From shocking upsets to weird tributes and a well-meaning bit that fell seriously flat, here are our picks for the night’s highs and lows
If the 77th Annual Emmy Awards had a theme, it would be first-timers. Television’s biggest night was emceed by comedian Nate Bargatze at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, marking his first time hosting a major awards show. While the evening featured familiar awards-show beats including corny musical tributes and iconic cast reunions, the highlights of the night were the wins for rookie shows and actors, and for a few longtime also-rans.
On his first nomination, Tramell Tillman became the first Black man to win the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Netflix’s devastating limited series Adolescence swept its categories, with Owen Cooper becoming the youngest-ever winner in his category — off of his very first acting job. In its first season, Apple’s love letter to Hollywood, The Studio, rivaled Severance in wins and nominations. Max’s new medical procedural The Pitt won the coveted Outstanding Drama award at the end of the night. And even established stars like Cristin Milioti, Katherine LaNasa, Jeff Hiller, and Noah Wyle got to take their first spins accepting awards on the Emmy stages. Perhaps most meaningful of all, especially given that the telecast was being broadcast by CBS, the soon-to-no-longer-exist Late Show With Stephen Colbert took home the talk series statuette for the first time.
But those feel-good moments couldn’t be celebrated without an awards ceremony equally full of mishaps and general mayhem. Here are the best, worst, weirdest, and wildest moments from the ceremony.
Best: Calling in the Pros for a Cold Open
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Sometimes the best new bit is an old bit. That’s a lesson comedian Nate Bargatze took to heart for his first time hosting a major awards show. With the help of SNL stars Bowen Yang, James Austin Johnson, and Mikey Day, Bargatze opened the 77th Emmy Awards by recreating his viral sketch about George Washington dreaming about the future of America, this time from the perspective of Philo T. Farnsworth — the inventor of television. Instead of a tri-corner hat, Bargatze donned a white lab coat, but Farnsworth’s dreams were equally baffling as Washington’s, including a channel for history that’s all about aliens, shows for wives that only focus on real-life murderers, and a new kind of television, “streaming,” that only exists for “companies to lose money.” The skit had plenty of nods to nominees like Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, The Bear, and The Pitt, while cashing in on some of Bargatze’s internet clout. It was a smart move, especially considering how Bargatze spent the rest of his time as host freezing, dropping jokes entirely, and generally looking lost. Maybe he should’ve dreamed up a better rehearsal. —C.T. Jones
Best: Katherine LaNasa Gets the Recognition She Deserves
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It speaks to the greatness of The Pitt that LaNasa beat out four stars of the Emmys juggernaut The White Lotus (and, you know, Patricia Arquette for Severance). It also speaks to the power of working hard and staying in the game. LaNasa has been acting for more than three decades, making one-episode appearances in everything from Seinfeld to Touched by an Angel to ER, and doing short arcs on procedurals like NYPD Blue and sitcoms like Two and a Half Men. Now, The Pitt’s beleaguered, badass charge nurse Dana is the role she was born to play. LaNasa gave a shoutout to executive producer John Wells in her acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress. “I’m so much better when you’re around,” she said. “Mostly because I don’t want to get fired.” Here’s hoping Dana doesn’t actually quit the ER, and we get more of her in Season Two. —Angie Martoccio
Worst: Tracking a Diminishing Charity Donation Live Onscreen
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In the beginning of the evening, Bargatze announced that he was starting the telecast with a $100,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Club of America — but there was a catch. For any speech over 45 seconds, he’d deduct $1,000 per second; for any speech under 45 seconds, he’d add $1,000 per second. It was a cheeky effort to prevent winners from droning on too long, and while it was somewhat charming and funny at first, the bit quickly became exhausting and tacky, as a meter wildly ticked up and down (mostly down) at the bottom of the screen while each recipient gave their long list of thank yous… or just scampered off the stage without saying much of anything — which is, ah, not very entertaining! (You know a joke is lame when even the shy kid from Adolescence says, “Uh-oh, I’m going down!”) We knew all along that Bargatze would make a big donation regardless of the speeches — why torture the audience, and the children you genuinely want to highlight and help, with emotional porn? —A.M.
WTF: Jennifer Coolidge Being Jennifer Coolidge Doesn’t Always Work
Image Credit: Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
When the beloved Jennifer Coolidge took the stage to present the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, she was warmly welcomed by a crowd eager to see what her brand of kooky comedy would bring to the moment. On this night, that kookiness ended up being a slow-moving, mostly awkward, rambling bit that earned precious few laughs. The one good joke — Coolidge saying she had played a grandmother mid-colonoscopy on The Pitt in a scene that was cut for time — was immediately forgotten in the silence surrounding some riffs on the number of actresses who could’ve been nominated, the time Coolidge won, and a nominees group chat she’s no longer a part of. Coolidge’s shtick works best when she’s given room to riff — exactly what you don’t get at an awards show that is desperate to finish on time. But suffering through this meandering talk immediately after host Nate Bargatze had admonished people to keep their speeches short only made it feel all the slower. —C.T.J.
Best: Stars Hollow Comes to Los Angeles
Image Credit: Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
We’re still eight days away from the start of fall, but the Emmys kicked the season off a little early this year with a Gilmore Girls reunion. For a few minutes, the stage transformed into the charming town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, as Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel appeared on their front porch. “Twenty-five years ago, a show called Gilmore Girls premiered, and apparently took the season of fall hostage,” Graham said to laughter. Despite their “autumnal dominance,” the duo joked about how broke their little show was — saving up all year for “one snow episode” and having to eat the leftovers of Drew Carey’s sheetcake. They were there to present the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, but in a show packed with lame bits and quick speeches, their famous quick-witted banter (originally crafted by showrunner Amy Sherman-Palladino) felt very welcome. —A.M.
Worst: The All-Too-Brief ‘Golden Girls’ Tribute
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Golden Girls was an Eighties classic that made superstars of its cast of veteran comedy actresses — Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty, and the great Betty White. Centering a show on four older women who were single was downright revolutionary for the time, and it turned out to be comedy gold for seven seasons. The show earned 68 Emmy nominations with 11 wins over its run, and each of its stars won one, too. It was certainly worthy of celebration — but why was that celebration nothing more than a performance of the theme song by a trio of country singers on a lame replica of the original kitchen set? Were the golden girls fans of country music? The show was set in Miami, not Nashville, but maybe? Is Reba McEntire a huge Golden Girls fan? Are Little Big Town singers Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman? Maybe! We’ll never know, because they just sang a song, gave out an award, and left the stage. —Maria Fontoura
WTF: Owen Cooper Beats Veteran Stars to Become Youngest Male Supporting Actor Winner
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While the Boys & Girls Club of America were hemorrhaging cash thanks to some lengthy acceptance speeches, there was at least one kid who won big at the 77th Emmys. Owen Cooper, who made his acting debut in the Netflix’s four-episode Adolescence, took home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — making him the youngest-ever winner in that category at 15. His stunning performance as 13-year-old murderer Jamie Miller beat out work by the likes of Oscar winner Javier Bardem, veteran character actor Bill Camp, and writer-comedian-mensch Rob Delaney. “I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything,” Cooper said during his acceptance speech. “I was nothing about three years ago. I’m here now. Who cares if you get embarrassed?” —C.T.J.
Best: Stephen Colbert Finally Wins an Emmy
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Stephen Colbert received a standing ovation at the beginning of the evening, when he presented the award for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, casually handed Harrison Ford his resume (featuring his teenage headshot), and hilariously asked, “Is anyone hiring?” He returned to the stage later that night to accept the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series, two months after CBS cancelled The Late Show (the network claimed this was a financial decision, but we know it was political). And while it was technically the show’s second Emmy — they won last week at the Creative Arts ceremony — their win tonight was momentous and poignant. Colbert, who’s hosted the show for a decade, capped his tender speech with a nod to Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy”: “Stay strong, be brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor!” —A.M.