78th Emmy Awards: 'The Pitt' Eyes Repeat as 'Widow's Bay' Surges

The 78th Emmy Awards arrive Monday night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with "The Pitt" seeking to cement its place in television history and "Widow's Bay" riding a wave of momentum into the ceremony.

Mariska Hargitay, the longtime "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star and a three-time Emmy winner, will host the NBC telecast. The network has laid out a peacock blue carpet in honor of its 100th anniversary.

The evening will also mark the 30th anniversary of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and the 50th anniversary of "Charlie's Angels," with cast members from both shows among the presenters.

The Emmys rotate among the broadcast networks, and this year's show airs live on NBC and streams live on Peacock at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific. Red-carpet coverage begins at 5 p.m. Eastern, 2 p.m. Pacific on YouTube and Peacock, with a delayed arrivals feed also available on YouTube.

HBO Max's real-time emergency room drama "The Pitt" entered last year as a rookie upstart and left with best drama, best actor for Noah Wyle and best supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa. Now viewed as an established veteran, the show is expected to repeat in all three categories and could add three more, with Wyle personally up for three trophies. Its ensemble earned four supporting actress nominations and three more for supporting actor.

"Hacks" drew the most comedy nominations for its fifth and final season on HBO Max, and star Jean Smart is widely expected to go 5-for-5 with another best actress win.

But Apple TV's horror comedy "Widow's Bay" could disrupt the "Hacks" send-off. It arrives with eight wins from earlier ceremonies, where the bulk of the more than 100 Emmy categories are handed out. The show can add up to six more on Monday; doing so would 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 for best actor in a comedy, and breakout star Kate O'Flynn is a strong contender for best supporting actress.

Rhea Seehorn carries Apple TV's "Pluribus" as its lone central character and could claim her first Emmy for best actress in a drama. Her 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 deliver a first Emmy — and a first major competitive Hollywood award of any kind — to 84-year-old Harrison Ford, among the favorites for best supporting actor in a comedy for his role as a therapist coping with Parkinson's disease on "Shrinking."