Emmys…paging Dr. 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 expanded visibility, appearing in six of the show’s 15 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 back-to-back guest drama actor Emmys for the same role. It is a lane 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 pulled it off for “The Americans,” while the guest comedy actress category has seen consecutive wins from Jean Smart for “Frasier” and Maya Rudolph for “Saturday Night Live.” Expanding the lens further underscores the rarity, with only a handful of performers winning multiple times for the same show in nonconsecutive 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 major way with its first season, winning five Emmys, including outstanding drama series, lead actor for Noah Wyle and supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa, alongside Hatosy’s guest victory. It enters this year’s race as the clear show to beat.
Hatosy’s work is central to that momentum. As Dr. Abbot, he delivers a grounded, lived-in performance that plays effectively opposite Wyle, anchoring the show’s high-stakes storytelling. His slightly expanded role in Season 2, along with stepping behind the camera to direct the episode “3:00 P.M.,” could even position him for a potential double nomination. With six episodes under his belt, including the upcoming season finale, he once again sits in the gray area between guest and supporting, a space that Emmy voters and Television Academy officials continue to debate.
Still, narrative matters. Repeat winners often benefit from a compelling story, whether it is overdue recognition or sustained excellence. Hatosy brings both, bolstered by his long collaboration with producer John Wells and standout roles on “Southland” and “Animal Kingdom.”
With “The Pitt” it gives a chance to redefine what a guest acting win looks like in today’s television landscape. Dr. Abbot might just make Emmy history when he comes off the night shift.
