‘Widow’s Bay’ and ‘DTF St. Louis’ Dominate the Emmys, for Now

The Creative Arts Emmys have given “The Curse of Widow’s Bay” an unexpected position at the front of the comedy race. The Apple TV series won eight awards, while HBO Max’s “DTF St. Louis” collected six.

The television awards are spread across multiple ceremonies because the academy presents 118 statuettes. This weekend’s event focused on technical categories and limited-series awards, ahead of the Primetime Emmys on Sept. 14, which include the main comedy, drama and lead acting prizes.

Created by Kate Dippold, “The Curse of Widow’s Bay” had already surprised observers when nominations were announced in July. The series combines the warmth and eccentric characters of shows such as “Northern Exposure” and “Parks and Recreation” with a Stephen King-style horror story. It follows Tom, played by Matthew Rhys, the desperate mayor of an island town who discovers that its frightening legends are real.

Its eight awards included best guest actress for Betty Gilpin, casting, sound mixing, production design, cinematography, music supervision, music and sound editing. The haul complicates the outlook for “Hacks”, which entered the race as the comedy favorite with 24 nominations after its critically praised final season.

“DTF St. Louis” won six awards, including acting prizes for David Harbour and Linda Cardellini, who competed in supporting rather than lead categories. Steve Conrad won for limited-series directing and writing, while the show also took awards for cinematography and editing. The results point to a strong position for the series in the best limited-series race next week. For Harbour, the recognition capped a decade that included “Stranger Things” and Marvel films including “Black Widow” and “Thunderbolts”.