The Emmy Awards of 2024 have been bizarre. Why? Because it was technically the 2023 Emmys. The television’s biggest awards show finally arrived six months after announcing the nominations. This was the most significant postponement after the September 11, 2001 terror attack when the awards had taken place in November.
The Hollywood labour problems surfaced in May when more than 11000 television and movie writers went on strike. Emmy organisers had to postpone the ceremony until January till the labour disputes evened out for the industry. The actors ratified the deal with the Hollywood Studios in December, after the 148-day strike was called off in late September.
The Television Academy unveiled the nominees last July, keeping in mind the programs that were premiered between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023. Based on the Academy’s voting schedule, the final voting was stamped and sealed in August. This adds to the bizarreness of the ceremony as it considers work from quite dated shows, given the delay.
On Monday night, the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards took place at the Peacock Theatre, with sealed envelopes opened during the Fox telecast hosted by Anthony Anderson, the 53-year-old former actor and producer of ABC’s sitcom Black-ish . Despite Anderson’s controversial history of the sexual allegations hurled at him in the past, the actor slash comedian opened the Emmys whom chairman Frank Scherma had praised earlier as “a multi-talented performer and a great friend to the Television Academy.”
The star-studded evening saw the reunion of iconic casts from shows like The Sopranos, Cheers, Martin and Ally McBeal. Cast members as presenters from celebrated shows like Grey’s Anatomy and It is Always Sunny in Philadelphia added to the nostalgia of the event.
Succession, HBO’s highly acclaimed and recently concluded got 27 nominations, was the biggest winner of the night, dominating all categories, including the Best Series. Matthew Macfadyen went home with the Best Supporting Drama Actor for the satirical dramedy, besides Keiran Culkin and Sarah Snook bagging remarkable accolades. Showrunner Jesse Armstrong and director Mark Mylod were also honoured for their unparalleled work.
FX/Hulu’s The Bear, followed next winning the Best Comedy Series as Jeremy Allen White won the Best Actor in Comedy Series. Although the series doesn’t ascribe to conventionally acclaimed comedy series like Ted Lasso or Jury Duty , the placement of the show in the genre could have been a strategic act for winning. Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Ayo Edebiri, also added to the jazz with their victories for their individual performances. Christopher Storer, the creator, multiplied the victory by triumphing for both writing and directing.
Besides The Bear’s win superseding Ted Lasso as a surprise, was Elton John’s success in securing the EGOT status. Other moments that are worth remembering including Jennifer Coolidge’s win as the Best Supporting Actress award for The White Lotus. Ali Wong also claimed the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress for her role in Beef, streaming on Netflix.
Read the complete list of nominees here and the list of winners here.
