Emmys 2024: The 11 Best, Worst and Weirdest Moments
Here’s something we don’t usually say twice in one year: It’s time to review the best and worst moments from the Emmys!
Due to Hollywood’s dual SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, the 2023 ceremony was postponed until January. Eight months later, TV’s best gathered at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday to once again hand out Emmy gold. Father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek) presided over ABC’s telecast — which, akin to Fox’s Anthony Anderson-hosted presentation earlier this year, was heavy on nostalgia for beloved series from decades past, including Happy Days and The West Wing.
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In the list below, we’ve distilled the three-hour ceremony down to the 11 best, worst and weirdest moments, from the aforementioned cast reunions to Greg Berlanti’s heartwarming acceptance of this year’s Governors Award. In a pleasantly surprising twist for any major awards show, Sunday’s Emmys were light on the usual pre-award presenter banter that often populates our “worsts” — but that doesn’t mean there were no cringeworthy moments. (You deserved so much better, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Taylor Zakhar Perez.)
Our list also includes the most memorable punchline from the Levys’ opening monologue, John Oliver’s unexpectedly funny eulogy for his late dog, plus an awkward backstage moment you didn’t see on ABC’s telecast.
Keep scrolling to see all of the highs and lows from the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, then drop a comment with your own picks.
BEST: Grin and Bear It
Just about every TV-adjacent comment section on the Internet has been filled with cries of, “The Bear is not a comedy!” for months now, leaving Emmy hosts Eugene and Dan Levy with the unenviable task of a) addressing the not-a-comedy controversy in their monologue, but b) doing so with a joke that felt remotely fresh. We’re happy to report the Levys found the perfect recipe: “I know some of you might be expecting us to make a joke about whether The Bear is really a comedy,” Eugene began. “But in the true spirit of The Bear, we will not be making any jokes.” Hey, the light jab clearly got Ayo Edebiri’s stamp of approval; who are we to argue? — Rebecca Iannucci
BEST: Way to Improvise!
Liza Colón-Zayas’ Supporting Actress in a Comedy win was an unexpected treat — particularly to the actress herself, who admitted she hadn’t heeded husband David Zayas’ (Dexter) advice to prepare remarks. But the Bear star quickly recovered, offering a genuine, composed and thorough speech that doubled as a get-out-the-vote PSA for her fellow Latinas. Heck yes, chef! — Kimberly Roots
BEST: Candice Gets Catty
Politics are a through line of most awards broadcasts these days, but we can still appreciate a poised and pointed political barb when we hear one, like Candice Bergen’s thinly veiled jab at Republican veep candidate JD Vance. Recalling the real-life 1992 speech when then-Vice President Dan Quayle criticized Bergen’s Murphy Brown character for raising a child as a single mother, Bergen appeared to reference Vance’s current strategy of criticizing women who choose not to have children. “Today, a Republican candidate for vice president would never attack a woman for having kids, so as they say: My work here is done,” Bergen quipped. Then, in a nod to Vance’s comments about so-called “childless cat ladies,” Bergen finished with a beautifully timed, “Meow.” — R.I.
AWKWARD: Whose Show Is It Anyway?
It’s hard keeping track of what networks and streaming services carry your favorite shows nowadays. Just ask living legend Jean Smart, who, while accepting the award for Lead Actress in a Comedy for her work on Hacks, couldn’t recall whether her series aired on HBO proper or the Max streaming service. “I have so many people to thank,” she began. “Casey and Sarah and everybody at HBO… Max. No, HB— I’m sorry.” After an audible sigh, she added, “Just what we needed: another network!” — Ryan Schwartz
BEST: All Dogs Go to Heaven
While accepting for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver took a moment to thank his beloved dog. “She was at our wedding, she got us through a pandemic, she was with us for two pregnancies….” And then the orchestra began to play him off. “Perfect choice of music,” he interjected. “We had to say goodbye to her.” After Oliver’s sad reveal was met with a chorus of aws, he added, “I feel like Sarah McLachlan right now.” And just like that, the audience was laughing again. — R.S.
WORST: Falling Short
Here’s something you didn’t see on TV: After thanking Emmy producers for lowering the mic ahead of her actual acceptance speech, diminutive Bear co-star Liza Colón-Zayas was done dirty backstage when she was forced to field reporters’ questions with the mic blocking her face the entire time. — Michael Ausiello
WORST: Crystal Goes Long
Comedy legend Billy Crystal was tapped to present the Outstanding Talk Series award… with an apparent emphasis on the talk. After opening with a solid anecdote about his first-ever appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Crystal then announced each of this year’s nominees by reading back his own diary entries about his first visits to each of those shows. “I didn’t say they were funny, I said these were my first impressions,” Crystal joked at the end of the overlong bit. Self-aware, at least! — R.I.
BEST: No, Not That Will Smith
When TV doctors Mindy Kaling, Mekhi Phifer and Zach Braff announced that Will Smith had won for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, you probably weren’t expecting this guy to walk up on stage. “First of all, relax,” the Slow Horses scribe began. “Despite my name, I come up in peace.” He saw a perfect slapportunity for a joke, and he took it! — R.S.
WORST: Yikes, Chef
Thank goodness The Bear‘s Ebon Moss-Bachrach collected an Emmy trophy on Sunday night; it can ease the sting of this hard-to-watch presenting bit he did with Red, White & Royal Blue‘s Taylor Zakhar Perez, which served as an awkward and overt advertisement for Emmy sponsor Johnnie Walker. Moss-Bachrach and Perez did their best to laugh off the obviously stilted moment… but their presentation of the Writing for a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie award was then sabotaged by a microphone that lifted from the bottom of the stage almost comically slowly and noisily. In a word: Oof. — R.I.
BEST: Three Cheers for Berlanti
Governors Award recipient Greg Berlanti has made us shed many a tear over the years, so it wasn’t a total surprise that his acceptance speech on Sunday did the same. (Psst, have you checked out our ranking of Berlanti’s 20 best series yet?) His eloquent monologue wrapped up with a sweet tribute to his late mother, who, as Berlanti noted, “would want you to know that you are loved, and you are worthy, and you have a story to tell, and we need those stories now more than ever.” But we also appreciated the rush of nostalgia we got from Berlanti’s award, driven home by the Dawson’s Creek theme song that played as presenters Joshua Jackson and Matt Bomer took the stage. “Ah, yes, this song,” Jackson laughed, though we’d inject a little more enthusiasm into his words: Ah! Yes! This song! — R.I.
BEST: A Trip Down Memory Lane
We’d be remiss if we didn’t tip our hats to the Emmy producers who finagled several major TV reunions. What a delight it was to see Happy Days‘ Ron Howard and Henry Winkler return to Arnold’s Drive-In…. President Bartlet’s West Wing administration (consisting of Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Dulé Hill, Richard Schiff and Janel Moloney) back in the Oval Office… and Schitt’s Creek‘s Annie Murphy and Dan and Eugene Levy introduce Catherine O’Hara, who presented the final award of the night for Outstanding Comedy Series. — R.S.
Grade Sunday’s Emmys in our poll below, then hit the comments with your full reviews of the show!
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