Emmys Recap: The six biggest moments from TV’s biggest night
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — From history-making wins to two memorials ending with a laugh, the 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards was full of thrills, surprises and memorable moments that marked a memorable year in TV.
Here are six of the biggest standout moments from last night’s show.
‘Shōgun’ sets an Emmy record
The Japanese-American drama raked in a flood of awards this year: 18 in total. This set a record for the most awards for a Television series in a single season.
Among the top prizes, the show won Outstanding Drama Series, Directing for a Drama Series and Lead Actor for a Drama Series.
The winning streak was seemingly cemented at the top of the Emmys show, with hosts Dan and Eugene Levy remarking, “Shōgun hasn’t won anything yet but it has already set a record.”
The feat was not lost on the creative personnel, who appeared time after time on the Emmy stage, met with cheers and even tears of joy.
John Oliver eulogizes his dog (and almost gets played off)
John Oliver is never one to give a schmoozy awards show speech. He’s won in the category of Oustanding Scripted Variety Series and Outstanding Talk Series every year since 2016 and never fails to leave the audience laughing.
This year, at the end of his speech he chose to thank his dog, whom he said helped his family through consequential moments of their life over the last few years. As if set up by the Television Academy for a punchline, his elegy was interrupted by the stir of the orchestra playing him off with incidentally somber music.
“Perfect choice of music,” Oliver quipped. “We had to say goodbye to her this year.”
The choir of ‘aww’s’ soon turned to belly-laughs when Oliver cursed out the house orchestra, who stopped the music so he could finish. He dedicated his award to “all dogs.”
Liza Colón-Zayas, Anna Sawai make Emmy history
For her Emmy-winning performance as the veteran line cook Tina Merrera in The Bear, Liza Colón-Zayas became the first Latina performer to win in the category of Oustanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy.
“To all the Latinas who are looking at me, keep believing and vote,” Colón-Zayas said in her emotional acceptance speech.
Meanwhile, Shōgun’s Anna Sawai became the first Asian actress to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama.
The wins came just before actor John Leguizamo addressed the audience with a rousing speech about inclusivity on American Television and among the Emmy nominees, highlighting Latin American roles in entertainment past and present.
Diana’s Revenge: Elizabeth Debicki is the sole winner for ‘The Crown’
For her portrayal of Diana, Princess of Wales, Elizabeth Debicki accepted the only award for Netflix’s The Crown during last night’s show. The Australian-born actress took the stage for her first Emmy.
The Netflix original series chronicling Queen Elizabeth II’s era on the throne of the British Monarchy concluded its seven-year run in December.
Other nominees from the final season included Lesley Manville for her role as Princess Margaret, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip and Imelda Staunton as Elizabeth.
Jimmy Kimmel’s perfectly awkward Bob Newhart tribute
After the annual ‘In Memoriam’ musical tribute, talk show host and nominee Jimmy Kimmel took the stage before the backdrop image of the late Emmy-winner and TV legend Bob Newhart, who passed away in July at the age of 94 and was Kimmel’s personal friend.
Following his long walk onstage, Kimmel shattered the somber tone set by the tribute with a joke:
“And the Emmy for deceased industry professional we will miss the most…”
The line was met with hesitant laughs from the audience along with some moans. Kimmel proceeded to poke loving fun at his late friend’s storied career and talents, saying Newhart had “no range, but he didn’t need range. He had what most comedians don’t, especially today: a degree in accounting.”
Some viewers on social media, however, weren’t having the jokes.
“Which fool thought Jimmy Kimmel’s segment was appropriate after the memoriam? Bob Newhart could’ve been recognized after the commercial,” wrote one user on X.
Newhart’s children, however, approved of Kimmel’s tribute, writing that their dad “would have been so honored.”
‘Hacks’ upsets ‘The Bear’ for Outstanding Comedy Series
Most of those in the prediction business had declared The Bear a shoo-in for Outstanding Comedy Series this year, as it was at the previous Emmy ceremony. However, the assumed clean sweep for the FX series was broken by Max’s Hacks throughout the evening.
As the show progressed, a win for Jean Smart over Ayo Edibiri and then a win for the Hacks writing team indicated that the juggernaut series about the titular Chicago restaurant may not have been as locked in as previously thought.
For viewers who love competition, this was the only true race for the evening, and it resulted in a surprise. That surprise gave the series about an aging stand-up comedian’s relationship with her desperate, young head writer its first Emmy win for Oustanding Comedy. It has been nominated for its previous two seasons.
The Bear loss comes after months of chatter regarding category fraud, with a debate both on and offline about whether or not the series truly qualifies as a “comedy.”
Whether or not this conversation spilled over into the Emmy voter pool will likely remain unknown.
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