By Tim Lowery and Saloni Gajjar. Katherine LaNasa (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images), Seth Rogen (Photo: John Shearer/WireImage), Tramell Tillman (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
After all of that predicting, The Studio proved to be the big winner at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, with the Apple TV+ show becoming the most awarded comedy to date and its star, Seth Rogen, tying for most individual wins in an evening. Adolescence also had a great night, nabbing six awards, while HBO Max’s The Pitt bested Severance for the coveted Outstanding Drama Series trophy. (Check out the full list of winners.) Nate Bargatze hosted the festivities at L.A.’s Peacock Theater, and the ceremony had its fair share of great, grating, and generally confounding moments. Here are The A.V. Club‘s takeaways from TV’s big night.
It’s daunting to stand up on a glitzy stage in front of Hollywood bigwigs and host an awards show with the confidence and wit of, say, Conan O’Brien. And in his first attempt, a visibly nervous Nate Bargatze looked like he wanted to be anywhere but the Emmys. He kept beating the drum of that charity-countdown bit (more on that in a minute), and far too few of his jokes landed. But maybe the guy will get another hosting gig at Saturday Night Live, considering the hat tip he gave Lorne Michaels. [Saloni Gajjar]
There was an almost surprising lack of political talk early on in the telecast, especially considering that the night’s first presenter was Stephen Colbert. But then Hannah Einbinder wrapped up her speech for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series with a pointed “Go Birds, fuck ICE, and free Palestine.” (Support for Palestine was also made on the red carpet before the ceremony.) Near the end of the broadcast, Colbert returned to the stage, as his show predictably won for Outstanding Talk Series. And in a tasteful speech, he said that he originally “wanted to do a late-night show that was about love,” a sentiment that sadly almost feels like a statement in this climate. And after talking about the connection between love and loss, he noted that he’s “never loved his country more desperately.” [Tim Lowery]
Weirdest: That running Boys & Girls bit
Bargatze took the wonderful idea of donating to a charity, the Boys & Girls Clubs Of America, and turned into a tiresome bit where that donation shrunk for every second of a speech that went long. (Did he not learn from Anthony Anderson’s mom heckling winners last year?) It was tough to sit through, especially when that counter popped up mid-speech. Next time, just to stick to orchestral music to remind folks that they need to wrap things up. [Saloni Gajjar]
Best: Severance‘s MVP making history
Anyone who’s seen Severance knows that it’s hard to keep your eyes off of Tramell Tillman as he brings the eerie Mr. Milchick to life. And now, the show’s breakout star is the first Black man to nab Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. (Not even presenter Jason Bateman mispronouncing his name can take away from this historic win.) After not being nominated for season one, Tillman beat peers Zach Cherry and John Turturro in this category, dedicating his lovely speech to his mother and giving her a shout-out for being his “first acting coach.” [Saloni Gajjar]
Weirdest: The opening sketch
This riff on Bargatze’s “Washington’s Dream” sketch was a real sign of how lackluster his performance as host was about to be. Adding to the tired “Is The Bear a drama or a comedy?” and “Is Severance hard to understand?” discourse is a convenient way out of delivering something actually funny or biting. The six-minute-long ordeal, co-starring SNL‘s Mikey Day, Bowen Yang, and James Austin Johnson, had its moments though, like when it referred to CBS (which aired the Emmys) as the “Caucasian Broadcast System.” [Saloni Gajjar]
Best: Surprise wins
The first moment of the evening that gave me a nice buzz was Jeff Hiller’s surprising—and deserved!—win for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series over favorites like The Bear‘s Ebon Moss-Bachrach and The Studio‘s Ike Barinholtz. Hiller’s joy was infectious, with the performer saying that “for the last 25 years, I’ve been like, ‘World, I want to be an actor.’ And the world’s like, ‘Maybe computers.'” He wasn’t the only unforeseen but by no means undeserving winner tonight: It was also great to see Andor‘s Dan Gilroy accepting onstage for Writing For A Drama Series and Slow Horses‘ Adam Randall for Directing for a Drama Series. [Tim Lowery]
Worst: Overly gushing scripts for presenters
Maybe it’s because they were back to back, but the intros for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (by Jason Bateman and Jude Law) and Lead Actress in a Drama Series (by Angela Bassett) really stood out as leaning far into hyperbolic, we-get-it territory when it comes to describing the craft of performing. (Saloni rightfully Slacked me that “this is the stuff that the timer or countdown or whatever should be for.”) Bateman saying that these actors “deepened the emotion arcs of every episode” and then Law chiming in that “they make every scene they are in undeniably memorable” and then Bassett telling us that “they gave us a masterclass in acting that was just electrifying” was too much. [Tim Lowery]
Best: The temperature check from the Television Academy’s chairman
Against all odds, Cris Abrego delivered arguably the night’s most memorable speech, discussing how Congress defunded the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (which was met with boos) and the cultural impact of shows like Sesame Street and Finding Your Roots on smaller communities. “In a time when division dominates the headlines, storytelling still has the power to unite us,” he said, citing everything from M.A.S.H to South Park to the work of Norman Lear. “In moments like this, neutrality is not enough,” he added. “We must be voices for connection, inclusion, and empathy because we know that culture doesn’t come from the top down. It rises from the bottom up.” [Saloni Gajjar]
Weirdest: Segments from funny people that weren’t that funny
Despite her historically entertaining kookiness at awards shows, Jennifer Coolidge ramblings about fan-casting herself on The Pitt just didn’t land. And the banter between The Studio co-stars and Emmy nominees Kathryn Hahn and Ike Barinholtz, who pretended to hate writers only to realize how desperately they needed them when the prompter went out, didn’t quite either. (However, Ray Romano and Brad Garrett, who had some real chemistry in a funny presentation as the evening was winding down, felt like a refreshing change of pace.) [Saloni Gajjar]
Best: Stephen Graham’s whole energy
Adolescence having such a big night wasn’t a surprise—and neither was the raw, from-the-heart energy that Stephen Graham brought to his speeches. “I’m just a mixed-race kid from a block of flats in a place called Kirkby,” he told the audience during his acceptance of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. And later in the night, when the show got the win for Limited or Anthology Series, he noted: “So whether or not you were an executive producer…or you were the fella that was cleaning the toilets in our Winnebagos, we were all equal. So just look after each other, and give your mates a cuddle or a kiss and tell them that you love them.” [Tim Lowery]
Weirdest: Rushed acceptance speeches
When John Oliver lands a win for Scripted Variety Series, he shouldn’t have to speed through this victory lap because of Nate Bargatze’s countdown. And yet, that’s exactly what happened with him and a bunch of other folks throughout the night. Mercifully, 15-year-old Owen Cooper was spared from the timer being displayed. If anything had to be cut, it should have been some of the more bloated bits by presenters. [Saloni Gajjar]
Worst: Emmys still so white
Not long after the 2025 nominations were announced in July, Variety reported that this was the “worst showing for actors of color in five years.” And that’s despite a few historic gains and record noms for Abbott Elementary‘s Quinta Brunson, SNL‘s Bowen Yang, and The Bear‘s Ayo Edebiri. As for the actual winners, besides Tramell Tillman earning the trophy, the major Primetime Emmys were overwhelmingly awarded to white performers, directors, and writers. [Saloni Gajjar]
