The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards began well before it aired on Sunday, Sept. 15 for millions to see. The Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards celebrated cinematography, casting, music, costumes, editing, and more two nights before the Sunday ceremony.
In the two nights before Sept. 15, “Shogun” had already won 14 Emmys, making Emmy history as the most awarded single-season show. “The Bear” had already earned seven Emmys, “Saturday Night Live” with six, “Jim Henson Idea Man” with five, “Blue Eye Samurai” and “Only Murders In The Building” with four each respectively.
As the curtains opened, there were apparent surefire wins in sight, like “The Bear” with its acting category, and surprising underdogs sure to dominate the drama category like “Shogun” with its historical streak. The trends for winners were already setting, but much was still left to be anticipated.
The Emmys are returning to their usual schedule this year, following a shortened ceremony held in January 2023 due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes. In May 2023, thousands of writers went on strike due to the rise of the AI threatening their livelihood, so there was a demand for higher royalties, residuals after a project’s success, and protection from AI against their jobs.
For similar reasons, like residuals and AI protection, an even greater number of actors and members of SAG-AFTRA joined along with the strike later in July. The Emmy higher-ups ultimately decided to move the award show from September of that year to January 2024 to give time for the union leaders to broker agreements with the studios. So, the nominees for this Emmys were pulled from shows that aired from June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024.
Dan and Eugene Levy, the father-son duo from “Schitt’s Creek,” welcomed Emmy attendees and viewers as the main hosts of the award show. There’s always one brutally honest joke that everyone agrees on, and this year (again), it was the academy’s categorization of “The Bear” as a comedy show.
Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez presented the first award; showing off the comedic banter that’s on display in their show “Only Murders in the Building.” Alan Cumming, the host of “The Traitors,” accepted the Emmy for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program. A personal win for me was John Oliver, who won an Emmy for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series for “Last Week Tonight.”
The Emmys is about honoring television history as much as it is about awarding the industry. To highlight and celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live,” some of the show’s most notable stars Bowen Yang, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Seth Meyers presented the Emmy for Outstanding Writing For a Variety Special. Notably, “Saturday Night,” directed by Jason Reitman, comes out this fall and centers around the actual events of the first broadcast of “Saturday Night Live.”
Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal proudly represented the Latino community by presenting their category, Best Limited or Anthology Series, in Spanish. A little over halfway through the night, John Leguizamo made a powerful speech about the absence of Latinos and other minorities on television. He talked about the progression towards representation in the medium and spoke about his push to nominate more underrepresented people.
Afterward, the Governors Award was given to Screenwriter, Producer, and Director Greg Berlanti for his contribution to countless shows and representation for the LGBTQ+ community.
After the Memoriam for those who recently passed in the industry, Jimmy Kimmel, unsurprisingly, made an ill-timed joke—something along the lines of awarding the ‘best deceased.’ This could be a small, upsetting teaser of what’s to come if he is asked to host the Oscars again next year.
Finally, Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai humbly accepted their awards for Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in “Shogun,” both of whom are the first Japanese actors to top prizes in the drama category. The snowball kept rolling as “Shogun” went on to win the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. Hiroyuki Sanada made the final thanks in Japanese as co-creator Justin Marks translated it to English. Shogun took home a total of 18 Emmys: four won that night and 14 won the week before.
To close off the night, “Hacks” took a surprising win for Outstanding Comedy Series, an upset for those hoping “The Bear” would take home the win. Still, “The Bear,” “Baby Reindeer,” and “Shogun” were the dominating winners of the ceremony. “Abbot Elementary,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” and other big hitters, however, did not take home an Emmy that night.
2024 Emmys Winners
Outstanding Lead Actor
In a Comedy Series: Jeremy Allen White – The Bear
In a Drama Series: Hiroyuki Sanada – Shogun
In a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Richard Gadd – Baby Reindeer
Outstanding Lead Actress
In a Comedy Series: Jean Smart – Hacks
In a Drama Series: Anna Sawai – Shogun
In a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Jodie Foster – True Detective: Night Country
Outstanding Supporting Actor
In a Comedy Series: Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear
In a Drama Series: Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
In a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Lamorne Morris – Fargo
Outstanding Supporting Actress
In a Comedy Series: Liza Colon-Zayas – The Bear
In a Drama Series: Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown
In a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Jessica Gunning – Baby Reindeer
Outstanding Directing
For a Comedy Series: Christopher Storer – The Bear
For a Drama Series: Frederick E.O. Toye – Shogun
For a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Steven Zaillian – The Bear
Outstanding Comedy Series: Hacks
Outstanding Drama Series: Shogun
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: Baby Reindeer
Outstanding Talk Series: The Daily Show
Outstanding Scripted Variety Series: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program: The Traitors
Outstanding Writing
For a Comedy Series: Hacks
For a Drama Series: Slow Horses
For a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Baby Reindeer
For a Variety Special: Alex Edelman – Just For Us
