India, Sept. 15 -- Mariska Hargitay took the stage on Monday night as the first woman in 15 years to host the Emmy Awards, presiding over the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards from the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles as HBO Max's medical drama The Pitt entered the ceremony as the most nominated series of the year.

The broadcast, which aired live on NBC and streamed on Peacock beginning at 8 pm ET, capped off a three-night Emmy cycle in which the Television Academy handed out more than 100 statuettes across craft and performance categories.

Hargitay, the longtime "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star and a three-time Emmy winner in her own right, told the Today show last month that she was "incredibly honoured" to take on the hosting...