David Harbour Wins First Emmy for ‘DTF St. Louis’ After Long Journey

Awards season is always filled with emotional moments, but some victories resonate more deeply due to the journey behind them. For David Harbour, known widely for his role in ‘Stranger Things,’ this journey has been marked by numerous near-misses before finally achieving success.

The 2026 Creative Arts Emmys concluded their second night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, showcasing performances across various supporting and guest acting categories. This year, HBO Max’s dark comedy ‘DTF St. Louis’ stood out, entering the ceremony with a significant number of nominations.

Ultimately, this competitive environment worked in Harbour’s favor. He secured the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his portrayal of Floyd Smernitch in ‘DTF St. Louis,’ marking his first Emmy win after two previous nominations for his role as Jim Hopper in ‘Stranger Things’ in 2017 and 2018.

During his acceptance speech, Harbour expressed his disbelief at the audience’s warm reception of the unique and vulnerable show he cherished. He humorously remarked that competing against his fellow nominees was not exactly a fair fight.

This comment elicited laughter, especially since Harbour was up against two of his own ‘DTF St. Louis’ co-stars, Jason Bateman and Richard Jenkins, along with Richard Gadd for ‘Half Man,’ Charles Melton for ‘Beef’ season two, and Nick Offerman for ‘Death by Lightning.’

In the remainder of his speech, Harbour praised creator Steve Conrad, describing the character of Floyd Smernitch as a brilliantly written role from a true original in an industry filled with imitations. He also expressed gratitude to the HBO team for their extensive notes that significantly improved the show.

‘DTF St. Louis’ centers around a love triangle involving three adults grappling with middle-age malaise, a storyline that ultimately leads to one of them ending up dead. The series debuted on HBO Max in March and garnered an impressive 13 Emmy nominations this awards season, a remarkable achievement for a new dark comedy.

By the end of the night, the show had converted six of its nominations into wins, including honors for writing and directing for Conrad, picture editing, cinematography, and supporting actor for Harbour. Linda Cardellini also won in the supporting actress category, surpassing co-star Joy Sunday.

This year marked the first time the Television Academy awarded the supporting actor and actress honors for limited series during the Creative Arts ceremony, rather than waiting for the main Primetime broadcast. This change allowed performances like Harbour’s to receive dedicated recognition. As an executive producer on the series through his company Bravo Axolotl, Harbour has the opportunity to increase his win total if ‘DTF St. Louis’ secures Outstanding Limited Series at the upcoming main event.

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Mariska Hargitay, are scheduled to air on September 14 from the Peacock Theater. For Harbour, this ceremony now carries even greater significance, as he has the chance to add a producing win to a night that has already given him something he has pursued since his first Emmy nomination nearly a decade ago.

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