‘Widow’s Bay’ sweeps an uneven night with over-the-top host Mariska Hargitay

Captain Olivia Benson was in charge.

Hosted by Mariska Hargitay and held on Monday – live from LA’s Peacock Theater – the 2026 Emmys were a surprisingly unpredictable night. 

Newcomer “Widow’s Bay” swept.

The Apple TV horror /comedy was a word-of-mouth hit over the summer, and it cleaned up, beating more established comedies like “Hacks” and “Only Murders in the Building” for the top comedy category. 

Stephen Root and Kate O’Flynn both won in the supporting actor categories, and series star Matthew Rhys won two Emmys in one night (for lead actor in a comedy, “Widow’s Bay” and for lead actor in a limited series, “The Beast in Me.”)

In his “Widow’s Bay” Emmy speech, Rhys praised the showrunner’s “disturbed brain.”

“The Americans” alum is now in rare company: James Earl Jones is the only other male actor to win two Emmys for two different roles the same year (for the 1991 drama series “Gabriel’s Fire” and in the telefilm “Heat Wave”).

“The Pitt” was a winner, but didn’t dominate the night as much as expected. Lead actor Noah Wyle took home the statue, and it won for drama series. 

But, too many supporting actors in the drama categories seemingly cancelled each other out.

Tom Pelphrey won (for “Task”)  – beating “The Pitt” actors Shawn Hatosy, Patrick Ball, and Gerran Howell, while Allison Janney took home the prize (for “The Diplomat”), outshining “The Pitt” actresses Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, Katherine LaNasa, and Sepideh Moafi.

Voters likely got fed up with all four actors in the same category, and opted for someone else. 

Instead, Pelphry gave a rollicking, emotional speech, calling his pregnant fiancee, Kaley Cuoco, “the crown jewel of my life,” while Janney was shocked to win.

Jean Smart, 75, made history — officially winning five awards for lead actress in a comedy for all five seasons of HBO’s “Hacks.”

Her co-star Meg Stalter, meanwhile, didn’t win (O’Flynn beat her) but she turned heads dressed as an Emmy statue complete with actual gold paint.

Sally Field, 79, also set a record for the oldest to win in the lead actress in a limited series or movie category for “Remarkably Bright Creatures.” 

In another highlight, Michael J. Fox accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in recognition of his contributions to Parkinson’s disease research.

Hargitay – who isn’t a Big Apple native, but she’s a staple due to her long running stint playing Benson on “Law & Order: SVU” – had a host performance that ranged from adequate to unfortunate. She shouldn’t quit her day job.

She brought plenty of enthusiasm, plus separate cameo appearances with Knicks star Jalen Brunson and Taylor Swift in pre-taped segments. The pop star appeared in a “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” skit with her real-life cat, Olivia Benson, named after Hargitay’s character.

When Swift’s footage aired, the newlywed was actually supporting husband Travis Kelce in the stands at his Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Her seat buddy: Tom Cruise. 

In Brunson’s clip, Hargitay vented about never feeling this level of pressure.

A deadpan Brunson responded, “seriously?”

She then segued into a cringey lip-sync number to the tune of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” that referenced many of the year’s TV shows. None of her mid-ceremony bits worked, they ranged from mildly funny to tedious. 

The “In Memoriam” segment was appropriately somber, acknowledging a year that had particularly staggering losses. 

“Schitt’s Creek” alums Annie Murphy, Dan Levy, and Catherine O’Hara’s “Home Alone” son Macaulay Culkin paid tribute to the late actress. Field, for her part, honored her “Steel Magnolias” co-star Dolly Parton, praising the late icon as “blisteringly funny” and a “humanitarian.” 

Jamie Lee Curtis also tearfully honored fellow “The Bear” alum Rob Reiner as “generous and kind and funny as hell.” The late star made history with an Emmy win last week for guest actor in a comedy. He took home a trophy for “All In the Family” in 1978, marking a record 48-year gap between Emmy wins. His dad, comedy legend Carl Reiner, previously held that record (with a 37-year gap between Carl winning for “Caesar’s Hour” in 1958 and “Mad About You” in 1995).

The show also included cast reunions of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz, and original “Charlie’s Angels” stars Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith – who celebrated the show’s 50th anniversary.

The ceremony was uneven, but it wasn’t boring, and that’s all you can ask of these things.