‘DTF: St. Louis’ Sweeps Creative Arts Emmys, Cardellini and Harbour Take Home Gold

Night 2 of the 78th Emmy Awards saw Apple TV+ emerge as a dominant force, with its comedy contender “Widow’s Bay” leading the evening with eight Emmy wins, solidifying its position as a frontrunner ahead of the Primetime ceremony. Overall, Apple TV+ garnered an impressive 18 Emmys on Night 2, surpassing all other outlets. Other significant wins for the streamer included “Pluribus” with four awards, and “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” and “Palm Royale” each securing three.

Among the individual accolades for “Widow’s Bay,” Betty Gilpin earned the Emmy for guest actress in a comedy series. The show also received awards for casting for a comedy series, music supervision, cinematography for a series (half hour), sound mixing for a comedy or drama series (half hour) and animation, sound editing for a comedy or drama series (half hour) and animation, music composition for a series (original dramatic score), and production design for a narrative program (half hour).

HBO Max also had a strong showing, with “DTF St. Louis” winning six Emmys. This included victories in both supporting acting categories for limited/anthology series, with David Harbour and Linda Cardellini each securing their first-ever Emmy wins. Steve Conrad also earned double Emmys for both directing and writing for a limited/anthology series or movie. Linda Cardellini, emotional on stage, thanked her family, friends, and “DTF family,” including co-stars Jason Bateman, David Harbour, and Joy Sunday, as well as showrunner Steve Conrad, praising his “beautiful heart and beautiful mind.” Cardellini’s win for her role as Carol Love-Smernitch in the darkly comic murder mystery, which received 13 nominations, marked her first Emmy after four career nominations.

An unexpected but triumphant moment came for Prime Video’s “Spider-Noir,” which collected five Emmys just days after its cancellation was announced. The series was honored for stunt performance, sound editing for a comedy or drama series (one hour), title design, special visual effects in a single episode, and cinematography for a series (one hour). Supervising stunt coordinator Freddy Bouciegues and stunt coordinator Hugh Aodh O’Brien expressed pride in their work, highlighting the opportunity to execute big action sequences as desired by the showrunners.

The evening featured several other notable individual wins. The late Rob Reiner received a posthumous Emmy for comedy guest actor for his role on “The Bear,” earning a lengthy standing ovation. Shailene Woodley won for guest actress in a drama series for “Paradise,” expressing excitement to contribute to the show’s dynamic, human-centric sci-fi genre. Ernest Harden Jr. was awarded drama guest actor for “The Pitt,” dedicating his win to Bette Davis and reflecting on his long career since 1974. Julie Andrews extended her own record by winning her fourth Emmy, and second in the character voice-over performance category, at the age of 90.

“South Park” secured the animated program Emmy for its episode “Sermon On The ‘Mount,” its first win in that category since 2013. Netflix’s Sally Field starrer “Remarkably Bright Creatures” was recognized as outstanding movie. The Television Academy also introduced its first-ever “Legacy Award,” presented to “I Love Lucy,” acknowledging its profound and lasting impact on sitcoms and its role in establishing the blueprint for TV syndication.

A recurring theme among artisans throughout the night was the importance of bringing production back to Los Angeles. Alix Friedberg, costume designer for “Palm Royale,” Cathy Sandrich Gelfond, casting director for “The Pitt,” and Dayna Pink, costume designer for “Fallout,” all praised the city’s talented crews, resources, and the economic benefits of local production. Noah Wyle, star and executive producer of “The Pitt,” opened Night 2 with a monologue emphasizing the entertainment industry as a craft and a form of dedicated work, highlighting the efforts of artisans both on and behind the camera, and the importance of recognizing their creativity and ingenuity.

The Sunday ceremony covered 53 categories, predominantly focusing on scripted programming, unlike Night 1 which centered on unscripted categories. Notably, five major awards originally slated for the Primetime telecast were moved to Night 2, leading the TV Academy to drop the “Creative Arts” distinction, now referring to all three Emmy events simply as “the Emmys.” After two nights, “Widow’s Bay” led with 8 wins, followed by “The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny” with 7. Apple TV+ stood atop the network tally with 20 Emmys, trailed by HBO Max with 16 and Netflix with 13.