Kate O’Flynn Emmy win puts ‘Widow’s Bay’ assistant Patricia in the spotlight

Kate O’Flynn’s Emmy win is official: the British performer took home outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series at the 2026, 78th Emmy Awards for playing Patricia in Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay.

The Television Academy’s record lists O’Flynn as the 2026 winner for the role and shows one nomination and one Emmy on her awards tally. Variety reported that it was her first nomination as well as her first win.

What role did Kate O’Flynn play in ‘Widow’s Bay’?

O’Flynn plays Patricia, the chief assistant to Mayor Tom Loftis, portrayed by Matthew Rhys, according to Variety. Patricia becomes a key ally to the mayor as the strange events surrounding their island town escalate.

Widow’s Bay is a horror-comedy set on a remote New England island. The show follows Loftis as he tries to turn the town into a tourist draw despite long-running local stories that the island is cursed, Variety reported.

O’Flynn’s category included another Widow’s Bay performer, Dale Dickey, alongside Hacks nominees Hannah Einbinder and Meg Stalter, Abbott Elementary’s Janelle James, Michelle Pfeiffer of Margo’s Got Money Troubles and Jessica Williams of Shrinking, Variety reported.

How did ‘Widow’s Bay’ fare at the 2026 Emmys?

The series arrived with 19 nominations for its first season, according to Variety. Those nominations included comedy series recognition and acting nominations for Rhys, O’Flynn, Dickey and Stephen Root.

Variety also reported that the show had collected eight awards at the earlier Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies, including a guest-actress prize for Betty Gilpin. The Television Academy’s 2025-26 awards calendar listed the Creative Arts ceremonies for Sept. 5 and 6, with the NBC Emmy telecast set for Sept. 14.

The official record settles the central result: O’Flynn won for Patricia, and Widow’s Bay added a major acting award to its first Emmy campaign.

This story draws on original reporting from Variety.