‘DTF St. Louis’ Wins Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series

Steven Conrad's HBO series aced the top category at Monday night's Emmy Awards, besting fellow nominees "Beef" and "Love Story" — both of which were once considered frontrunners.

Acing a life insurance physical is one thing, but winning an Emmy? That’s news worth rapping about. “DTF St. Louis,” the seven-episode HBO series from writer and director Steven Conrad, won the Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series on Monday night, completing an impressive awards run that saw the critical favorite rise from underdog to top dog.

The win ends a three-year streak for Netflix that began with “Beef” Season 1 in 2023 before dominant hits like “Baby Reindeer” (2024) and “Adolescence” (2025) won handily. “DTF St. Louis” is the first HBO series to claim the category since 2022, when the first season of “The White Lotus” took home the trophy. (Mike White’s series then shifted to the Drama categories.)

“DTF St. Louis” was originally seen as a dark horse in the limited series categories. Early buzz favored Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette,” before mixed reviews and a modest performance in nominations scuttled its chances. “Beef” Season 2 was considered the frontrunner for even longer, thanks to the series’ established favor within the TV Academy and category-leading nominations’ tally.

“Beef” scored 16 nominations, three more than “DTF St. Louis,” but it was the latter series that gained steam over the summer. David Harbour won the Gotham Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Limited Series, and the show took home top honors, too — beating “Beef” in both categories. Conrad’s dark comedy received two TCA Award nominations, as well, compared to “Beef’s” solo nod, before “DTF St. Louis” exploded at last weekend’s Creative Arts ceremonies with six wins: Picture Editing, Cinematography, Writing and Directing (both for Steven Conrad), as well as acting wins for Linda Cardellini for Best Supporting Actress and Harbour for Best Supporting Actor.

Per HBO’s official synopsis, “DTF St. Louis’ is “about a love triangle between three adults experiencing middle-age malaise that leads to one of them ending up dead.” Conrad’s previous TV credits include “Patriot,” “Perpetual Grace, LTD,” and “Ultra City Smiths.” (On the film side, he’s written “The Pursuit of Happyness” starring Will Smith, “The Weather Man” with Nicolas Cage, and he co-wrote “Wonder” starring Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts)

The TV Academy invited a small uproar when it announced in July that categories previously included in the Primetime ceremony (airing live on NBC) would be moved to the Creative Arts ceremonies (which are not broadcast live). Those included four categories eventually won by “DTF St. Louis”: Writing and Directing, as well as Best Supporting Actor and Actress. Only three Limited Series categories were included in Monday night’s ceremony: Best Limited Series, Actor, and Actress.

The 78th Emmy Awards were held Monday, September 14 at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, CA. The ceremony aired on NBC and streamed on Peacock.