Sept. 15, 2026, 9:44 AM EDTBy Rebecca Keegan and Daniel Arkin

Maybe it was watching Stephen Colbert get his final two “Late Show” Emmys engraved at the afterparty. Or hearing the rowdy Apple TV contingent in the audience whoop it up every time “Widow’s Bay” notched another win.

But inside the Peacock Theater on Monday night, this year’s Emmy Awards felt like a transition to a new era of television.

As the TV Academy’s events crew rolled away the blue carpet, the event gave us plenty of moments to remember. Here are just a few…

A host with assists

With an opening musical number starring Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson and a “Law & Order: SVU” skit starring Taylor Swift, host Mariska Hargitay called in plenty of favors from her famous friends to help lend the Emmys a little star power. Hargitay, the show’s first female host in 15 years, rotated through at least 10 wardrobe changes, including a “Game of Thrones”-style fur cape and black power suit. But the uniform she kept on all night was cheerleader for the medium of television, going so far as to repurpose a line from Nicole Kidman’s viral AMC Theatres commercial to say, “At the end of the day, we come to TV for magic.”

Some of the biggest laughs of the night came from the mini monologue John Mulaney delivered while presenting the category of outstanding lead actor in a drama. “This award is for the guys, just men being men,” Mulaney said. “Finally, something for the fellas.” The award itself wasn’t a surprise — front-runner Noah Wyle of “The Pitt” took it home. But Mulaney’s bit, including a joke that earned a bleep from NBC censors, had the audience in the room roaring and people at home wondering how long until the comic finally hosts a major awards show. (Mulaney did host the TV Academy’s Governors Awards in 2024, but that show isn’t televised).

The era of Apple

New Apple CEO John Ternus attended the Emmys, and he had lots to celebrate besides the $2,000 foldable iPhone he showed off on the red carpet. For the first time since the tech giant’s streaming service launched in 2019, Apple TV collected more Emmys than any other outlet.

Including its wins at last weekend’s two Emmy nights, Apple took home 28 trophies total this year, with a record-setting 14 coming for freshman comedy “Widow’s Bay” and six for “Pluribus.” HBO came in second with 21, with “DTF St Louis” collecting seven and “The Pitt” six. Netflix followed in third with 16, winning three apiece for “Love on the Spectrum” and “Beef.”

Quiet reflection over fiery politics

If you were betting on Colbert to riff on President Donald Trump and the Federal Communications Commission or open up about the events leading up to his late-night program’s cancellation, you were out of luck. The veteran comedian kept his acceptance speech focused squarely on his gratitude for his 11-year run at CBS, his writing staff and his wife.

In general, the Emmys were light on topical humor or references to current events such as the Iran war, AI or the looming Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.

Sally Field did sneak in a subtle line that some interpreted as an anti-merger dig while accepting an Emmy for her performance in the Netflix movie “Remarkably Bright Creatures.” “We’re the arts,” Field said. “We matter. Our voices matter. Our diversity, our unique storytelling matters. We can’t let those voices be silenced, or compromised or merged.”

Allison Janney Shares Message of Support for Savannah Guthrie01:41

Instead of fiery political commentary, this year’s ceremony leaned more reflective, with earnest meditations from Hargitay and “Pluribus” creator Vince Gilligan on TV’s power to unite a divided country.

The winner of one of the night’s marquee categories trained his attention on TV’s important role in troubled times. “Yes, we are entertainers. We make you laugh, we make you cry, occasionally we make you look away in disgust,” R. Scott Gemmill, the creator of “The Pitt,” said in his acceptance speech for best drama series. “But when I look around this room, I see something more important than the awards and the ratings. I see a whole community that is still trying to do the right thing.”

Serious notes

In a year filled with losses in the entertainment industry, the telecast included sorrowful tributes to the late Rob Reiner, Catherine O’Hara and sitcom giant James Burrows. Reba McEntire sang Dolly Parton’s “Appalachian Memories” just a few weeks after the country music giant’s death, and Noah Kahan performed “Bridge Over Troubled Water” during the In Memoriam montage.

But the longest ovation of the night came for a performer who has defied the odds to remain in the business: Michael J. Fox, accepting the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award from his wheelchair. Fox shared that he kept his Parkinson’s diagnosis secret for a long time and wondered if audiences would still laugh at his jokes if they knew he was sick. Ultimately, he said, “I understood that accepting Parkinson’s didn’t mean I had to surrender to it.”

The two Emmys personas

For years, Jack Nicholson appeared in the front row at the Oscars, the picture of cool detachment and old Hollywood charm. “Shrinking” nominee Harrison Ford seems to be stepping into that role at the Emmys, as the guy everyone else seems to want to get next to, who really himself just wants to get home.

In contrast Monday night was enthusiastic “Widow’s Bay” creator Katie Dippold, who didn’t even try to contain her glee at her show’s many awards. During her acceptance speech for writing, Dippold declared, “I promise all of you that no one will ever step foot in my home without seeing this thing (her Emmy). I’m sorry, this is going to become my entire personality now.”