2026 Emmys recap

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour recaps the 2026 Emmy Awards, celebrating major wins for beloved shows like Widow's Bay, The Pitt, and Pluribus. The episode highlights Matthew Rhys making history as

Key takeaways

• Matthew Rhys made history as the first actor to win lead acting Emmys in two different categories in the same year.

Main topics

• 2026 Emmy Awards recap
• Matthew Rhys' historic dual win

Notable quotes

"It was a big night for some TV shows we like a lot around here." – Linda Holmes

"He is the very first actor to ever win Lead Performance awards in two different categories in the same year." – Glenn Weldon

Conclusion

The hosts express overall satisfaction with the Emmy winners, praising the diversity and

Transcript preview

Speaker 5 (0:00) Up first from NPR News is your way to slow down a fast-moving world and make sense of it, which is just what tech leaders say they need right now. One of the big stories this week is that tech leaders say they want to slow down AI development. Also, the latest fighting in the Middle East could push oil prices even higher. Start your day with what you need to know on Up First. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 8 (0:24) You're listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour, the podcast that keeps you on top of the latest in pop culture. Or it would if you followed the show. If you don't follow the show, we can't help you. You're out there on your own, wandering the wilderness, making references that are years out of date, and we don't want that for you. So follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on your favorite podcast app. Speaker 7 (0:40) They had her do a very bad opening number, which I kind of think was bad on purpose. To a degree, I think it was cheesy, corny, earnest Speaker 1 (0:50) on purpose. Like an ant trying to be cool. And I say that as an ant who is not cool. Speaker 8 (0:55) Exactly. Speaker 2 (1:01) It was a big night for some TV shows we like a lot around here. The Pit and Pluribus got some love and Widow's Bay really cleaned up and Matthew Rhys made some history. There is plenty to talk about. I'm Glenn Weldon. It is 12.08 in the a.m. and we are recapping Speaker 8 (1:15) the 2026 Emmy Awards. Joining me tonight is my fellow NPR pop culture Speaker 2 (1:20) happy hour host Linda Holmes. Hey, Linda. Speaker 1 (1:21) Hello, Glenn. Hey. Speaker 2 (1:24) We got a lot of energy. Let's get right to it. Speaker 1 (1:26) We do. My energy is up. My Speaker 2 (1:28) energy is up, and then it might fall off towards the end because there's some precedent. Speaker 1 (1:32) Yes, exactly. Then I'm just going to stretch at the end of the show. Then we're Speaker 2 (1:36) all going to sit here and Speaker 8 (1:37) talk incessantly. Speaker 1 (1:38) Yeah. Speaker 8 (1:39) Let's start with a big one that we're all, I think we're both happy with, Widows Bay, won for Outstanding Speaker 2 (1:44) Comedy Series. Do you have thoughts about just this win? Because, I mean, I think folks had this as a two-show race between Hacks and Widows Bay. Hacks was... a returning favorite, taking its final bow. But Widow's Bay was the moment. I mean, it's the first real word-of-mouth phenomenon we've had in a while. You happy? I Speaker 1 (2:00) think that's right. Yes, I'm very happy. I think this is a really interesting show. I think it's accurate when people point out that it was a big creative swing that kind of in retrospect now it's easy to say like, oh, yeah, you know, this is like a mystery comedy. It makes sense that it was successful. But at the time you can see how it was a... large gamble for the people who got involved in it. But it has such a great cast, and it's also, like, super weird in a way that I thought was satisfying. So, yeah, I was very happy to see this win Outstanding Comedy Series and then go on to win a bunch of other things, too. Speaker 8 (2:32) A bunch of other things, like Matthew Rhys won two awards tonight. He did win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Speaker 2 (2:37) Comedy Series for Widow's Bay. He also won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The Beast in Me. He is the very first actor to ever win Lead Performance. awards in two different categories in the same year. Thoughts about that? Speaker 1 (2:52) I mean, I'm a big fan of him. I think he is a super versatile guy. If you saw him in The Beast and Me, you know that he has the ability to go very, very big Speaker 7 (3:02) as Speaker 1 (3:03) a scary person. In Widow's Bay, he kind of goes... Speaker 7 (3:07) big as a kind of terrified person. And I do think those go in very different directions. And I admire the versatility. He also, you know, in I think 2018, he won lead actor in a drama series for the Americans. So he's kind of made his way through the major categories. He's a versatile dude. I'm happy for him. Speaker 2 (3:28) Yeah, I'm happy for him, too. I'm also happy for everybody else on this show because that really cleaned up, as we mentioned. Kato Flynn won. She plays Patricia. She went for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. The great and good Stephen Root for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. I was pulling for him, but I didn't think it was a lock, and I was very happy that that happened. Speaker 7 (3:46) Yeah, I was a little bit... Listen, I love Stephen Speaker 1 (3:49) Root. Stephen Root can win anything. I'm never going to be not happy that he won. But this was also the category that Harrison Ford was nominated in for shrinking. I think he's wonderful in shrinking. It was particularly good in this season. It's also the category that Nick Offerman was nominated in for Margo's Got Money Troubles. And he was Speaker 7 (4:07) wonderful in that. If I was going to squeak one away from Widow's Bay, it might be this one simply because. I was so attached Speaker 1 (4:14) to some of the other performances, but I can take nothing away from how good Stephen Root is in this, and I will never begrudge him anything. So that's fine. Speaker 8 (4:23) If you did try to squeak it away, I would squeak it right back. I know. Let's keep going with Speaker 2 (4:28) the Widow's Bay love. Katie Dippold, one for writing, and Hiro Murai, one for directing. It's a really good night for a really good show that came out of nowhere. Speaker 1 (4:37) Absolutely. That's Speaker 2 (4:38) what Speaker 1 (4:38) you Speaker 2 (4:38) want to see. Speaker 1 (4:39) Absolutely. And if the name Katie Dippold doesn't mean anything to you, you may have seen the famous tweet in which she was dressed up as the Babadook at a Halloween party that turned out nobody else was in costume. It's kind of... think the first time a lot of people found Speaker 7 (4:54) out who she was, even though she's worked on a bunch of great Speaker 1 (4:57) television and written great movies. And I'm delighted for her. And Hiro Murai is an outstanding director who's worked on a bunch of different stuff, worked on Atlanta, worked on Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Speaker 7 (5:07) and was a producer on The Bear and has really gotten around with a bunch of interesting projects and is kind of, to me, kind of a director of the moment and of the Speaker 1 (5:19) era. And so delighted to see him, you know, pick up something for Widows Bay. Speaker 8 (5:24) Yep. Yep. And with all these Widows Bay wins, I pretty much got my comedy wish Speaker 2 (5:30) lists, except for one category. And that's Speaker 8 (5:32) the Speaker 2 (5:32) one we're talking about now. And I'm not going to take it away from the great and good Jean Smart, who won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks. She won. That award for every year that she was eligible for. And I'll just say this, for gay men, this was a tough