Apple’s Widow’s Bay landed 19 Emmy nominations on Tuesday, putting the series among the biggest winners in the Television Academy’s 78th Primetime Emmy Awards announcement. Matthew Rhys was among the nominees, with the show also recognized in top series and craft categories.
The haul gives Apple one of the clearest signs yet that Widow’s Bay has broken through after its first season. The series picked up a nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series, while Rhys was cited for Outstanding Lead Actor for Widow’s Bay. Kate O’Flynn, Dale Dickey and Stephen Root also drew supporting actor nominations, and Hamish Linklater and Betty Gilpin were named in guest actor categories. The show also landed nods for directing, writing and editing.
Apple said its total reached a record 89 Emmy Award nominations across 15 programs, with Widow’s Bay standing just behind Pluribus, which received 18. Shrinking finished with 10 nominations, Slow Horses earned nine and Margo’s Got Money Troubles collected eight. The company said it leads all networks in the major drama and comedy categories, a rare position that underscores how wide its field has become.
What makes Widow’s Bay harder to pin down is the one thing the nominations do not explain: Apple has labeled it a comedy, but it has given no public premise here that would make the category feel obvious. That left the Emmy count to do the selling. The numbers suggest viewers and voters have already accepted the show as more than a newcomer, even if the series itself remains defined mostly by the reaction it has drawn rather than the story it tells.
Matt Cherniss said the nominations reflect shows that entertain, surprise and bring people together, and he called the recognition a tribute to the storytellers Apple works with every day. The Emmy winners will be unveiled on September 14, and Widow’s Bay now goes into that night as one of Apple’s strongest plays in the field — with the unanswered question still hanging over it: whether its breakout status is the start of a lasting run or just the first season of a very fast ascent.
