Dand Eugene Levy have come a long way from the fictional town in the middle of nowhere Schitt’s Creek. The father-son duo’s hit show won nine prime-time Emmys during its run, and on Sunday night the couple hosted the 76th Emmy Awards.
The ceremony made history before it even began. Shogunthe FX drama set in feudal Japan, was nominated for 25 Emmys and took home 18 awards on Sunday night, setting a new record for most awards for a series in a single season. And Hacking The old saying “all good things come in threes” was proven true when the show’s third season won the award for Most Outstanding Comedy Series.
The bear went into the ceremony with 23 nominations in the comedy category, making it the most nominated comedy in Emmy history. During the show introduction on Sunday evening, Eugene Levy stabbed The bearjoked about the debate over the nomination of the often dramatic show in the comedy categories: “In the true spirit of The bearwe will not joke.”
That was hardly the case. The hosts, presenters and winners made many hilarious jokes and The bear did pretty well in every genre (aside from missing out on Best Comedy). Here are some of the night’s most memorable moments.
Best Father-Son Host Couple
Eugene Levy said he has played many fathers, but his most fulfilling father role was that of Dan’s Dad in Schitt’s Creek “because it earned me my first Emmy for Best Actor.”
The couple made many tongue-in-cheek jokes about the streaming services, with Dan describing the Emmys as “television’s biggest night honoring movie stars on streaming services.”
Read more: Eugene and Dan Levy made hosting the Emmys look easy
The duo traded barbs as the hosts insulted each other. Dan Levy told the audience that his father was close to landing the role of the gruff White House communications director. The West Wing– and rubbed it in with the fact that Richard Schiff won an Emmy for this role. Eugene countered: “And how was your audition for Ripley?”
Great presenter trio
Only murders in the building Stars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez turned the night’s first award ceremony into a comedy performance, with Martin Short quipping, “What an honor to work with someone who looks like a former tennis champion.” Gomez couldn’t keep a straight face.
The award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series went to Ebon Moss-Bachrach aka Richie aka Cousin for The bear.
The Carry eats the awards
In addition to the victory of Moss-Bachrach, The bear dominated the most important acting awards for a comedy series.
Liza Colón-Zayas may have been sous-chef at The bearbut she took center stage at the Emmys as she accepted her first Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (even though some viewers thought she deserved her Season 3 performance more than the one she won for Season 2). She thanked her husband and gave a shout out to other Latinas in the industry. Her words of wisdom to the audience: “Go vote. Vote for your rights.”
And the Television Academy said “Yes, boss!” to Jeremy Allen White, who won Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
The smartest acceptance speech
TV legend Jean Smart from Hacking accepted the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series with the words: “I really appreciate this because I just don’t get enough attention.”
She then confused HBO and Max, finally pausing with her head down, looking up and lamenting to the audience about how many different streaming sites there are. It was Smart’s third Emmy for her role as Deborah Vance.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Billy Crystal, winner of six Primetime Emmys, took the stage to present the award for outstanding talk series and said, “It’s great to be… everywhere.”
He quickly pulled out a diary that he described as his first appearances on the nominated shows and read his first impressions of the various talk show hosts when the nominees were announced. Daily Show, He said Jon Stewart told him they would have dinner after Crystal’s appearance on the show, but he waited and the host never showed up. The same goes for Seth Meyers. His first impression of Stephen Colbert: “Brilliant guy, but I wonder if he’s ever seen himself naked.” The award went to The daily showto which Stewart remarkably returned once a week this year after unsuccessfully searching for a replacement for Trevor Noah.
Read more: Jon Stewart’s Daily Show Return is a bad omen for Late Night
The most enchanting acceptance speech
FargoLamorne Morris began his acceptance speech for his first Emmy win (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Anthology Series) by thanking his mother for supporting him “since I fell out of her body.” He then took time to celebrate the other nominees and The sympathizer Actor who shouted, “Robert Downey, Jr., I have a poster of you in my house!” Some felt that despite his great performance in The Noah Hawley Show, it was also a long overdue recognition for his beloved role in New Girl.
Jodie Foster’s first Emmy win
Jodie Foster has won numerous awards, including two Oscars and two Golden Globes, but on Sunday night she won her first Emmy Award for True Detective: NightlandHer role as a detective investigating the disappearance of Arctic explorers earned her the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Anthology Series or a Movie.
She ended her speech with wise words for her two children: “Love and work equal art.”
Read more: Jodie Foster on returning to her roots as a killer hunter in True Detective: Nightland
Baby reindeer Sleds!
Scottish comedian Richard Gadd paced the stage all evening, collecting top awards for his screenplay and acting performance in a miniseries.
In his acceptance speeches, he shared numerous life lessons with the young audience, such as the “greatest gift” his parents had given him: “They never told me what to do with my life.”
Gadd also said Baby reindeer The Emmys’ success is proof that you don’t necessarily need the backing of a major studio to make a hit – “just good storytelling that speaks to our times.” He urged creatives to “explore the uncomfortable and dare to fail in order to achieve something.”
A West Wing reunion
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Emmy-winning drama, actors from the West Wing appeared in a makeshift Oval Office to present the award for the most outstanding drama series, which went to ShogunAllison Janey and Richard Schiff noted how amazing it was that the writers had to “use their imagination” to come up with storylines, when today you could “take storylines straight from the news.” They also urged viewers to vote in the 2024 presidential election.
Shogunhistoric victories
Shogunwhich was nominated for 25 Emmys, won a total of 18 awards on Sunday night, setting a record for most Emmy Award wins for a single season. The series also made history when Anna Sawai became the first Asian woman to win the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for her role as Mariko.
Hiroyuki Sanada rounded out the major acting awards in the drama category by winning the award for Best Actor in a Drama Series.
Hacking hack it
Hacks –a show about a love/hate relationship between a veteran comedian and her bright twenty-something comedy writer – won the top prizes in the comedy category, the Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Accepting the award for Best Comedy Series, co-creator Lucia Aniello explained why comedy is universal: “If you laugh with someone, you have something in common with them.”
TV doctors show their humor
Some of the presenters were grouped according to their TV roles. There were TV dads, TV moms, TV cops, lawyers and villains. The TV doctors got the most laughs when they talked about the people who motivated them while playing doctors. Mekhi Phifer of HE said he was inspired by the doctors in his life. Mindy Kaling, who played a gynecologist, The Mindy Project, said she was inspired by her own mother as a gynecologist. And Zach Braff of Scrubs He said he was inspired by waiting tables in Beverly Hills and eating foot-long sandwiches at 7-Eleven – half for lunch, half for dinner: “I was inspired to stop living like that.”
Funny saying of the evening
“Despite my name, I come in peace,” said screenwriter Will Smith when he accepted the award for outstanding screenplay for a drama series for Slow horses. He was jokingly alluding to the same name as the Actor Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
