A Golden Girls tribute led by country star Reba McEntire produced one of the most talked-about moments of the television awards ceremony Saturday, after actor Colin Farrell was shown reacting on camera and saying, "That's my king," a phrase that was quickly turned into a meme on social media.
The tribute, which honored the long-running sitcom with a staged vignette, punctuated an evening that also recognized work across drama, comedy, limited and reality television. Several programs with large nomination counts — notably The Penguin and The White Lotus — were in the spotlight, and winners included titles and performers from both mainstream and smaller-circuit productions.
Among the night's top winners, Adolescence took the prize for Best Limited or Anthology Series. The Traitors won Best Reality Competition Program. In drama categories, Noah Wyle received the award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for his work on The Pitt, while Britt Lower was named Best Actress in a Drama Series. Tramell Tillman won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and Julianne Nicholson took home Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Guest acting prizes in drama went to Shawn Hatosy for Best Guest Actor and Merritt Wever for Best Guest Actress. In limited-series acting, Stephen Graham won Best Actor and Cristin Milioti won Best Actress for her work on The Penguin. In supporting roles for limited or anthology programming, Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty were among the winners in their respective categories.
The Studio was the night's big winner in comedy, capturing Best Comedy Series as well as honors in writing and directing for a comedy series. Jean Smart won Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Hacks, while Seth Rogen was named Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on The Studio. Hannah Einbinder won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and Jeff Hiller won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Notable individual wins included Dan Gilroy for Best Writing for a Drama Series for his work on Andor, and Janus Metz among nominees in directing for drama. Philip Barantini and Jack Thorne, credited for Adolescence, received recognition in directing and writing for limited series, respectively. Mike White, whose satirical anthology has been a critical favorite, was nominated in directing for The White Lotus and received recognition in other categories.
Several long-running and heavily nominated programs also drew attention. The Penguin finished the season as one of the most-nominated series, with 24 total nominations, while The White Lotus received 23 nominations overall. The ceremony also highlighted a mix of established stars and newcomers: Harrison Ford earned his first acting nomination for Shrinking, and Kathy Bates — at 77 — was the oldest acting nominee of the year for her role in Matlock.
Behind-the-scenes creators and directors were recognized as well. Seth Rogen and his collaborators won Best Directing for a Comedy Series and Best Writing for a Comedy Series for The Studio. In drama writing, Andor's creative team brought home honors. The awards across categories reflected a broad field that included prestige streaming series, network veterans and smaller-scale productions.
The evening married reverence for television history with contemporary recognition. The Golden Girls tribute, presented by McEntire, recalled a widely loved sitcom while prompting split-second audience reactions that were quickly amplified by social media. Farrell's on-camera remark became a viral moment alongside clips of acceptance speeches and staged callbacks from the ceremony.
Producers and talent at the ceremony emphasized craft and collaboration in their remarks, noting longevity in series development and the growing diversity of storytelling formats. Several winners drew attention for work that crossed genre lines or for performances in miniseries and anthologies, categories that have expanded in prominence amid the streaming era.
Television shows that led nomination tallies also signaled networks' and streamers' continuing investment in limited series and prestige drama, while reality and variety programs remained competitive. The Traitors' win in the reality competition category and SNL50-related specials among the variety winners underscored the range of formats celebrated at the ceremony.
Organizers declined to provide an immediately available consolidated list of all nominees and winners after the show, but ceremony coverage and the promotional materials distributed in advance identified the field of contenders across more than two dozen categories. Viewers and industry observers noted both expected outcomes and surprises among winners, and social-media commentary — including the meme sparked by Farrell's reaction — continued to drive conversation in the hours after the broadcast.