With relatively few shocks and several exceptional gems, the American Television Academy celebrated the postponed presentation of its awards this Monday.
With more than three months of delay due to the strikes of the writers’ and performers’ unions that paralyzed Hollywood for much of 2023, the 75th Emmy Awards 2024, which recognise the finest of TV, finally took place that night.
Since the nominated shows debuted between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023, this honour was given later than expected.
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The awarding of prizes for literature that was last seen eighteen months ago does not appear to be in line with the rapid speed at which the audiovisual business moves. Thus, Succession, the show’s favourite, bid farewell so many times since its final episode aired at the end of May that no one was surprised by its victory, even if it was well-deserved.
Emmy Awards Celebration
The ceremony’s creators bet that the emotion would originate from somewhere else, possibly because they anticipated that the statuettes’ fates did not hold any surprises, at least not in the major categories. Delivery thus turned into a celebration of the 75-year history of the Emmy Awards and the programmes that have been a part of it.
The Television Academy party honoured those shows that made an impact on the small screen, including The Sopranos, which is approaching its 25th anniversary, Mad Men, Cheers, and even the venerable I Love Lucy. These shows ranged from the sitcoms of the 1970s through the revolutionary Miami Division, with great success, and beyond the distribution of statuettes.
Following the controversy surrounding comedian Jo Koy’s monologue at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards, many questioned whether it was time to stop exposing the general public and the performers to the occasionally insensitive and poorly received humour that these kinds of ceremony hosts normally serve out.
The master of ceremonies has an unappreciated job; if he performs it exceptionally well, people will say he overshadowed the night’s winners; if he performs it subtly, some people will believe it is already outdated; and if he performs it poorly, he will be the talk of Hollywood until someone else performs it even worse.
Emmy Awards Nominee
Anthony Anderson, the eleven-time Emmy nominee for his work on the sitcom Black-ish, demonstrated that it is possible to open the show without making others or yourself feel uncomfortable despite carrying such a heavy load. Furthermore, and perhaps even more admirably, the actor was able to identify his role in the creation of a special that would include 27 statuettes to be awarded and other memorable programmes.
There were few questions about Succession, The Bear, and Bronca’s status as the front-runners for the Emmys following their victories at the Golden Globe and Critics’ Awards. And the prediction came true to the letter. The HBO show won Best Drama, Best Story, Best Direction, and Best Leading Actor for Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook, along with Best Supporting Actor for Matthew MacFayden.
The Bear (available on Star+) dominated the comedy category, winning the statuettes for best comedy, best actor, and supporting actress for Ebon Moss Bachrach and Ayo Edibiri, as well as script, direction, and lead actor for Jeremy Allen White. Ted Lasso had the most nominations in the category with 21 mentions.
The Netflix miniseries Bronca emerged victorious, taking home awards for best miniseries, best story, best direction, actor (Steven Yeun), and actress (Alie Wong). It became evident last night how significant each award’s position in the calendar is, regardless of the merits of the recognitions.
Television Academy
The Television Academy would have been recognized for their astute decisions if these Emmys had been given out on September’s scheduled date, as opposed to now, when they are the final prize of the season.
The one unbeatable challenge faced by all award ceremonies, regardless of production quality, is acceptance speeches. Every ceremony looks for the most efficient approach to get winners to walk onstage for a brief moment to keep the event on schedule.
Occasionally, the sound engineer’s hand cuts the microphone in front of them, and other times the songs start to play and obscure their poignant lyrics. This time, Anderson said that his mother would be the one to remove the stage from the crowd.
Many did not suffer the same fate, even though some winners acknowledged them quickly and a text on the screen finished their list; it was never made apparent why some winners had it and others did not.
Jennifer Coolidge
Consequently, when Jennifer Coolidge took a few more minutes to express her gratitude following her win for best supporting actress in a drama for The White Lotus, Mrs Anderson signalled that her time was up and started yelling at him to shut up.
It was not humorous as a joke, and while it might have been effective as an organising technique, it came at the expense of being the first note of discord in a broadcast that appeared to have avoided that kind of disharmony.
Plans and promises made by award show producers rarely live up to popular expectations. It was reported that some of the most beloved casts of television shows would get together on Emmy night, but nobody anticipated that they would play a major role in the entire show.
The nostalgic suggestion was partially met by the fleeting appearances of original cast members of Grey’s Anatomy, the longest-running medical drama on television set to start its twentieth season: Ellen Pompeo, Katherine Heigl, James Pickens, Chandra Wilson, and Justin Chambers.
Multiple Award Winning
Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenberger, and George Wendt did the same thing when they re-created the Boston pub where the iconic and multiple award-winning Cheers was filmed.
The first presenter of the evening, Christina Applegate, set the tone for the ceremony even though it had nothing to do with her Emmy win. The actress, who disclosed in 2021 that she had multiple sclerosis, seemed on stage overwhelmed by the audience’s applause and received a standing ovation.
The actress, who was crying and using a cane to assist herself, remarked, “They are making fun of me by stopping when I have this disability,” before accepting the prize for best supporting actress in a comedy.
A short while later, Lorraine Bracco and Michael Imperioli took the stage to discuss The Sopranos in a set that looked like the doctor’s office where Bracco’s character, Dr. Melfi, treated Tony Soprano.
Great James Gandolfini
The actress spoke movingly of the late “great James Gandolfini,” the actor who passed away in 2013 and was nominated three times for best dramatic actor for his work on the show. Next came the In Memoriam segment, which concluded with a rendition of the Friends song and a picture of Matthew Perry, who passed away in October 2023.
One of the loudest cheers of the evening was given to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who made a brief cameo behind the desk of “Weekend Update,” the Saturday Night Live segment in which they had long been main characters. Presenting the prize for best live variety show, the comedians proved once again that they could elevate even the most unimpressive parts of a programme.
Fey declared, “We’re already at that stage in life where we only present awards if we’re sitting down,” before revealing that the winning entry in the category was Elton John’s farewell tour special. A historic occasion due to Fey and Poehler’s “return” as well as the fact that the British singer received the Emmy Award, which allowed him to become an EGOT—an artist who has won the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards—and become an EGOT.
Pedro Pascal and Kieran Culkin, who have been having a hilarious fictitious altercation since the Golden Globes, were the other comedic duo of the evening. As his “rival” stared at him from the audience, the Chilean actor said from the stage, “A lot of people ask me about my arm, actually what I have hurt is my shoulder and I think tonight is the perfect time to tell everyone that Kieran Culkinhe beat me up.”
