The Emmys are truly my personal Olympics. It’s the one night that all my favorite and talented actors and actresses are together in one place. It was a night to remember for numerous hit television shows, such as “The Studio,” “Adolescence” and “The Pitt.”
For the first time, Grammy-nominated stand-up comedian and actor, Nate Bargatze, served as the host for the highly anticipated night in Hollywood. I was not familiar with his work prior to this event, and I was definitely left not wanting more.
The ceremony had its usual three-hour time slot that the host did not want to exceed. To make sure the night ran as smoothly as possible, Bargatze relied on his one ongoing bit throughout the show to poke fun at the TV industry. For each second that a winner went over the allotted 45 seconds for their acceptance speech, he would take away $1,000 from his $100,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. For every second a winner didn’t use, the host would add $1,000 back into the donation. This is definitely a normal approach, right?
Bargatze claimed this gag was a way to keep the night fun and short, but I found the strategy to be very tone-deaf, especially with all the needs that are needed across the world. I find it so out of touch to make a room full of millionaires, who can donate $100,000 a week and their pockets wouldn’t run dry, to play around with donation money, especially when money to that extent in places like Gaza and Congo can change the lives of hundreds.
As a result of this unfunny joke, winners rushed through their speeches and felt pressured to finish in time, especially by the children who were on stage representing the organization.
After this bizarre introduction to the night, the presenter and beloved late-night host Stephen Colbert received a standing ovation, a sign of solidarity from the audience full of Hollywood stars. When he received this standing ovation, I got goosebumps and chills all over my body. I might be biased because he’s the host of one of my favorite late-night shows, but his still showing up and receiving the support of other artists at a ceremony being streamed on the network that wrongfully terminated his show is a brave and moving moment.
He then lightened the mood by making a joke, regarding his show’s cancellation by the same network airing the ceremony, about bringing his resume to the show and asking if anyone is hiring because he has 200 production and crew members who are great people in need of new jobs. Late-night television will be left with a hole after his show comes to an end.
Right after, the lead actor, director and writer of “The Studio,” Seth Rogen, accepted his award for Outstanding Lead Actor.
In addition to the nine awards they won in the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, “The Studio” took home the awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.
All their wins, totaling 13, broke the all-time record for most wins for a comedy series. If you watched the show, you know that it secured its Emmys the minute episode two aired because the episode was a single-shot take, and it is extraordinary to watch for the first time.
The well-known, multi-talented Jean Smart won her fourth Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her groundbreaking role as Deborah Vance in HBO Max’s “Hacks.”
Her incredibly talented co-star, Hannah Einbinder, took home her most anticipated award for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. This is the first win for the four-time Emmy-nominated actress.
In the middle of her heartwarming speech, she thanked Jean Smart: “I want to thank Jean Smart, who is like the sun, and I just get to stand in her warmth.” She was almost finished with her speech when she realized the donation amount started going down, and she said, “I will pay the difference. Sorry.”
This was the first time in the night that a winner addressed the ridiculous donation strategy, and if someone was going to do it, it was going to be the beloved Hannah Einbinder.
I can confirm that “Hacks” is the big show on HBO Max right now. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder deliver performances of a lifetime, hand in hand. I’ve watched every season over six times now, and it never gets old or stops being captivating.
Katherine LaNasa secured her win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for “The Pitt,” beating out the rest of her nominees, who were all cast members of “The White Lotus.” She delivered a common speech where she thanked her family, nurses in honor of her character, her fellow cast members and the show creator.
She finished her speech by shrieking into the mic as she realized she went five seconds over her allotted speech time, and the donation amount went down to $98,000, yet another sign of the host’s strategy looking like a bad decision. Her cast member, Noah Wyle, took home Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
History was made across categories throughout the night. “Adolescence” 15-year-old star Owen Cooper won his first-ever nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, becoming the youngest actor to win in this category and the youngest male Emmy winner ever. Erin Doherty won her first Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series for her role as Briony Ariston in the Netflix series “Adolescence.”
Stephen Graham got his Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for “Adolescence.” Cristin Milioti was also a first-time winner for her role in HBO Max’s “The Penguin,” taking home Lead Actress in a Limited Series.
The award-winning Apple TV series “Severance” actor Tramell Tillman became the first black and openly queer man to win in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Following Tillman, Jeff Hiller from HBO Max’s “Somebody Somewhere” won the award for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
There were multiple accomplishments in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama series, in which “Severance” actress Britt Lower won her first career nomination for her legendary role as Helly R./Helena Eagan. Her performance in “Severance” is one in a million, and she definitely earned the Emmy.
21-year-old Bella Ramsey was nominated in this category for their role in “The Last of Us,” making them the youngest two-time nominee in the category, and the first non-binary person to be nominated for more than one Emmy. In the same category, at age 77, Kathy Bates became the oldest nominee for her exceptional role as Madeline “Matty” Matlock in the revival of “Matlock.”
Legendary host of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” got his chance to say goodbye as his show is coming to an end in the following year, following CBS’s cancellation of it. The show won for Outstanding Talk Series, as it deserved.
The monumental night ended with a “The Good Place” reunion when recognized actress Kristen Bell and well-praised creator Michael Schur introduced the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award to Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen. This reunion was heartwarming for all “The Good Place” fans who viewed the ceremony.
In comparison to other years where certain performers were snubbed, I hereby declare the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards a success.
