Emmys: John Oliver Thanks His Dog As ‘Last Week Tonight’ Repeats as Best Scripted Variety Series
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver took home the award for best scripted variety series Sunday at the 76th Emmy Awards.
The win was the second straight in the category for Last Week Tonight, which is also as many awards as have been given out for best scripted variety series. It won out over NBC’s Saturday Night Live — the only other nominee in the category.
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Sunday’s win was also the ninth straight for the show in its series category — before moving to scripted variety, Last Week Tonight won seven straight Emmys for best variety talk series.
The TV Academy created the category for the 75th Emmys to better differentiate between talk shows — “programs where a significant portion of the running time consists of unscripted interviews or panel discussions between a host/hosts and guest celebrities or personalities,” in the academy’s definition — and shows whose “main intent … is scripted or performed entertainment.”
In accepting the Emmy, Oliver thanked HBO “for not canceling us over the last decade. That was never a guarantee, so please carry on.”
He also thanked his kids — though he mistakenly called his son Hudson “Husband” at first (“That’s going to come back to haunt me”) — and, toward the end of his speech, the family dog. As the orchestra began to play him off with a somewhat mournful tune, he noted the music was appropriate because “we had to say goodbye to her.”
“I feel like Sarah MacLachlan right now,” Oliver said. “She was an amazing dog. This isn’t just for her — this is for all dogs. You’re very good girls, you’re very good boys, and you all deserve a treat!”
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