Last Monday, Anthony Anderson corralled his colleagues across the industry to recognize their achievement in television during the 75th Emmy Awards.
The third Black host of the awards in three years (following Kenan Thompson and Cedric the Entertainer), Anderson enlisted the help of his mother, Doris Bowman, to jokingly help “play people off” who took their time with their acceptance speeches in his opening monologue.
Anderson was able to achieve a laid-back and comfortable show that audiences and attendees were visibly refreshed by, especially after Jo Koy’s awkward and distasteful Golden Globe hosting job just eight days before.
The night was a tale of two shows: known laugh-out-loud “comedy” series “The Bear” and “Succession” running the gamut in the drama series categories. Both series came into the awards with nominations.
“Succession” was on the ballot a whopping 27 times, while “The Bear” came in with 13 nods and left with 10 wins. The Roys and Co. left the ceremony with six wins, all in major categories.
All three main characters from “The Bear” took home their owed acting awards, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White all gave heartfelt speeches.
The winners were predictable and generally satisfying, and my only serious gripes came from nominees on my “wishlist” and were more personal (and very subjective) favorites than anything else.
Nicholas Braun bringing one home for the tall guy community (I’m a proud member) would have been huge, but his co-star Matthew Macfadyen was the proper choice for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (filmed on Eddie’s and outside Dealy!) also left the series without a major category win, but Midge and Friends have gotten their well-deserved flowers in previous years.
While Rachel Brosnahan of “Maisel” was the Stine-endorsed pick for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Quinta Brunson of “Abbott Elementary” won for delivering the many character nuances common to elementary school teachers across the country.
“Ted Lasso” left the Peacock Theater without a major win. The good-not-great show was nominated in all eligible major categories.
The show from a production standpoint was satisfying as well.
The production team smartly capitalized on viewers’ nostalgia for television with touching tributes to “Cheers,” “The Sopranos” and more.
Up against a four-month delay of the ceremony due to the recent writers’ and actors’ strikes, as well as the peak of the Iowa Caucus and NFL Playoffs, the Emmys had their backs against the wall in more ways than one, and while viewership was the lowest ever, fetching just 4.3 million eyes last Monday, those numbers certainly didn’t tell the whole story.
The Emmys were a great show about shows.
