'Widow's Bay' leads early Emmys with eight wins, 'The Pitt' takes four

Apple TV's horror-comedy series "Widow's Bay" emerged as the biggest winner at the early Emmy ceremony on Sunday, collecting eight awards for its first season, while HBO Max's "The Pitt" secured four.

The ceremony, held eight days ahead of the main Emmy awards show, also saw "DTF St Louis" take six trophies in limited-series categories, with David Harbour and Linda Cardellini earning their first Emmy Awards.

"Widow's Bay," starring Matthew Rhys as the mayor of a small New England town facing an ancient curse, won awards in several technical categories, including cinematography, sound, music, and production design. Betty Gilpin also won best guest actress in a comedy for her performance in the series.

"The Pitt," which led this year's nominations with 25 after winning best drama for its debut season, added four awards to its tally. Among its winners was Ernest Harden Jr, 73, who won best guest actor in a drama for his portrayal of Louie Cloverfield, a troubled alcoholic who is a familiar figure in the show's emergency room.

Harden, a veteran actor whose career includes a role in the 1975 film "Three Days of the Condor" and appearances on "The Jeffersons," became a first-time Emmy winner.

Andrew Bird and Gavin Brivik won for original music and lyrics for a song written for "The Pitt."

The Television Academy has rebranded the traditionally known Creative Arts Emmys as the opening two nights of the 78th Emmy Awards. The weekend ceremonies mainly recognize behind-the-scenes contributors, although guest acting categories and several other awards featuring prominent performers are also presented.

Harbour won best supporting actor in a limited series for "DTF St Louis," while Cardellini won best supporting actress in the category. Both were first-time Emmy winners.

The ceremony also featured a tribute to late actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner, who posthumously won best guest actor in a comedy for his role in "The Bear." He received a lengthy standing ovation from the audience, including his "Bear" co-star Jamie Lee Curtis.

Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed in December. Their son has pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with their deaths.

Other winners included "Pluribus," another Apple TV series from 'Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan, which collected four awards, and Shailene Woodley, who won her first Emmy as best guest actress in a drama for "Paradise."

"Spider-Noir," the Nicolas Cage series canceled by Amazon Prime Video after one season, won five awards, including for visual effects and stunts.

Emmy host Mariska Hargitay also received two awards for her documentary "My Mom Jayne," about her mother, actress Jayne Mansfield.

Bad Bunny won his first career Emmy for his Super Bowl halftime show, which earned seven awards at Saturday's ceremony.

The weekend's ceremonies will be edited together for broadcast on FXX on Sept. 12 and streaming on Hulu the following day. The main Emmy ceremony will be held Sept. 14 at the Peacock Theater, hosted by Hargitay, and will air live on NBC and stream on Peacock.

"Widow's Bay" and "The Pitt" could each win up to six additional awards during the main ceremony.