Woot woot! The awards season train just keeps on rolling. Due to the fact that I don’t have cable anymore, that means I unfortunately had to skip past Sunday’s Critics Choice Awards and head straight into the Emmys.
I know what you’re thinking, the Emmy in January? Well yes, thanks or no thanks to the strikes, the ceremony that usually graces our screens in late September got pushed right into the thick of things. I don’t know if that move impacted voters’ choices, because I ultimately don’t know if the strikes and push back of the ceremony extended the voting period. I don’t think it did, so it’s really a testament to how strong the winning shows were. I will tell you, if you watched the Golden Globes last week, absolutely none of the winners should come as any surprise.
The big sweeps of the night went to Beef, Succession, and The Bear. That’s ultimately sad news for the final seasons of Better Call Saul, Barry, and Ted Lasso. At least the latter two got to enjoy plenty of wins in years past, but Better Call Saul is officially the most losing show ever at the Emmys. But hey, at least they got nominated! No one wants to lose, but even just getting nominated is quite the feat. Other shows that squeaked through with some wins were Niecy Nash-Betts for her supporting work on Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story, Paul Walter Hauser for Black Bird, Quinta Brunson for Abbott Elementary, and Jennifer Coolidge for The White Lotus.
Perhaps the only people I would have preferred to see win instead would have been Sharon Horgan for Bad Sisters because that was an incredible show that not enough people saw, I think, but the fact that Sarah Snook took it home doesn’t mean she was any less deserving. Similarly, I have a soft spot for the total transformation Phil Dunster gave to his character, Jamie Tartt in Ted Lasso, but Ebon Moss-Bachrach was also my favorite character this season of The Bear. It’s a tough call. It’s also tough when so many actors in a show are nominated in the same category. Nothing is more evident there than in the Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. Matthew Macfadyen beat out three other co-stars for the prize! I was kind of surprised that Meghann Fahy didn’t squeak out the win over Coolidge, but she deserves her time in the spotlight.
Repetitive wins aside, the evening managed to remain memorable with both speeches and the theme of the evening. It’s the 75th ceremony, so they decided to honor some of the most influential shows out there. And that doesn’t just mean the most decorated! For instance, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the longest running live action comedy series at sixteen seasons, but they have never been recognized by the academy despite its always stellar reviews and rabid fanbase. I was tickled to see them get the chance to present! Older shows like Martin and Ally McBeal, among many others, got the chance to revisit replicated sets or do little bits to honor their culturally impactful shows. It was nice to see these old faces, too, interact with some newer ones. All of that was plenty emotional, along with the In Memorium section, but my favorite speech of the night belonged to Kieran Culkin who got uncharacteristically emotional when thanking his mom and wife. I also loved that Macfadyen thanked his on-screen wives (Snook and Nicholas Braun) before thanking his actual wife – classic.
These ceremonies continue to bring me endless joy, so I can only hope I find a way to watch the rest while I’m out of the country next month. If anything, someone out there on Youtube will probably manage to congeal all of the most iconic moments for me to enjoy. Go check out these shows, people!