On Sunday, September 15th, ABC aired the 76th annual Emmy Awards show. Hosted by the father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, the show marked the second Emmy Awards show in 2024 following the 75th annual show in January, which had been delayed by the writers’ and actors’ strikes of 2023. The award show achieved an audience of 6.9 million viewers, up 54% compared to January.
Some big names in the Emmys were “The Bear,” “Baby Reindeer” and “Shōgun.” “The Bear” was nominated for 23 Emmys, setting a record for the most nominated comedy in the Emmy’s history. While it won 11 important awards in the comedy category — including Lead Actor, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress — it lost the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series to “Hacks.”
The thriller play-turned-miniseries, “Baby Reindeer,” came into the night with 11 nominations and won six, with Richard Gadd — the creator, writer and lead actor — winning three. “Baby Reindeer” centers around his trauma as a struggling comedian and bartender stalked by a dangerous woman. Gadd commented on this full circle moment by urging the audience to never give up during difficult times.
The star of the night, however, was “Shōgun.” Its brilliance shined through at the Creative Arts Emmys programming on September 7th, during which the series was awarded 14 awards, the most Emmy wins of a single season in a series in Emmy history, eclipsing “John Adams.” The show continued its streak by winning four more awards, garnering a total of 18 wins.
Just like any award show, the Emmys were not without controversy. The committee faced scrutiny by those who believed “The Bear” was incorrectly categorized as a comedy series. Some critics argued that “The Bear” took away wins from more comedic-centric shows like “Abbott Elementary.”
The comedy of the night also split the public. While Dan and Eugene Levy’s comedic duo may have been iconic in “Schitt’s Creek,” we found them underwhelming during the Emmys. Jokes about father-son dynamics and classic dad jokes overpowered the show, and they quickly became exhausting and unamusing. When the Levy’s weren’t making dad jokes, their comedy revolved around references targeted toward older audiences, which we often struggled to understand.
One especially confusing moment in the Emmys occurred during Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez’s speech. As they presented an award, a random voice boomed “Shingles doesn’t care!” Martin, Short and Gomez continued with their bit, ignoring the voice. It seems as if this moment also confused the three “Only Murders in the Building” co-stars. Perhaps it was a way for the Emmys to spark discussion and increase viewership.
While several jokes were delivered poorly or focused on content meant for older viewers, there were hilarious moments that had us laughing along with the audience. For instance, when John Oliver won the Scripted Variety Series award, he began paying tribute to his dog when he was suddenly played off the stage. During this horribly timed moment, Oliver cursed out the Emmys, making for an ironic and amusing bit.
One running joke of the night was inspired by the 2024 presidential election and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance. His comment about “childless cat ladies” was referenced by Candice Bergen and Selena Gomez, who stated that her co-stars were “far away from being childless cat ladies.”
This year’s Emmys also highlighted diversity and inclusivity in media and beyond. For instance, Liza Colón-Zayas was the first Latina to win Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for “The Bear.” During her speech, she urged Latinas to vote, stating “To all the Latinas who're looking at me, keep believing and vote. Vote for your rights.”
Additionally, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for “Reservation Dogs,” had a red handprint painted over his mouth. This handprint represents Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and is known as the MMIW red hand, and it also represents, according to Native Hope, the media’s lack of acknowledgement and assistance during the MMIW movement. “Reservation Dogs” is one step forward in highlighting Indigenous stories, as it centers around the story of four Indigenous teenagers growing up on a reservation in Oklahoma.
Actors Joshua Jackson and Matt Bomer took the stage to speak in support of the work of directors who depicted the LGBTQ+ community in media produced within the past year. They specifically mentioned Greg Berlanti, who won the Primetime Emmy Governors Award for his contributions to “Red, White & Royal Blue” and “Love, Simon,” two films that offer authentic representations of LGBTQ+ romance among adolescents and young adults.
Television Academy chair Chris Abrego then highlighted the minds of all POC creatives in the industry. This speech primarily addressed the nominees of the award show, the most diverse in Emmys history, recognizing Indigenous, Latin and transgender talents. He called for all investors and companies to give fair directorial budgets to POC creatives and support their ideas to their fullest potential.
The upcoming year is replete with remarkable films and TV shows. We especially look forward to “Joker: Folie à Deux,” “Mickey 17,” “The Last of Us” Season 2 and “The White Lotus” Season 3. With all of these exciting new releases and more, we can only look forward to another year of the Emmys and the Oscars in 2025!
Here is a full list of all of the night's winners.
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