The Emmys, barring a select few moments, were unbelievably milquetoast. The Levys were cute. Shōgun, The Bear, and Baby Reindeer won big. Only Murders got screwed in unforgivable ways. But there were a couple things that made me slightly less cynical about the whole awards show business. I’d be remiss to not point out some historic firsts, like Liza Colón–Zayas becoming the first Latina woman to win in her category (Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series). The big surprise of the night was Hacks, an actual comedy, beating out The Bear for the Outstanding Comedy Series win. And, in an upset much more personal to me (I still have not seen Hacks, I’m sorry!), Lamorne Morris took home a long–overdue Emmy. It may be for his work in Fargo, but it’s built on the back of years of giving one of the best comedic performances on TV at the time in New Girl.
—Isaac Pollock, Film & TV Editor
I was quite shocked by the Hacks wins. Admittedly, I have not yet watched it. While I love The Bear, I think this season was less “comedic” and more of a drama, so in retrospect, it makes a lot of sense that it didn’t do a sweep of the comedy categories. Isaac is wrong about Only Murders, that was their worst season. Did I secretly want Matthew Broderick to win best supporting actor? Yes. Did he deserve it? Absolutely not. I think that given its past successes, it rightfully did not live up to expectations. On a separate note, it’s interesting how many of the nominations were produced and distributed by Apple TV, especially for the drama category. Maybe there is a greater conversation to be had about the strategies of different platforms; I think Apple TV tries to have a more artsy, serious tone, and they curate content that does well during awards season.
—Bea Hammam
While I was disappointed that Only Murders in the Building (a show that I absolutely love) did not win any awards under the acting categories, I would not say I was totally surprised by this year’s winners. The Bear and Baby Reindeer have been on the receiving end of many accolades since their releases, and have lived up to their raving reviews through numerous wins in their prospective categories. Admittedly, I have not watched Shōgun and Hacks yet, but the shows have risen to the top of my “to watch” list after their sweeps at last night’s award show.
—Sophia Leong
I’m jumping on the “I desperately need to see Hacks” train after seeing all of its acclaim. Same with Baby Reindeer—clearly a summer stuck in the woods has not been good for my TV relevancy. Next two on my watch list for sure! Maybe it’s another Emmys year with wide and predictable sweeps, but I’ll stand behind The Bear and Jeremy Allen White all the way. I was also pleasantly surprised when I originally saw The Other Two up for a Comedy Writing nomination—it’s one of my favorite shows from this list, and I was annoyed when it generally slipped under the radar during its run.
—Jackson Zuercher
I didn’t think anything from this year’s Emmys was particularly out of the blue. Baby Reindeer sweeping the Limited Series categories was obvious, but who could disagree? Stellar performances and direction all around. Shōgun was already at the top of my watchlist, but after last night, I’m embarrassed to say it still IS on my watchlist. And, unlike my lovely editor Isaac, I HAVE seen Hacks, and I loved every second of it. Other than The Other Two, it’s the only show that’s made me laugh out loud several times in a single episode, and I think the Hacks creative team deserves their flowers and the Outstanding Comedy Series Win and an overall successful night. Also, not to engage in the beaten–like–a–dead–horse “The Bear isn’t a comedy” discourse, but seeing Jamie Lee–Curtis’ guest performance in The Bear labeled as comedy is much funnier than the episode she starred in. She still deserved the win, though, jaw–dropping performance.
—Kyle Grgecic
This is more of a discourse thing, but I’m getting pretty sick of the “The Bear isn’t a comedy” talking point. Hacks beating it should put that to bed, but it became the most overworked, pointless debate of the season. Of course, the Emmys should change their categories to be hour longs versus half–hours, but saying The Bear isn’t a comedy is dumb. Comedies are also allowed to be dramatic. Dramas are allowed to be funny. Just because Hacks has more jokes than The Bear doesn’t make it more of a comedy. I thought most of the winners were pretty chalk but I’m glad we can move on from this weirdly annoying Emmy season.
—Aden Berger
Embarrassingly, I must admit that I have seen one of the many major shows that were candidates for Emmys this year, that being Baby Reindeer. Baby Reindeer clearly deserved each and every win it earned. Unfortunately, coverage of its Emmy wins has been overshadowed ever so slightly by discussions regarding the real person who inspired the character Martha on the show. Nonetheless, the show speaks for itself. I would also like to discuss Shōgun and its success. While I have not seen the show, it is evidence of the rising trend of Western film and television centering East Asian stories. From Beef to Pachinko to Shōgun, the influx of these stories has been a refreshing portrayal of new perspectives that I would like to see expand and continue in the future. I now must make sure to watch it soon.
—Ria Rege
Shōgun's wins were the highlight of an otherwise bland awards night. This is a brief love letter to Shōgun, a show I loved so much that I kept my ex’s Hulu login just to rewatch it. Game of Thrones comparisons are an absolute disservice (as a Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon fan). Anna Sawai made history as the first Asian actress to win Best Actress, perfectly capturing the Ingmar Bergman–Kieślowski–esque depth of Mariko in a genre that usually reduces women to props. Hiroyuki Sanada is phenomenal. He really deserves better roles in Hollywood than the stereotypical yakuza action villain and the fact that his breakthrough in Hollywood was The Last Samurai makes me violently ill. Tadanobu Asano was absolutely robbed (he’s terrific in Last Life in the Universe, which was also robbed on the award circuit).
—Kate Cho
I’ve heard very little about Hacks before, but with the crazy upset over The Bear, I think I’ve got to introduce it to the top of my never-ending to-be-watched. I loved the West Wing cast reunion. It was refreshing to see that the awards were distributed more this year, with wins for Baby Reindeer and The Morning Show and Fargo in various categories along with the well-predicted Shōgun and The Bear pulls. I have to say, though the Emmys are a televised awards show celebrating achievements on television, every year I’m less and less intrigued to watch. Maybe it’s my deteriorating attention span.
—Amy Luo
