'Widow's Bay' sets Emmy comedy record with 14 wins, Matthew Rhys takes home three trophies

Apple TV's "Widow's Bay" swept the Emmy Awards on Monday night, winning 14 trophies and setting a single-season record for a comedy series, shattering last year's record of 13 wins held by "The Studio."

Matthew Rhys won best actor in a comedy for "Widow's Bay" and best actor in a limited series for "The Beast in Me," making him the first man to win two leading actor categories in the same year. He walked away with three Emmys total—including one as executive producer of "Widow's Bay." Backstage, holding two of his trophies, Rhys said, "The celebrations will be long, varied, and I hope at times wild."

The first-season series, created by Katie Dippold, combines comedy and horror to tell the story of a New England island community reckoning with a centuries-old curse, with Rhys as the town's mayor. "Widow's Bay" also won Emmys for directing (Hiro Murai) and writing (Dippold, a first-time Emmy nominee), along with best supporting actor (Stephen Root) and best supporting actress (Kate O'Flynn). Before Monday's ceremony, "Widow's Bay" had already won eight Emmys, meaning it swept all six available categories on the night.

Dippold, previously known for a decade-old viral tweet showing herself awkwardly dressed as "The Babadook," accepted the best comedy award by saying, "Thank you, Apple, for letting us take this crazy, creative swing. They truly just let us do this weird show."

"The Pitt," the HBO Max emergency room drama, won best drama series for the second consecutive year, and Noah Wyle repeated as best actor in a drama. But the show underperformed its expectations, winning only those two awards despite being the top drama nominee with 25 nominations. It had won four Emmys at an earlier ceremony this season.

Jean Smart won best actress in a comedy for the fifth and final season of "Hacks," her fifth Emmy in that category. No actor had won an Emmy every year for a series lasting more than three seasons until Smart achieved it Monday. The 75-year-old, who has won eight Emmys overall, received a standing ovation. "What a ride this has been," she said emotionally. "Hacks," the top comedy nominee with 24 nominations, won only Smart's award.

Rhea Seehorn won best actress in a drama for "Pluribus."

Apple TV has solidified its dominance of Emmy comedy categories. Between "Widow's Bay," "The Studio" and "Ted Lasso," it has won best comedy series four times in six years—though the latter two were not eligible this year as they were between seasons.