Shawn Hatosy Could Make Emmy History With ‘The Pitt’
Emmys…Dr. Calling Abbot.
After winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his turn as Dr. Jack Abbot, Shawn Hatosy returns in season 2 with extended visibility, appearing in six of the show’s fifteen episodes. In the 50-year history of guest acting races, repeat winners are rare, and repeat winners for the same show are even rarer. Only five actors in the guest drama actor category have ever won more than once: Patrick McGoohan for “Columbo” (1975, 1990), Ed Asner for “Rich Man, Poor Man” (1976) and “Roots” (1977), John Lithgow for “Amazing Stories” (1986) and “Dexter” (2010), Charles S. Dutton for “The Practice” (2002) and “Without a Trace” (2003), and Ron Cephas Jones for “This Is Us” (2018, 2020).
Notably, no performer has ever won multiple Emmys for Guest Drama Actor for the same role. It’s a job Hatosy could create entirely for himself.
That kind of streak has been achieved in other guest categories, most famously by Mel Brooks, who remains the only three-time consecutive winner for “Mad About You,” and Jay Thomas, who won back-to-back for “Murphy Brown.” On the drama side, Margo Martindale did well with “The Americans,” while the guest comedy actress category saw back-to-back wins from Jean Smart for “Frasier” and Maya Rudolph for “Saturday Night Live.” Expanding the lens further underlines the rarity: Only a handful of artists won multiple times for the same show in non-consecutive years, including McGoohan for “Columbo,” Patricia Clarkson for “Six Feet Under,” Cephas Jones for “This Is Us,” Colleen Dewhurst for “Murphy Brown” and Kathryn Joosten for “Desperate Housewives.”
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The HBO Max medical drama broke out in a big way in its first season, winning five Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series, Lead Actor for Noah Wyle and Supporting Actress for Katherine LaNasa, in addition to Hatosy’s guest win. He enters this year’s race as the clear show to beat.
Hatosy’s work is central to that momentum. If Dr. Abbot, he delivers a grounded, lived-in performance that plays effectively opposite Wyle and anchors the show’s storytelling. His somewhat expanded role in Season 2, along with him stepping behind the camera to direct the episode “3:00 PM,” could even position him for a possible double nomination. With six episodes under his belt, including the upcoming season finale, he once again finds himself in the gray area between guest and supporter, a space that Emmy voters and Television Academy officials continue to debate.
Still, the story is important. Repeat winners often benefit from a compelling story, whether it’s overdue recognition or sustained excellence. Hatosy brings both, enhanced by his long collaboration with producer John Wells and standout roles in ‘Southland’ and ‘Animal Kingdom’.
With “The Pitt” it offers the opportunity to redefine what a guest acting win looks like in today’s television landscape. Dr. Abbot could make history for Emmy when he gets off the night shift.
