Emmys 2024: Best and Worst Moments
Dan and Eugene Levy have come a long way from the middle of nowhere fictional town of Schitt’s Creek. The father-son duo’s hit show won nine primetime Emmys throughout its run, and on Sunday night, the pair hosted the 76th Emmy Awards.
The ceremony already made history before it started. Shōgun, the FX drama set in feudal Japan, was nominated for 25 Emmys and took home 18 awards Sunday night, setting a new record for most wins by a show for a single season. And Hacks proved the old adage that the third time’s the charm, when its third season earned it the award for outstanding comedy series.
The Bear went into the ceremony boasting 23 nods in the comedy category, becoming the most nominated comedy in Emmys’ history. During the show intro on Sunday night, Eugene Levy poked at The Bear, joking about the debate over the often dramatic show being nominated in the comedy categories: “In the true spirit of The Bear, we will not be making any jokes.”
That was hardly the case. The hosts, presenters, and winners cracked plenty of hilarious jokes, and The Bear did quite well for itself (aside from losing out on the top comedy honor), whatever its genre. Here are some of the most memorable moments of the evening.
Best father-son host pair
Eugene Levy said he’s played a lot of dads, but his most rewarding dad role was playing Dan’s Dad in Schitt’s Creek “because it got me my first acting Emmy.”
The pair had lots of playful jokes aimed at the streaming services. Dan described the Emmys as “broadcast TV’s biggest night for honoring movie stars on streaming services.”
Read more: Eugene and Dan Levy Made Hosting the Emmys Look Easy
The duo traded barbs in between presenters. Dan Levy told the audience his dad came close to getting the part of gruff White House communications director on The West Wing—rubbing it in that Richard Schiff won an Emmy for that role. Eugene fired back with, “And how was your audition for Ripley?”
Terrific presenter trifecta
Only Murders in the Building stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez turned presenting the first award of the night into a comedy act, with Martin quipping to Short: “What an honor it is to be working with someone who looks like a former women’s tennis champion.” Gomez could not keep a straight face.
The Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series they presented went to Ebon Moss-Bachrach a.k.a. Richie a.k.a. Cousin for The Bear.
The Bear eats up the awards
In addition to Moss-Bachrach’s win, The Bear dominated the top acting awards for a comedy series.
Liza Colón-Zayas may have been a sous chef on The Bear, but she was front and center at the Emmys when she accepted her first Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (even if some viewers thought her turn in Season 3 was more deserving than the one she won for, Season 2). She thanked her husband and shouted out other Latinas in the industry. Her words of wisdom for the audience: “Vote. Vote for your rights.”
And the Television Academy said “Yes, Chef!” to Jeremy Allen White, who won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
Smart-est acceptance speech
TV legend Jean Smart of Hacks accepted the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series, saying, “I really appreciate this because I just don’t get enough attention.”
Then she went on to mix up HBO and Max, finally pausing with her head down, looking up, and lamenting to the audience how many different streaming sites there were. It was Smart's third Emmy for her role as Deborah Vance.
When Harry Met Late Night
Billy Crystal, winner of six primetime Emmys, came onstage to present the award for outstanding talk series and said, “It’s great to be…anywhere.”
He whipped out what he claims is a diary of his first appearances on the nominated shows, so as he announced the nominees, he read off his first impressions of the various talk show hosts. For the Daily Show, he said Jon Stewart told him they’d grab dinner after Crystal’s appearance on the program, but that he waited around and the host never showed up. Same with Seth Meyers. His first impression of Stephen Colbert: “Brilliant guy but I wonder if he’s ever seen himself naked.” The award went to The Daily Show, which Stewart notably returned to once a week this year following a fruitless search for a replacement for Trevor Noah.
Read more: Jon Stewart’s Daily Show Return Is a Bad Omen for Late Night
Most adorkable acceptance speech
Fargo’s Lamorne Morris started his acceptance speech for his first Emmy win (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series) by thanking his mom for supporting him “ever since I dropped out of her bod.” Then he took time to fan out over fellow nominee and The Sympathizer actor, shouting “Robert Downey, Jr., I have a poster of you in my house!” Some posited that despite his great performance on the Noah Hawley show, it was also long overdue recognition for his beloved role in New Girl.
Lamorne Morris great in Fargo but also this is retroactively a Winston Bishop award
— Esther Zuckerman (@ezwrites) September 16, 2024
Jodie Foster’s first Emmy win
Jodie Foster has won numerous awards, including two Oscars and two Golden Globes, but on Sunday night, she won her first Emmy Award, for True Detective: Night Country. Her role as a detective investigating the disappearance of arctic researchers earned her an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
She ended her speech with words of wisdom for her two children: “Love and work equals art.”
Read more: Jodie Foster on Returning to Her Killer-Hunting Roots in True Detective: Night Country
Baby Reindeer sleighs!
Scottish comedian Richard Gadd was running up and down the stage all night long collecting top awards for writing and acting in a limited series.
His acceptance speeches were packed with life lessons he hoped to impart on young viewers, such as “the greatest gift” that his parents gave him: “They never, ever told me what I needed to do with my life.”
Gadd also said Baby Reindeer’s success at the Emmys is proof that you don’t necessarily need big studio backing to make a hit—“only good storytelling that speaks to our times.” He urged creatives to “explore the uncomfortable, dare to fail in order to achieve.”
A West Wing reunion
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Emmy-award winning drama, cast members from the West Wing appeared in a makeshift Oval Office to present the award for outstanding drama series, which went to Shogun. Allison Janey and Richard Schiff remarked on how amazing it was that writers had to “use their imaginations” to come up with their plot lines when today, “storylines could be plucked right off the news.” They also urged audience members to vote in the 2024 presidential election.
Shōgun’s historic wins
Shōgun, which was nominated for 25 Emmys, won a total of 18 awards on Sunday night, setting a record for the most Emmy Awards wins for a single season. The show also made history when Anna Sawai became the first Asian person to win the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Mariko.
Hiroyuki Sanada rounded off the top acting awards in the drama category by winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Hacks hacking it
Hacks—a show about a love-hate relationship between a veteran comedian and her woke 20-something comedy writer—won top awards in the comedy category, the Emmys for Outstanding Comedy series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. While accepting the award for best comedy series, co-creator Lucia Aniello explained why comedy is universal: “When you laugh with someone, you have something in common with them.”
TV doctors show off their funny bones
Some presenters were grouped by their TV roles. There were TV dads, TV moms, TV cops, lawyers, and villains. The TV doctors lineup got the most laughs, when they talked about the people who motivated them while playing doctors. Mekhi Phifer from ER said he was inspired by the doctors in his life. Mindy Kaling, who played an OB-GYN on The Mindy Project, said she was inspired by her own OBGYN mom. And Zach Braff from Scrubs said he drew inspiration from waiting tables in Beverly Hills and eating footlongs from 7-11—half for lunch, half for dinner: “I was inspired to not live like that anymore.”
Zinger of the night
“Despite my name, I come in peace,” said screenwriter Will Smith, as he accepted the award for outstanding writing for a drama series for Slow Horses. He was making a winking reference to sharing a name with the actor Will Smith, who slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022.
Write to Olivia B. Waxman at [email protected].
