Hiro Murai makes Emmy history with directing win for ‘Widow’s Bay’

Hiro Murai

Hiro Murai made Emmy history on Monday night, becoming the first Asian director to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.

Murai won for the “Widow’s Bay” premiere, “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!,” at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.

The Television Academy lists 10 career Emmy nominations for Murai, including directing nominations for “Atlanta,” “Station Eleven” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” He previously won as an executive producer of “The Bear” when the series took the Emmy for outstanding comedy series in 2023. 

Murai’s win was part of a dominant showing for “Widow’s Bay.” The series also earned the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, while Matthew Rhys won Outstanding Lead Actor in a comedy series, Kate O’Flynn won Supporting Actress, Stephen Root won Supporting Actor and creator Katie Dippold won for Comedy Writing.