102 Emmys Handed Out Before the Main Show — Here Are the Highlights

Apple TV's Widow's Bay led the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys with eight awards, the Super Bowl LX halftime show starring Bad Bunny won seven, and Antiques Roadshow won its first Emmy after 24 nominations. The highlights before Monday's main ceremony.

The auditorium of the Los Angeles venue now known as the Peacock Theater, photographed when it was the Nokia Theatre. Photo: Matthew Field (Mfield), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

By the UISC BD Editorial Desk · United Information Service Center · Published 13 September 2026 · 4-minute read

Most Emmys are not handed out on the night everyone watches. The Creative Arts Emmys — honouring craft, guest performances, documentaries, reality and more — took place on 5 and 6 September 2026 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with 102 statuettes awarded.

The Big Winners

Widow's Bay — 8 Emmys, the most of any programme.
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny — 7 Emmys.
DTF St. Louis — 6 Emmys.
The Traitors — 6 Emmys.

Performers Honoured

Betty Gilpin (Widow's Bay) — guest actress in a comedy.
Shailene Woodley (Paradise) — guest actress in a drama.
Ernest Harden Jr. (The Pitt) — guest actor in a drama.

Standout Moments

Mariska Hargitay's double. The main ceremony's host won two awards for My Mom Jayne — for documentary or nonfiction special and for directing.

Antiques Roadshow finally wins. After 24 nominations, the long-running programme won its first-ever Emmy, for structured reality programme.

A new award for a classic. The Television Academy presented its first-ever Legacy Award to I Love Lucy.

Why the Creative Arts Emmys Matter

These awards recognise the people who make television work — editors, costume designers, sound mixers, casting directors and documentary makers. Strong results here often signal which shows have broad support among Academy voters ahead of the main ceremony.

How Emmy Winners Are Chosen

Emmys are voted on by members of the Television Academy, the professional organisation for people who work in television. Members vote largely within their own professional groups — so a craft award is recognition from peers who do the same kind of work. That peer judgement is what gives a Creative Arts Emmy its weight in the industry.

Next Up

Widow's Bay enters Monday's main ceremony with momentum, while The Pitt leads the overall nominations. Everything you need for the night is in our Emmys 2026 preview.

More from awards season: Venice Film Festival winners and TIFF 2026 highlights.

Sources

"2026 Creative Arts Emmys: full winners list from both nights," Gold Derby — goldderby.com
"2026 Creative Arts Emmys winners list, night two," The Hollywood Reporter — hollywoodreporter.com
"Creative Arts Emmys 2026: full list of early winners," TVLine — tvline.com

emmy winners 2026 (1)

Creative Arts Emmys 2026: Widow's Bay Wins Eight, Bad Bunny's Halftime Show Seven