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Widow’s Bay sailed off with a whopping 14 Emmy awards.
Image: Apple TV/ChatGPT

Apple TV enjoyed a huge night of wins at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, taking home 29 trophies to beat out all rivals. Leading the charge was Widow’s Bay, which made Emmy history as the most decorated freshman comedy series ever.

The breakout show won 14 Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series. That also makes Widow’s Bay the comedy series with the most wins in a single season.

Widow’s Bay sweeps the major Emmy comedy awards

If you’ve never watched Widow’s Bay, don’t expect a sitcom. Named for the fictional New England island where the show takes place, the comedic folk-horror series follows the efforts of a new mayor trying to lure tourists in spite of the town’s grim, haunted history.

The show’s mix of dark, dry humor and macabre mystery drew praise from genre tastemakers like master horror writer Stephen King and fantasy director Guillermo del Toro. It quickly became Apple TV’s latest breakout show.

The buzz paid off Monday, when Widow’s Bay picked up some of the biggest prizes of the Primetime Emmy Awards, even beyond its win for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Matthew Rhys won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of Tom Loftis, Widow’s Bay’s embattled mayor. Kate O’Flynn, who plays Tom’s loony assistant, Patricia Moyer, took home Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Stephen Root won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Wyck Crawford, a prickly believer in the evil spirits that haunt the island town.

The show also won Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Katie Dippold and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for Hiro Murai, who helmed five episodes of the show’s first season.

• See also: 3 reasons to watch Widow’s Bay on Apple TV

“Thank you Apple for letting us take this crazy, creative swing,” Dippold said at Monday night’s award ceremony. “They truly just let us do this weird show and we can’t thank you enough.”

The series’ 14 wins outdid any rival show in any category this year. And Apple TV is building a comedy legacy. With Widow’s Bay, Ted Lasso and The Studio, Apple TV has won the Emmy for best comedy series four times in six seasons.

• See also: 3 reasons to watch The Studio on Apple TV+

Pluribus did well at the Emmys, too

Meanwhile, wins by darkly comedic Apple TV sci-fi thriller Pluribus would make headlines if they hadn’t been swamped by the Widow’s Bay landslide. Pluribus garnered six Emmys, including Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series for creator Vince Gilligan and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for star Rhea Seehorn.

• See also: 3 reasons Pluribus is the new must-watch series on Apple TV

The popular spy series Slow Horses won for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for Saul Metzstein. Apple’s comedy Margo’s Got Money Troubles earned three technical Emmys, as did Palm Royale.

These all added to the 29 total Emmys for Apple, beating the totals earned by either HBO/HBO Max or Netflix. And that’s after Apple submitted only 31 shows for consideration, versus 125 from Netflix and 86 from HBO.

In other words, the Apple TV streaming service continues to win with quality over quantity.

“There is nothing like the power of a great story to capture our imaginations, surprise us in unexpected ways, and remind us of what connects us,” said Matt Cherniss, Apple TV’s head of programming, in a press release Tuesday. “Widow’s Bay, Pluribus, and Slow Horses have done exactly that. Congratulations to all of the artists honored and thank you to the Television Academy.”

• See also: 5 must-watch shows that make Apple TV more popular than ever