The 75th Emmy Awards got underway on Fox, with Anthony Anderson hosting, and his mother Doris helping out. It being a milestone anniversary, the telecast celebrated several classic shows, including Cheers, Dynasty, Mad Men, Grey's Anatomy and The Carol Burnett Show, that have made a lasting impact on American culture.
When it was over, HBO drama Succession and FX comedy The Bear dominated with six wins apiece, while Netflix limited series Beef picked up five more. The three series were also big winners at the Golden Globes earlier this month.
Anderson brought Christina Applegate onstage to present the first award, saluting Applegate for being on TV at age 1, on Days of Our Lives, when he said he was merely watching TV.
Applegate presented best supporting actress in a comedy to Ayo Edebiri of FX show The Bear on Hulu. Edebiri called it “a show about family and found family and real family,” and saluted her parents in the audience. She thanked them for letting her “feel beautiful and Black and proud.”
Next out to present was Carol Burnett, who talked about running a variety show in a different era. “Progress has been made and it truly warms my heart to see how well men are doing in comedy,” she quipped.
Presenting the lead actress in a comedy award, it went to Quinta Brunson of ABC’s Abbott Elementary. An emotional Brunson admitted she had not prepared anything, but noted, “I love making Abbott Elementary.”
Lorraine Bracco and Michael Imperioli from The Sopranos saluted the best supporting actress in drama. It went to Jennifer Coolidge from The White Lotus on HBO.
“Mike White, thank you for this,” Coolidge said to the creator. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity to play this incredible character.”
Pedro Pascal came out to award the best supporting actor in a drama, which went to Matthew Macfadyen of HBO’s Succession. He thanked “the entire Succession family,” including the show’s “peerless crew.”
He then thanked his “on-screen wife,” played by Sarah Snook, and his other on-screen wife, he joked, portrayed by Nicholas Braun. Macfadyen then saluted his “actual wife,” Keeley.
Jon Cryer and Holland Taylor handed out the trophy for best supporting actor in a comedy. Ebon Moss-Bachrach of The Bear got the prize.
“This job is such a gift,” he said. “It’s such a privilege to work with these incredible actors.”
He added, “Thank you, [creator] Chris Storer, for trusting me with this part.”
The cast of Martin, Tisha Campbell, Carl Anthony Payne, Martin Lawrence and Tichina Arnold, was out next to give out best actor in a comedy.
Jeremy Allen White of The Bear got it. He said he is “so full of gratitude to be standing in front of you all,” and saluted the show’s “beautiful cast and beautiful crew that I get to share a space and stage with.”
He said of his friends, “Thank you for believing in me when I had trouble believing in myself.”
Taylor Tomlinson, host of new late-night show After Midnight on CBS, and Stephen Colbert were out next to give out the prize for best scripted variety series.
HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver got the nod. Oliver thanked HBO and its lawyers, who he said “are angry with us all the time.”
Oliver said he promised his kids Pokémon cards, and didn’t know where to find them in Los Angeles.
Marla Gibbs and Brunson presented best supporting actress in a limited series, which went to Niecy Nash-Betts of Netflix’s Dahmer–Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. She thanked “my better half, who picked me up when I was gutted from this work.”
She thanked herself for “doing what they said I couldn’t do.”
Nash-Betts also saluted “every Black and Brown woman who has gone unheard.”
The Cheers cast, including Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer and Rhea Perlman, presented the outstanding directing in a comedy series award. Danson named Christopher Storer from The Bear. Storer was not at the event.
Storer then won the next prize, for writing in a comedy series.
Joel McHale and Ken Jeong strode out next to present the outstanding reality competition program award. RuPaul’s Drag Race on MTV won.
“You guys are just pure lovely for honoring our show,” RuPaul said.
RuPaul spoke of “releasing to the wild hundreds of drag queens.” Referencing a recent news story in New York, RuPaul said, if a drag queen wants to read to you in a library, “listen to her. Because knowledge is power.”
Arsenio Hall was out to award outstanding writing in a variety series. He spoke of getting to host the show that he once did in his basement as a kid, and the thrill of competing with the late-night icons. The award went to Last Week Tonight.
Kaitlin Olsen, Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton and Danny Devito from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia next presented outstanding talk series to The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Comedy Central.
“We did it!” Noah said. ”We got rid of John Oliver!”
Noah addressed Jon Stewart. “Thank you for asking me to join you on this crazy journey!” he said.
Juno Temple and Brett Goldstein of Ted Lasso were out to award the best directing for a limited series or movie trophy. The Emmy went to Lee Sung Jin for Netflix’s Beef.
“It’s really a testament to the amazing people I’ve been so blessed to be around,” he said, adding, “This really means a lot.”
Anderson saluted Grey’s Anatomy, whose cast, past and present, including Ellen Pompeo and Katherine Heigl, joined him onstage. Season 20 is set to start.
The cast named best supporting actor in a limited series or movie. The Emmy went to Paul Walter Hauser, who plays Larry on Apple TV Plus series Black Bird. His rhyming speech praised the late Ray Liotta, among others, and his wife Amy.
“You make my heart strong and my knees weak,” he said of his wife.
Jon Hamm of Mad Men was out next to give out the prize for outstanding writing for a drama series, which his old show won a few times. Jesse Armstrong of Succession came up for the trophy. He singled out “my extraordinary writers’ room” and thanked the show’s cast and crew.
He also thanked America for its “tradition of being very welcoming to outsiders … I’m very grateful for the generosity I’ve been shown."
Tom Hiddleston and Ke Huy Quan then came out to name the winner of outstanding writing for a limited series. Lee Sung Jin of Beef got the award.
He spoke of the writers’ room working over Zoom. “Thank you for powering through that,” he said.
Jason Bateman gave out the prize for directing in a drama series after making some quips about his childhood stint on Little House on the Prairie. Mark Mylod of Succession claimed the prize. He thanked the “cast and crew and the total joy of working with them for four seasons,” calling it “an absolute life highlight.”
To Jesse Armstrong, he said, “My thanks to you beyond even your brilliant words.”
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler then sat at the Weekend Update desk to name the outstanding live variety special. It went to Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium on Disney Plus. Elton could not attend, but the producers credited the singer-songwriter for having “created the soundtrack to all our lives.”
Dylan McDermott of American Horror Story saluted the best lead actor in a limited series. It went to Steven Yeun of Beef. He called the prize “an immense honor and blessing.”
He mentioned Beef photographer Andrew Cooper addressing him when the actor said it was difficult to live in character Danny’s skin.
“Never bail on Danny,” Yeun said Cooper told him.
Yeun thanked his character for “teaching me that judgement and shame is a lonely place. But compassion and grace is where we can all meet.”
Jenna Ortega and Sheryl Lee Ralph then came out to award best lead actress in a limited series. Ali Wong of Beef got the trophy.
“I wouldn’t be standing here without my amazing parents,” she said, saluting her late “hilarious father who loved me unconditionally.”
Dame Joan Collins of Dynasty and Taraji P. Henson presented outstanding limited series.
Beef won yet again, its fifth win of the night. Lee Sung Jin returned to the stage.
He said everyone who reached out to the show to share their own struggles has been “very life affirming.”
He added, “The greatest joy of working on Beef is working with the folks up here who love so unconditionally.”
Colman Domingo and Hannah Waddingham presented the 2023 Governors Award to GLAAD. GLAAD president/CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said the world “urgently” needs more stories about transgender people.
“When you don’t know people it’s easy to demonize them,” she added. “Visibility creates understanding.”
Remembering Norman Lear
Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers of All in the Family were out next, saluting the late Norman Lear and his “groundbreaking television,” Reiner said. The pair introduced the In Memoriam segment, with The War and Treaty and Charlie Puth singing “See You Again.” Angela Lansbury, Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss, Bob Barker, Ron Cephas Jones, Andre Braugher, Matthew Perry, Suzanne Somers and Treat Williams were among the deceased who were celebrated.
Calista Flockhart was out next, with her old Ally McBeal castmates Greg Germann, Gil Bellows and Peter MacNicol. She gave best lead actor in a drama series to Kieran Culkin of Succession. A tearful Culkin thanked Jesse Armstrong, who he called “a brilliant writer, showrunner and gentleman,” and his mother, for “giving me life and my childhood, which was great.”
Jodie Foster came out to award top lead actress in a drama. The Emmy went to Sarah Snook of Succession. “We all put our all into it,” she said of the family drama.
Snook thanked her parents “for having a dress-up box as a kid. This is where it gets you!”
Tracee Ellis Ross and Natasha Lyonne did a black-and-white homage to I Love Lucy, working on the candy conveyor belt, before giving out the trophy for outstanding comedy. The Bear, Abbott Elementary, Barry, Jury Duty, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Only Murders in the Building, Ted Lasso and Wednesday were in the running.
The presenters’ mouths full of chocolates, they gave the Emmy to The Bear.
Cast member Matty Matheson accepted an enormous kiss from Ebon Moss-Bachrach along with the trophy, then saluted the hospitality industry.
“I just love restaurants so much, the good, the bad,” he said.
He added, “There’s so many people that make this show happen every day, and it’s really beautiful.”
Moss-Bachrach thanked FX and comms chief John Solberg.
Peter Dinklage then came out to award the top drama, with Succession, Andor, Better Call Saul, The Crown, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, The White Lotus and Yellowjackets on the shortlist.
The Emmy went to Succession.
Armstrong addressed the crowd once again. He thanked HBO and Casey Bloys, Francesca Orsi and other executives, along with the cast and producers on stage, and cast member Jeremy Strong, off making a movie, and exec producer Lucy Prebble, off making a baby.
Armstrong singled out Brian Cox, who played Logan Roy, and “who the show has revolved around.”
And with that, the 75th Emmys concluded.
