The poor Emmy Awards. They should have aired last September but didn’t because of the Writers and SAG strikes.
So the awards they gave out tonight are for a season long since over and in some cases replaced already by a new one. They were voted on last summer.
And because the Emmys had to wait so long, they were usurped by Sunday’s Critics Choice Awards and last week’s Golden Globes. Having been at the CCAs on Sunday, I felt like I was having a deja vu on Monday. The actors and audience probably felt that way, too.
The gist of the show this year was nostalgia. Popular theme songs were used between segments. Old sets were lavishly recreated of old shows. Casts were reunited, even if some of the actors had left their shows unhappily — witness two members of the “Grey’s Anatomy” who got the heave-ho unceremoniously.
Then there were the glaring absences. Woody Harrelson and Shelly Long were glaringly absent from the “Cheers” reunion. Sandra Oh and Patrick Dempsey didn’t make it back for “Greys,” and so on. It was almost more fun watching who didn’t show up than who did. The most painful constant reunion: host Anthony Anderson and his mother, who was used as a running bit. Once would have been plenty.
And then there was the constant panning around the Microsoft Theater to show swaths of empty seats. I emailed someone from the Television Academy who claimed everyone was at the bar. Didn’t the Academy pay for seat fillers? (They were certainly stingy about press seats.)
The winners (and nominees) were the same as those other shows from the last week, and from past years. “The Bear” and “Succession” led the pack, along with “Beef.” The funny part of that was a reunion of the still on the air “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” They’ve been on the air for 16 seasons and never had a single nomination. The cast mocked the Emmys when they appeared, which was refreshing. The Emmy are guilty of ignoring the same shows for years until they are dead. (Witness “Billions.” Now its unloved star, Paul Giamatti, is on track to get an Oscar.)
Stranger still, punnily enough: “Still,” the Michael J. Fox documentary, picked up four Emmys. How could it possibly be nominated for an Oscar?
Among the presenters, the oddest one was two time Oscar winner Jodie Foster. She’s rarely been on a TV show in the last 50 years. Weird.
The next Emmys will be in September, on ABC, which will provide a huge improvement to the proceedings. When this next session begins, “Succession” and “The Crown” will be gone, “The Last of Us” will up the list, and so on. Maybe they will have fewer commercials. This show felt like it was squeezed into a night of them, and they were unbearable.
Outstanding Drama Series
Succession
HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat
Outstanding Comedy Series
The Bear
FX • FX Productions
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Succession • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions
Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Succession • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions
Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Beef
Netflix • A Netflix Series / An A24 Production
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Beef
Netflix • A Netflix Series / An A24 Production Ali Wong as Amy Lau
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Beef • Netflix • A Netflix Series / An A24 Production
Steven Yeun as Danny Cho
Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium
Disney+ • Disney+ Presents in association with Rocket Entertainment / A Fulwell 73 Production
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Succession • Connor’s Wedding • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions
Mark Mylod, Directed by
Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Beef • The Birds Don’t Sing, They Screech In Pain • Netflix • A Netflix Series / An A24 Production
Lee Sung Jin, Written by
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Succession • Connor’s Wedding • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions
Jesse Armstrong, Written by
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Black Bird • Apple TV+ • Apple Studios
Paul Walter Hauser as Larry Hall
Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Beef • Figures of Light • Netflix • A Netflix Series / An A24 Production
Lee Sung Jin, Directed by
Outstanding Talk Series
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Comedy Central • Central Productions, LLC
Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver • HBO Max • HBO in association with Sixteen String Jack Productions and Avalon Television
Daniel O’Brien, Senior Writer Owen Parsons, Senior Writer Charlie Redd, Senior Writer Joanna Rothkopf, Senior Writer Seena Vali, Senior Writer Johnathan Appel, Writer
Ali Barthwell, Writer Tim Carvell, Writer Liz Hynes, Writer Ryan Ken, Writer Mark Kramer, Writer Sofia Manfredi, Writer John Oliver, Writer
Taylor Kay Phillips, Writer Chrissy Shackelford, Writer
Outstanding Reality Competition Program
RuPaul’s Drag Race
MTV • World of Wonder
Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
The Bear • System • FX • FX Productions
Christopher Storer, Written by
Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
The Bear • Review • FX • FX Productions
Christopher Storer, Directed by
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story • Netflix • Ryan Murphy Productions for Netflix
Niecy Nash-Betts as Glenda Cleveland
Outstanding Scripted Variety Series
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
HBO Max • HBO in association with Sixteen String Jack Productions and Avalon Television
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
The Bear • FX • FX Productions
Jeremy Allen White as Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
The Bear • FX • FX Productions
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard “Richie” Jerimovich
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Succession • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions
Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
The White Lotus • HBO Max • HBO in association with Rip Cord and The District
Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya McQuoid-Hunt
