Another year, Another Emmys—or the second one this year. Hosted at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles by the first-ever father-son duo, Eugene and Dan Levy, the award show featured a successful night for Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer” and FX’s latest series, “Shogun.”
Starting off, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jeremy Allen White became consecutive two-time winners for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor, respectively, for FX’s “The Bear.” Despite the lack of outright laughter in the show in the latest season, a few jokes are used to balance the show’s themes. HBO’s “Hacks” took home a few awards as well for Outstanding Comedy Series, Writing for a Comedy Series and Jean Smart was awarded Outstanding Lead Actress.
Billy Crudup is also added to the consecutive winner list for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in AppleTV +’s “The Morning Show” as United Broadcast Association President Cory Ellison.
The night included the most diverse nominations in Emmys history, as noted by actor John Leguizamo, who presented a heartfelt message on increasing diversity and inclusion within these creative spaces. He also poked fun at the phrase “DEI hire,” joking, “The D is for diligence, the E is for excellence, the I is for imagination.” First-time winner Liza Colón-Zayas made history as the first Latina actress to win the award for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance as Tina Marrero in “The Bear.” Navu Mau also made history as the first transgender woman nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Past and current Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast members Maya Rudolph, Seth Meyers, Kristen Wiig and Bowen Yang playfully roasted the show’s creator, Lorne—or Lauren, according to Yang—Michaels, on the 85 Emmy losses of the show in honor of its 75th anniversary. SNL added another loss when Best Scripted Variety Series was awarded to “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
Lamorne Morris won his first Emmy for “Fargo,” yet many X users view this as an overdue award to his “New Girl” character, Winston Bishop. @KyloCool630 said, “Few actors deserve this moment more than [him]. My guy has been putting in the work, staying positive, and shining his light on all he touches. This is so well deserved #Emmys.” Another user, @ezwrites wrote, “Lamorne Morris great [sic] in Fargo but also this is retroactively a Winston Bishop award.”
“Baby Reindeer,” based on true events from writer/comedian/actor Richard Gadd’s life, scored four wins in the Limited Series category with Outstanding Limited Series, Jessica Gunning for Outstanding Supporting Actress and Gadd himself won twice in Outstanding Lead Actor and Best Writing. While accepting the show’s win, the comedian emphasized the importance of pushing boundaries with television and “exploring the uncomfortable.”
Singer and rapper Jelly Roll performed “I Am Not Okay” during the In Memoriam tribute. A few late industry members mentioned were Donald Sutherland, James Earl Jones, Bob Newhart and Shannen Doherty. However, fans noticed the absence of Shelley Duval, resulting in an online outcry. Shortly after the performance, former Emmy host Jimmy Kimmel made an appearance on stage and pretended to present an award for “the deceased industry professional,” which led to his microphone being muted.
Many viewers didn’t find this funny, with one X user, @theprincessoftx, saying, “Like every award show, he does or says something distasteful.” While hosting in 2022, Kimmel came on stage pretending he was drunk while Quinta Brunson gave her acceptance speech after winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in her show “Abbott Elementary” and laid by her feet on the stage.
Jodie Foster received her first Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series for “True Detective: Night Country” and pointed out her Indigenous co-star and Outstanding Supporting Actress nominee Kali Reis. Foster honored the community, specifically the Inuit people of Northern Alaska, during the show’s filming and how unifying the experience was, “They just told us their stories and allowed us to listen, and that was a blessing.”
The Governors Award went to Greg Berlanti for his work in creating representation for the LGBTQ+ community on screen. His credits include “The Flash,” “Arrow,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” “You” and many more.
To end the night, ‘Shōgun’ won 18 out of its 25 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series—becoming the first non-English speaking series to win this award—Outstanding Lead Actor, Outstanding Lead Actress and Best Directing for a Drama, breaking the record for the most wins of any show in an Emmy season.
Hiroyuki Sanada, who won the aforementioned Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series award, talked about the collectiveness of working on the show, “It was an East-meets-West dream project, with respect. ‘Shōgun’ taught me that when people work together, we can make a miracle. We can create a better future together.” Anna Sawai accepted Best Lead Actress in a Drama while giving a teary speech and became the first actress of Asian descent to win in this category.
Many firsts for the night, from wins and nominations to more inclusive changes, making this one for the books. Take a look at the completed list of awards here.
