all five of its awards at the Creative Arts ceremony.

With Widow’s Bay already renewed for Season 2, Netflix and HBO Max might want to start worrying about next year’s Emmys too.

What are your thoughts on Apple TV’s big win this year? Let us know in the comments below!