THE EMMYS RECAP: All the Emmy Awards 2024 winners and highlights as they happened
The Emmys ceremony delivered a rarity, a genuine upset win.
The widely expected triumph for The Bear as best comedy series didn’t convert. Instead, the third season of Hacks upstaged the buzzy series about a traumatised chef, and took home the main series gong.
Hacks also won in writing for a comedy while lead Jean Smart picked up her third Emmy for playing Deborah Vance, a prickly and ageing stand-up comedian.
The Bear didn’t go home empty-handed, winning four other Emmys including three in acting — while showrunner and creator Christopher Storer won in directing.
The series perhaps underperformed for a couple of reasons. The first is that even though these Emmys were to recognise the series’ universally acclaimed second season, the dates were that the show’s third season, which was divisive, was going to air during the voting period.
The other is the bubbling discourse that the intense show wasn’t actually a comedy but a drama with comedic elements.
Hacks has no such identity crisis.
On the drama side, Disney’s Shogun took out best drama as well as a pair of acting gongs for its leads, Japanese actors Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai. It also won an award for directing.
The historical series is an American production but it is mostly in Japanese and Shogun becomes the first non-English language series to win a series Emmy.
The show is set in 17th century feudal Japan and deals with the power vacuum after the death of a ruler as warring factions battle for supremacy.
The other big winner of the night was Netflix miniseries Baby Reindeer, which won four gongs including best limited or anthology series, plus a writing and acting award for creator Richard Gadd and best supporting actress for Jessica Gunning.
Australian actor Elizabeth Debicki won her first Emmy for portraying Princess Diana in the final season of The Crown but fellow expat Naomi Watts lost out for her role in Feud: Capote versus the Swans.
Jodie Foster won an Emmy for her performance in True Detective: Night Country and Fargo actor Lamorne Morris beat out Robert Downey Jr in a competitive category.
There was a reunion for The West Wing and Happy Days while TV icons such as Meredith Baxter, Jimmy Smits, Christine Baranski and George Lopez presented segments themed to “TV cops” or “TV dads” or “TV lawyers”.
Hosts Eugene Levy and Dan Levy even engineered a Schitt’s Creek reunion when they brought Annie Murphy onstage just before the final category before all three threw to Catherine O’Hara to present the award.
All the updates as it happened below.
Dynasty, Dallas and all four Golden Girls
Prolific producer Greg Berlanti has worked on many beloved TV series including Everwood, Political Animals, Jack & Bobby, Dawson’s Creek, Young Americans, The Flash, Arrow and Brothers & Sisters.
He is this year’s Governor’s Award recipient and is noted in particular for his representations of LGBTQI+ characters on TV.
“I wanted to be a part of television even before I knew how that was possible, like so many Gen X kids in the 70s and 80s, around the clock in our house, and I watched and loved all of it,” he said in his recipient speech.
“Now, there wasn’t a lot of gay characters on television back then, and I was a closeted gay kid, and it’s hard to describe how lonely that was at the time.
“There was no internet to connect with other queer kids, no LGBTQ, plus advocacy groups in schools. Back then, the only way to tell if another kid might be gay was if he also watched dynasty Dallas and could name all four of the Golden Girls.
“Reports of AIDS started showing up on the news, and for the first time in my life, I saw openly gay men on television. Too many were dying, but they were also in the streets, men holding hands with other men, marching and fighting for their lives.
“And they gave me hope that I might one day have their courage to come out and share my truth with the world.”
He added, “When I think about it, to have traveled that distance from that scared kid years ago to this stage with my husband in the audience and our two beautiful children, Caleb and Mia, watching at home, go to bed as soon as this is over, when I think how much the world had to change to make the life I’m living now possible, even in hindsight, it’s unimaginable to me.”
It’s Pacey
Joshua Jackson was visibly amused to hear “I Don’t Want to Wait” by Paula Cole playing over the loudspeakers as he and Matt Bomer walked out to present the Governor’s Award to producer Greg Berlanti.
The Paula Cole song was famously the theme tune to Dawson’s Creek, although true fans will remember that it was not the show’s first theme. The show used Jann Arden’s “Run Like Mad” in its first season.
John Leguizamo says he’s a DEI hire
Actor John Leguizamo is on stage talking about diversity.
“I’m John Leguizamo, and I’m one of Hollywood’s DEI hires. That’s right, DEI. The D is for diligence, the E is for excellence, the I is for imagination.”
DEI normally stands for diversity, equity and inclusion and has become a flashpoint in the culture wars.
“Everyone in this room tonight has dedicated their lives to diligence, excellence and imagination. So we are all DEI hires, and man, what a beautiful and diverse room this is tonight, because when I was growing up in Jackson Heights, Queens a scrawny little wannabe gangster, I didn’t know that people like me could be actors at 15.
“I didn’t know the word representation. Actually a lot of words I didn’t know back then, but I saw a lot of brown face. I saw Marlon Brando play a Mexican and Al Pacino played Cuban gangster Tony Montana, and Natalie Wood play a Puerto Rican beauty named Maria.
“Everybody played us except us. I didn’t see a lot of people on TV who look like me. Of course, there was always Ricky Ricardo.”
Leguizamo said this year’s Emmys had one of the ceremony’s most diverse list of nominees, naming among them Selena Gomez, Sofia Vergara, Liza Colon-Zayas, Issa Lopez and Kali Reis.
He added, “We need more stories from excluded groups, Black, Asian, Jewish, Arab, LGBTQ+ and disabled, and this show tonight is proof that our industry is making progress.”
The Bear is back on track
After dropping a couple of categories, The Bear’s showrunner and creator Christopher Storer won for directing a comedy series.
Storer recalled of his experience working on the episode, “We were all kind of cramped into a smaller house. And it was one of those instances where I could for the first time, see our whole crew.
“And it was special, because I could see how hard everybody worked and how much everybody cared, and how much they cared about each other. And I just want to accept on their behalf, just because they’re so wonderful.
“I think we’ve been able to do this for a few years now, and we all know how lucky we are to get to do this and to anybody watching The Bear, it means so much to us. Thank you very much.”
Best Directing for a Comedy Series
- Abbott Elementary — Randall Einhorn
- Hacks — Lucia Aniello
- The Bear — Christopher Storer
- The Bear — Ramy Youseff
- The Gentlemen — Guy Ritchie
- The Ms. Pat Show — Mary Lou Belli
Richard Gadd picks up for writing
Triple threat Richard Gadd has won his first Emmy for writing Netflix sensation Baby Reindeer.
“10 years ago, I was down and out right? I never ever thought I’d get my life together. I never, ever thought I’d be able to rectify myself with what had happened to me and get myself back on my feet again.
“And then here I am, just over a decade later, picking up one of the biggest writing awards in television. I don’t mean that to sound arrogant. I mean it as encouragement for anyone who’s going through a difficult time right now to persevere.
“I don’t know much about this life. I don’t know why we’re here, none of that, but I do know that nothing lasts forever, and no matter how bad it gets, it always gets better.”
Best Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
- Baby Reindeer - Richard Gadd
- Black Mirror, Joan Is Awful - Charlie Brooker
- Fargo, The Tragedy of the Commons - Noah Hawley
- Fellow Travelers, You’re Wonderful - Ron Nyswaner
- Ripley - Steven Zaillian
- True Detective: Night Country, Part 6 - Issa Lopez
The other Will Smith
British writer Will Smith picked up the writing for a drama gong by acknowledging that he is not THAT Will Smith.
“First of all, relax, despite my name, I come in peace,” he opened with.
Smith won for writing Slow Horses, the brilliant spy thriller starring Gary Oldman.
Best Writing for a Drama Series
- Fallout — Geneva Robertson-Dworet & Graham Wagner
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith — Francesca Sloane & Donald Glover
- Shōgun — Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks
- Shōgun — Rachel Kondo & Caillin Puente
- Slow Horses — Will Smith
- The Crown — Peter Morgan & Meriel Sheibani-Clare
Lamorne Morris beats out Robert Downey Jr
In what is one of the proper upsets of the night, Fargo’s Lamorne Morris just won in best supporting actor in a limited series.
The category was widely expected to be a victory lap for Robert Downey Jr who played multiple characters in The Sympathiser. Jonathan Bailey was also in with a good shot.
Morris was clearly excited. He said, “I want to thank God for allowing me to be here. I also want to thank God for my beautiful mother, who raised me. She’s been my biggest champion ever since I came out of her, I dropped out of her.”
He also thanked his daughter Lily, joking that she had “always doubted me”.
He also shouted out Robert Downey Jr, who Morris said he had a poster of in his house. “Please sign it!”, Morris asked RDJ.
Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
- Jonathan Bailey — Fellow Travelers
- Robert Downey Jr. — The Sympathizer
- Tom Goodman-Hill — Baby Reindeer
- John Hawkes — True Detective: Night Country
- Lamorne Morris — Fargo
- Lewis Pullman — Lessons In Chemistry
- Treat Williams — Feud: Capote vs. The Swans
Jon Stewart is back
Seeing Jon Stewart stride up to the stage to collect an award is deja vu. It feels right.
Stewart’s return to The Daily Show has netted the series another Emmy. It definitely doesn’t lack them.
He said, “You made an old man very happy. This is remarkable to have an opportunity to work with this incredibly talented group once a week. It’s really made my my Mondays.”
Stewart left The Daily Show in 2015 and returned in February this year as a guest host on Monday nights.
Best Variety Talk Series
- The Daily Show
- Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- Late Night with Seth Meyers
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Genuinely funny show Hacks wins comedy writing
Hacks is a comedy about making comedy with loads of jokes so this award absolutely tracks. No offence, The Bear.
Writer, co-creator and actor Paul W. Downs said, “If you have seen the show or felt seen by the show and laughed at it, we thank you because you have made us feel more connected to the world.”
Best Writing for a Comedy Series
- Abbott Elementary — Quinta Brunson
- Girls5eva — Meredith Scardino & Sam Means
- Hacks — Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky
- The Bear — Christopher Storer & Joanna Calo
- The Other Two — Chris Kelly & Sarah Schneider
- What We Do In The Shadows — Jake Bender & Zach Dunn
Oscar winner Steven Zaillian wins Emmy
Ripley creator Steven Zaillian, who already has an Oscar for writing Schindler’s List, just won his first Emmy for directing the miniseries adapted from the Patricia Highsmith book.
Best Directing in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
- Baby Reindeer — Weronika Tofilska
- Fargo — Noah Hawley
- Feud: Capote vs. The Swans — Gus Van Sant
- Lessons in Chemistry — Millicent Shelton
- Ripley — Steven Zaillian
- True Detective: Night Country — Issa López
