HOLLYWOOD—I like to have a bit of a breather between my award shows. Well this week, that did not happen. The Critic’s Choice Awards were held on Sunday, and the 75th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were handed out on Monday, January 15. Yeah, the Primetime Emmys are usually dished out in September, but because of the writer and actor’s strike they were delayed.
The ceremony was hosted by comedian and actor Anthony Anderson and were there surprises when it comes to awards? Not so much. The laughs were absolutely there. Anderson delivered the laughs with his opening monologue that included a piano, a choir and singing. Anderson has a bit of a voice, and it was entertaining to see iconic theme songs such as “Good Times,” “The Facts of Life” and “Miami Vice.” That bit with Mama Doris was funny; I was wondering if Anthony would string it longer than he needed? Nope. He kept it short and sweet, and I loved it. Presenter Christina Applegate got a standing ovation as she took to the stage, and she was in literal tears. Applegate was hilarious with her bit before presenting the Primetime Emmy for Supporting Actress in a comedy series to Ayo Edebiri for “The Bear.” Who also kept her speech short and sweet!
The Primetime Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series went to Quinta Brunson for “Abbott Elementary” and it was long overdue for Brunson who has been chasing that big accolade for such a long time. Brunson was literally in tears as she took to the stage to accept her trophy. I was so happy for Brunson. Had no idea she is only the second Black woman to win the prize since Isabel Sanford did for “The Jeffersons” in 1981. Seeing that reunion with some of the cast members of “The Sopranos” was iconic as they presented Supporting Actress in a Drama Series to Jennifer Coolidge for “The White Lotus.” I know Coolidge is about to deliver the laughs with this acceptance speech.
Pedro Pascal took to the stage to address his injury before presenting the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series to Matthew Macfadyen for “Succession.” No surprise there, he was quite amazing in the role. The pacing for the series for the first 30 minutes has been stellar so far. Ebon Moss-Bachrach continued his awards season dominance with a win for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on “The Bear.” That bit with the cast from “Martin” it was hilarious as they presented the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series to Jeremy Allen White for “The Bear.” It was another sweep of things for the cast of “The Bear,” after dominating just the previous day at the Critic’s Choice Awards and last week at the Golden Globes.
Outstanding Scripted-Variety series was a win for “Last Night With John Oliver.” It was indeed a moment seeing Marla Gibbs take the stage with Lead Actress winner Quinta Brunson to present the Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie to Niecy Nash-Betts for “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” Betts was in literal tears when she heard her name called; so far one of the best and most authentic speeches I’ve heard in a very long time.
It was another moment to see the cast of “Cheers” reunited to present the Emmy for Writing and Directing in a Comedy Series to Christopher Storer for “The Bear.” The first hour is over and “The Bear” has dominated with five wins so far. “Rupaul’s Drag Race” won the Emmy for Best Reality Competition Series. Trevor Noah won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series.
We saw some amazing faces reunite for the longest running medical series that I can recall with “Grey’s Anatomy,” it was a treat; I thought it was 20 years and I was correct. Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie went to Paul Walter Hauser for “Black Bird.” As expected Jesse Armstrong won the award for Writing for the Drama Series “Succession,” and Writing for a Limited Series of TV Movie went to Lee Sung Jin for “Beef.”
As expected “Succession” won for Directing because who would actually win over that series? There was a weak ‘Weekend Update’ with “Saturday Night Live” alums Amy Poehler and Tina Fey as they presented the prize for Variety Special (Live) for Elton John. That “American Horror Story” bit was hilarious, it really was involving Dylan McDermott who presented Steven Yeun the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for “Beef.” Yeun’s co-star, Ali Wong claimed the Lead Actress prize for her work on the series.
Oh, such a treat to see icon Joan Collins take the stage to present the Primetime Emmy for Limited Series or Anthology to “Beef.” The Primetime Emmy Awards started to lose its luster as we entered the final hour of the ceremony. The pacing just started to drag and that was not the result of Anderson, who was a solid host throughout the entire night landing jokes and keeping the laughs for the entire audience. I was thrilled, I mean thrilled to see the cast of “Ally McBeal” reunited at the Primetime Emmy Awards, that series was hilarious when it aired all those years ago on FOX.
Calista Flockhart presented the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series to Kieran Culkin for “Succession.” I’m sorry I still think Jeremy Strong delivered a stronger performance than his co-star. Culkin was quite emotional while giving his speech. It was no surprise that Sarah Snook won for Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work on “Succession.” She was indeed fantastic, simply fantastic on the series.
It was “The Bear” who won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series during a near clean sweep of the major awards the series was expected to win. On the flipside, “Succession” won the Outstanding Drama Series. It was fun to see that kiss on stage, but at the same time, there is too much predictability in recent weeks at the awards ceremony. I want to see a bit of variety, I’m sure that will happen as we move onto the Academy Awards.
The Primetime Emmy Awards was a three-way battle between “Beef,” “Succession” and “The Bear” which I believe ALL WON six trophies during the ceremony. I get to breathe a bit for the next few weeks, as the next big award ceremony is the Screen Actors Guild Awards. I know what you’re thinking, oh, what about the Grammys. Sorry, I am not watching that one this year, I’d rather do something else with those four hours of my life.
