by Nathaniel R
The 74th Emmys last night were a good time, don'cha think? Further proof that you dont really need a host (sorry Kenan Thompson!) just a lively crowd, memorable speeches, and good presenter bits. Herewith a quick list of the sky highs (and a couple of lows) of the evening.
And the winners too of course...
BEST MOMENT - SPEECH OF THE YEAR! / SPEECH OF THE DECADE ?
Much to my shock, my favourite performance in Abbott Elementary took the prize! All the buzz online had been with Janelle James (being the breakout character of the show) but Sheryl Lee Ralph had Hollywood history and decades of goodwill in her favor, plus a smart, funny, and charismatic performance. To top of the well deserved win, the best acceptance speech in ages, She kicked it off by singing her speech (!) about her own worth, subliminally reminding Hollywood that she was Tony nominated as the original lead of Dreamgirls on Broadway (the role of Deena that Beyoncé played in the movie 24 years later) and really could be an EGOT winner if Hollywood would get it together and properly worship her. As if that weren't enough she followed it up with a more traditional but still stupendous spoken word speech. And didn't bore anyone with a list of names. It was the most memorable moment of the show by such a margin that nothing even coming close as runner up!
OTHER FINE SPEECHES
Lizzo was genuinely moved and as funny as always as a winner with her voluminous dress being like its own character (turning other stars into supporting players to help with the train).
Michael Keaton was entertaining talking about falling in love with TV as a child.
And though Amanda Seyfried defaulted to a list of names (argh) she included her dog in the list which was quite adorable! How is this not a regular occurence? Who do people love as much as other humans? Their cats and dogs!
Jean Smart was memorable describing how surprised she's been by Hacks popularity (while also doing a fun aside to a gift basket she received from her rival Rachel Brosnahan.)
MOST LOVEABLE LOSER / ENTHUSIASTIC APPLAUSE-GIVER
Hannah Waddingham didn't repeat her win from last year like her Ted Lasso co-stars did but once again, proved a delicious presence in the room. She looked genuinely excited for all the winners, especially her cast-mates and Sheryl Lee Ralph who beat her (and who, like Hannah, was first an acclaimed musical theater performer).
RELATABLE REACTION MOMENT
Did you catch Melanie Lynskey's relief that she didn't win Best Actress? She didn't want to get up in front of the world for a speech!
MOST COMMITTED TO A PRESENTING BIT
Jimmy Kimmel being (literally) dragged onto the stage to "co-present" as if he'd passed out from drinking. And staying dead to the world thorugh the entire presentation was memorable. At first it was really funny. Whether or not he should have stayed that way through Quinta Brunson's acceptance speech is another issue entirely... but she made the best of it handing him her phone.
MOST CHAOTIC DUO
Who thought to pair Juliette Lewis with RuPaul and may we hug them?
WHY ARE CORNY JOKES SO LOVEABLE DURING AWARDS SHOWS?
I couldn't help but ponder this conundrum during the pairing of Mariska Hargitaya and Christopher Meloni "chasing" an Emmy thief in full glamour mode and their banter thereafter. Now there is a lot of questionable banter no matter the awards show but when it works it works, even when it's ridiculous like it was here.
I'M TORN. DECIDE FOR ME
Was the opening musical number a hit or a miss? The idea of famous theme songs morphing into dance breaks was quite amusing but then again... was it? Or did it just go on too long with the joke moments lost in the chaos? What'cha think?
COY THIRST TRAP
We were thrilled to see Jerrod Carmichael win for his brilliant confessional special Rothaniel. We were not expecting the huge white fur with no shirt underneath. And how did it read bashful and shy despite the display?
BEST DRESSED
Hmmm. So many great choices. Amanda Seyfried, Jean Smart, Sheryl Lee Ralph to the front of the line though probably. Who gets your vote?
HISTORY MADE
Lee Jung-jae became the first Asian man to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. (Asian representation has been very low at the Emmys, historically, in the acting categories. The only previous winners were Archie Panjabi in Drama Supporting Actress, and both Darren Criss and Riz Ahmed in Lead Actor Limited Series)
Zendaya became the first black actress to win twice in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category. (Viola Davis was the first to ever win this category just a handful of years prior with How to Get Away with Murder but she only took the prize for the first season)
BEST VIBES
So many deserving winners! But also...
LAZY VIBES
They really can't help themselves can they? No matter how much buzz new shows have the safest bet is ALWAYS to predict what won the year before. It can take the Television Academy a year or three to catch up with where the general buzz has gone. Even when you have new genuine mainstream, phenomenon buzz like Squid Game, Only Murders, and Abbott Elementary, it's stastically-suggested that the psyche of Hollywood is such that they have an extremely hard time letting go of whatever they loved the year before and will usually vote for it again.
We realize that your mileage may vary -- many readers here have expressed delight and non-stop wins for various shows -- but we think unless something is miles ahead of the competition its much better to spread the wealth. You really don't need 3 or more statues for the same performance! Not unless you are running circles around your competition (and there have been very few series or performances that have done that over the course of TV history)
WORST SPEECH
Accepting for Succession, a terrible joke about the Queen of England's death and King Charles succession. Not cool.
WORST SPEECH MOMENT BECAUSE OF "HOW DARE THEY!?!" INTERRUPTION
While the show was not without its sour notes here and there, one really stood out. Jennifer Coolidge's acceptance speech started off sublimely with her traditional "hello hiiii" bringing waves of joy and laughter. Then a memorably meandering bit about her lavender bath. But then the unthinkable. 'Mr stick man, HOW are you choosing Jennifer Coolidge of all people to play off?' Naturally then, flustered she pulled out a list of names which ruined the comedy. But then she saved it by dancing to the 'get off the stage' moment.
When will awards show producers ever learn that the audience for awards show tunes in primarily to see famous people and watch them lose or win and give speeches. THAT'S THE WHOLE REASON AWARDS SHOWS EXIST. There will never be a comic "bit" or a montage or really anything else that gives off as much entertainment high as a good acceptance speech.
WINNERS FROM THE 74TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS CEREMONY
COMEDY
Series - Ted Lasso (2nd consecutive win)
Direction - MJ Delaney, Ted Lasso "No Weddings and a Funeral"
Writing - Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary "Pilot"
Actress - Jean Smart, Hacks (2nd consecutive win)
Actor -Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso (2nd consecutive win)
Supporting Actress - Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
Supporting Actor - Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso (2nd consecutive win)
DRAMA
Series - Succession (2nd win)
Direction -Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game "Red Light, Green Light"
Writing - Jesse Armstrong, Succession "All the Bells Say" (3rd win)
Actress -Zendaya, Euphoria (2nd win)
Actor - Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game
Supporting Actress - Julia Garner, Ozark (3rd win)
Supporting Actor -Matthew McFadyen, Succession
LIMITED SERIES
Series - The White Lotus
Direction - Mike White, The White Lotus
Writing- Mike White, The White Lotus
Actress -Amanda Seyfried, The Dropout
Actor - Michael Keaton, Dopesick
Supporting Actress - Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Supporting Actor - Murray Bartlett, The White Lotus
MISCELLANIA
Variety Talk Series - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (7th consecutive win)
Writing Variety Series - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (7th consecutive win)
Variety Sketch Series - Saturday Night Live (6th consecutive win)
Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) - Adele: One Night Only
Variety Special (Live) - Superbowl LVI Halftime Show
Writing, Variety Special - Jerrod Carmichael, Rothaniel
Documentary or Non-Fiction Series - Beatles: Get Back
Documentary or Non-Fiction Special - George Carlin's American Dream
Reality Competition Program - Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls (breaking RuPaul Drag Race's winning streak after 4 consecutive years in this category)