The 75th Emmy Awards are here — four months after the ceremony had been set to air, thanks to the actors’ and writers’ strikes. But, hey, absence makes the heart grow fonder. And some of the shows expected to clean up tonight — “Succession,” “Beef,” the first season of “The Bear” (which aired in 2022!) — have been absent from our hearts for a very long time.
The Times will have you covered throughout TV’s biggest night with our Emmys live blog. Join awards columnist Glenn Whipp and staff writers Meredith Blake and Tracy Brown, who is in the press room at the show doing on-the-ground reporting, as they break down the highlights and lowlights of Monday’s telecast on Fox, beginning at 5 p.m. Pacific. Keep it here for live updates throughout the night.
The complete winners list | How to watch the Emmys
5:13 P.M. The superb second season of “The Bear” ended with a glorious last image of a beaming, validated Edebiri. It’s not the season that’s up for this year’s Emmys. But I know that image was firmly lodged in voters’ brains. — G.W.
5:12 P.M. Christina Applegate gets a standing ovation when she takes to the stage. The actor, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and was using a cane, joked, “Body not by Ozempic.” She presented the supporting actress in a comedy award to Ayo Edebiri — a first of probably many wins for “The Bear.” — M.B.
5:09 P.M. If the low bar for an opening monologue is to leave the stage with the audience not actively hating you, Anthony Anderson has succeeded. — G.W.
5:08 P.M. Five minutes into the show and for some reason Travis Barker is here, playing Phil Collins’ famous drum break from “In the Air Tonight.” — M.B.
5:04 P.M. Anthony Anderson and a choir singing “Good Times.” Good start. Thinking he’s saving “The Jeffersons” theme for the closer. — G.W.
4:59 P.M. One more pre-show note: The evening’s first Emmy will be comedy supporting actress, the category that was hardest for me to predict. If Ayo Edebiri wins for “The Bear,” it could be the beginning of a big night for that show. — G.W.
4:57 P.M. Speaking of important people, my kids keep barging into the living room where I am watching from my couch and, well, they have some opinions on the red carpet fashion. (Juliette Lewis got two thumbs up for her disco-ready Moschino gown, and I got a lot of questions about Suki Waterhouse’s look.) They’re also thrilled to see Jenna Ortega, star of their favorite show “Wednesday,” but keep asking me why Taylor Swift isn’t there. Excellent question, kids. — M.B.
4:38 P.M. “Surprises” and “Emmys” are not words usually used in the same sentence, but one can hope, Tracy. And to Meredith’s point, I would imagine that the strikes will be mentioned a few times tonight by both presenters and winners, particularly when the writing awards are handed out. After all, it’s the show’s writers who create the presenters’ patter. You think they’re going to miss the chance to note their own importance? — G.W.
4:20 P.M. Hello from the Emmys’ press room, where I definitely got lost more than once trying to walk here from the parking lot while dressed in formalwear. I’m stationed in a hotel ballroom that the winners are eventually shuffled towards after accepting their awards and getting played off stage. After making their way through some photo ops and video interviews, the winners take to the (much smaller) stage in the press room to field a few questions from the reporters who are assembled elbow-to-elbow and hunched over their laptops. I anticipate seeing many faces from “Succession” in this room over the course of the night, but maybe the Emmy voters will surprise us! — Tracy Brown
4:15 P.M. Wow, 60 degrees. Glenn, be careful out there! Greetings from New York where it’s a blustery 28 and I, too, am feeling disoriented by these weird, belated Emmys — taking place the same day as the Iowa caucus, the outcome of which also feels like a foregone conclusion.
Skepticism aside, I am genuinely looking forward to some things tonight, including saying one last farewell to my favorite toxic TV family, the Roys, who left a hole in my heart that no show has been able to fill since. I’m curious to see who will finally become CEO — excuse me, who will win in the three-way race between Kieran Culkin, Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong.
“Succession” can’t win every award tonight, and I’m curious to see if “Beef” will dominate the limited series categories as you predicted.
But it’s hard to deny the fact that, even without the delay, these Emmys arrive at a deeply unstable moment in TV-land, after dual strikes that called attention to the painful disruption caused by the streaming revolution and amid industry-wide layoffs. We’ll see how that affects the mood this evening.
Glenn, do you think the strikes will come up in any acceptance speeches or has everyone politely decided to move on? —Meredith Blake
4:11 P.M. The 2023 (even though it’s 2024) Emmys are here — and not a moment too soon. If this ceremony had been delayed any longer, I’m not sure I could still retain the scattered pictures of the smiles all these long-over shows have left behind. (Sorry. I’m in the middle of the 992-page Barbra Streisand memoir.)
Usually, the Emmys are held in September and the red carpet feels like it’s on fire. Tonight, L.A. is shivering. The temperature might drop below 60 before the show begins. So I’m grabbing an extra blanket, enjoying some Irish coffee in honor of Cillian Murphy, nominated … wait, he’s up for an Oscar, not an Emmy. The timing of this awards season is so messed up. (Maybe I’d better hold the whiskey.)
Tonight is going to be all about seeing and celebrating all our dearly departed friends from “Succession.” And seeing if “The Bear” will topple “Ted Lasso.” What are you looking forward to, Meredith? — Glenn Whipp
