Emmys 2026: Hargitay hosts brisk NBC show as Widow's Bay wins Best Comedy
Mariska Hargitay opened the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards with a song and closed it five minutes early.
The “Law & Order: SVU” star, herself a multiple Emmy winner, hosted the ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, September 14. It aired live on NBC and Peacock at 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET, according to the Television Academy.
She started with “I Love TV Screens,” a parody of “I Love Rock ’N’ Roll” that celebrated television while following her watching screens on a cross-country flight. TVLine identified the song title, while Deadline described the staging around the flight. It set the tone. Hargitay would get a second musical number later in the night.
Kate O’Flynn took the first trophy of the night in a supporting category, as tracked by The New York Times. Rhea Seehorn won Lead Actress in a Drama and was played off as her speech threatened to run long. Matthew Rhys won Best Actor for “Widow’s Bay,” making Emmy history, while “Widow’s Bay” also won Best Comedy, according to The Hollywood Reporter and the Times live coverage. Sally Field won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
By 90 minutes in, almost all the awards had been handed out. The first half focused on awards and speeches. The second leaned into tributes and memorials, including an extended tribute to Dolly Parton and a filmed sketch involving Taylor Swift. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson were the final presenters, with Hargitay left on stage at the close.
The Hollywood Reporter’s review called it an ungainly and ill-flowing night. It noted that acting prizes for David Harbour and Linda Cardellini were moved to the Creative Arts Emmys, the separate ceremony for craft, guest and other categories held the prior weekend, in its critic’s analysis. Harbour was still listed among the year’s winners.
Hargitay also recreated Nicole Kidman’s well-known AMC cinemas ad during the broadcast. The wider awards were organised across three nights, September 5, 6 and 14, according to the Television Academy. The Creative Arts telecast aired on FXX on September 12 and streamed on Hulu. Michael J. Fox attended the primetime ceremony with his wife Tracy Pollan.
For fans catching up, the split matters. Wins from the Creative Arts ceremony count in the same Emmys season, even when they do not appear in the primetime telecast.
