LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 78th Emmy Awards are here. “The Pitt” will look to find its place in the television pantheon and “Widow's Bay” will ride a storm of buzz into the ceremony Monday night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Mariska Hargitay opened the NBC telecast with a musical tribute to television viewing, “I Love TV Screens,” sung to the tune of “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll." A recorded start featured NBA champion Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks
and actor Jennifer Coolidge. It continued inside the theater with a group of dancers with TVs for heads.
"NBC is celebrating its 100th year, and I have been on ‘Law & Order: SVU’ for all of them," said Hargitay, a three-time Emmy winner who has starred in the show for 27 seasons.
The ceremony will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and the 50th anniversary of “Charlie's Angels,” with cast members among the presenters.
Hargitay and the nominees arrived on a warm, sunny afternoon in Los Angeles, where a heat wave subsided in the days before the show.
Meg Stalter, a nominee for best supporting actress for “Hacks,” was dressed as an Emmy statuette, complete with wings and a coat of gold makeup.
The Emmys telecast rotates between the broadcast networks, and this year it’s airing live on NBC and streaming live on Peacock at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific.
“Live from E!: Countdown to the Emmys” is showing stars arriving on YouTube and Peacock. The Associated Press is streaming a delayed feed of celebrity arrivals on YouTube.
HBO Max's real-time emergency room drama “The Pitt” was a rookie upstart a year ago when it won best drama, best actor for star Noah Wyle and best supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa. Now an esteemed veteran, the show is expected to repeat in all three categories and could win three more, with Wyle himself up for three trophies. The show's ensemble got four nominations in the supporting actress category and three more for supporting actor.
“Hacks” got the most nominations of any comedy for its fifth and final season on HBO Max, and star Jean Smart is a virtual lock to make it 5-for-5 with yet another win for best actress in a comedy.
Meg Stalter, a nominee for best
But the Apple TV horror comedy “Widow's Bay” may spoil the “Hacks” send-off. It comes into the evening with eight wins at earlier ceremonies where most of the well over 100 Emmys categories are awarded.
The show can add up to six more Monday. If it does, it will break the record of 13 Emmys for a comedy in a season set last year by “The Studio.”
“Widow's Bay” star Matthew Rhys is a favorite to win best actor in a comedy, the show's breakout star Kate O'Flynn is a strong candidate for best supporting actress, and longtime character actor Stephen Root could get his first Emmy for best supporting actor.
“I’m thrilled that the academy has recognized this show so often in so many categories,” Root, a nominee for best supporting actor in a comedy, told The Associated Press on the carpet. “'Widow’s Bay' is an ensemble show in every way.”
Rhea Seehorn plays the lone central character on Apple TV's “Pluribus,” and she could ride the role to her first Emmy for best actress in a drama.
Seehorn's competition includes Zendaya, who won for the first two seasons of “Euphoria” in 2020 and 2022, and is nominated for its third and final season.
The night could also bring the first Emmy — and first major competitive Hollywood award of any kind — to 84-year-old Harrison Ford, who is among the favorites for best supporting actor in a comedy for playing a therapist coping with Parkinson's disease on “Shrinking.”
