6 Creative Emmy Winners You Probably Missed
It's a shame that the 2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards are held on a different night than the main award show because half the time, most people don't even know it's happening until winners start getting announcements on social media. It's also unfortunate because many people, myself included, care about the technical and behind-the-scenes awards as much as the larger accolades, so not seeing a majority of these until much later is a shame.
The 78th Creative Arts Emmy Awards were held on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The biggest sweep came from Apple TV's best show of the year, Widow's Bay (2026), with 18 nominations and eight wins so far. The show's inimitable success this year has been one of the biggest surprises we've had, and there's a tremendous chance that it'll also sweep the awards come Monday, the 14th. The awards will be televised on NBC and available on Peacock the next day.
Alongside Widow's Bay, The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny took home the most awards with a total of seven, followed by DTF St. Louis (2026) and The Traitors (2023) with six. The ceremony was pleasantly surprising this year, and there are a lot of hidden gems that fans might've missed, given how many phenomenal series are released during the year.
It's a shame the 78th Creative Emmy Awards weren't broadcast live because, as a longtime fan of Linda Cardellini's, I would've loved to see her first win. She took home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. In addition, David Harbour did the same, both winning for their respective roles in DTF St. Louis. It's a deserved win for both parties, and the show's success this year has been a sleeper hit on HBO Max.
DTF St. Louis follows three primary characters, Cardellini, Harbour, and Jason Bateman, in a love triangle where one of them also ends up dying. The limited series from Steven Conrad is a dark comedy that's both sharp and thrilling. For viewers who watched Cardellini in Dead to Me (2019), you know exactly what the actress is capable of, and she delivers in spades here. The wins for both parties, as well as Conrad's win for Outstanding Writing and Directing, are undoubtedly deserved.
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Shelby Van Pelt, Remarkably Bright Creatures is not only one of the best movies of the year, but it's one of the most wholesome and deeply heartwarming movies you'll ever watch. Starring Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, and more, with sensational voice acting from Alfred Molina, it's the kind of movie that'll stay with you long after the credits roll.
Nominated alongside movies like People We Meet on Vacation (2026) and Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026), Remarkably Bright Creatures rightfully took home the award for Outstanding Movie. It's refreshing when movies like this get the attention they deserve at award shows because more often than not, it feels like the darker stories are the ones that are praised with accolades, whereas more wholesome gems are dismissed as mindless fluff. Thankfully, however, that isn't the case here, and sometimes that bit of hope is everything we could use and more.
Despite its recent untimely cancellation from Prime Video, Nicholas Cage's Spider-Noir is a technical achievement in more ways than one. At the Creative Emmy Awards, it took home five awards, including Outstanding Stunt Coordination, Sound Editing, Title Design, Special Visual Effects, and Cinematography.
Maybe the wins could signal to executives that people would like to see more of the series as opposed to a cancellation, but if not, at least everyone involved with the show gets to go out with a bang and the knowledge that they've created something incredible. The series is a welcome surprise that's also incredible with its unique approach to the lore.
Love on the Spectrum was nominated for five Creative Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, Directing, Casting, Cinematography, and Picture Editing. It took home the awards for Picture Editing and Reality Program, scoring big in areas that people often overlook.
While reality television is often focused on way too much fabricated drama, Love on the Spectrum effectively and thoughtfully explores the complexities of dating while centering the series around autistic people. It's refreshing, honest, and completely endearing throughout, making it one that even those who typically don't like reality television can tune into.
It's a beautiful world anytime the Muppets are back in our lives in any capacity, and The Muppet Show revival we recently got was everything and more. There are still so many people who don't yet know it exists, which makes it a treat once you actually realize it's available for viewing. The variety program was nominated for six awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Variety Show, Sound Mixing, Picture Editing, Character Voice-Over Performance, Production Design, and Outstanding Variety Special. It won four out of the six, with the biggest being for Outstanding Variety Special.
Sabrina Carpenter's guest appearance on it is also spectacular, and there's something so refreshing about how the special mixes generations to create something deeply relatable and wholesome. Bright, dazzling, and clever as ever, if you love any piece of Muppets lore, this one's not to be missed.
There are few things as beautiful as watching inclusivity genuinely shine and unify people all over the world. Bad Bunny's halftime show at the LX Super Bowl was one of the most exhilarating performances we've had in years—a true safe space cultivated through joy—so to see it rewarded at an award show is no small feat.
It's especially brilliant when we know that there were people opposed to music sung primarily in Spanish, because art and music shouldn't be measured by how much we understand but by everything that we can feel through our shared journey as human beings. Bad Bunny's performance was a unifying feast in more ways than one, and it absolutely deserves every win possible.
