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The emotional return of the Emmys
Arriving fashionably late due to last year’s bitter double strike of actors and writers, the Emmy Awards on Monday saw the television industry turning the page from that turmoil and returning to the important business of celebrating its best and brightest.
Originally scheduled to air in September, the 75th Emmys were bumped back amid the labor action that shut down Hollywood for more than six months, a standoff that further exacerbated anxieties in a business already upended by streaming and the pandemic. On Monday, reaching back to celebrate work that aired and streamed as long ago as 2022, the battle-scarred television industry belatedly came together again for the comfortingly familiar ritual of its biggest awards show.
Three series — “Succession,” “The Bear” and “Beef” — dominated the night, with each enjoying near-sweeps in their categories.
As many predicted, HBO’s “Succession,” which led the pack with 27 nominations for its acclaimed final season, was among the night’s biggest winners, earning the award for best drama series along with trophies for lead actress Sarah Snook, lead actor Kieran Culkin, supporting drama actor Matthew Macfadyen and writer Jeremy Armstrong.
FX’s hit “The Bear,” which has already aired its second season, was crowned best comedy series for its debut season. It picked up five other comedy awards including lead actor Jeremy Allen White, supporting actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach and supporting actress Ayo Edebiri.
“This is a show about family: found family and real family,” Edebiri said, paying tribute to her parents in one of several moving speeches throughout the night. “Thank you so much for loving me and making me feel beautiful and Black and proud of all of that. Probably not a dream to immigrate to this country and have your child be like, ‘I want to do improv,’ but you’re real ones.”
Netflix’s road-rage drama “Beef” also had a big night in the limited or anthology series categories, winning best series, lead actor (Steven Yeun), lead actress (Ali Wong) and writing and directing (Lee Sung Jin).
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” won best talk series for the first time since Jon Stewart stepped down in 2015, making Noah, who left as host himself more than a year ago, the first Black winner in the category’s history.
Taking the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, first-time Emmys host Anthony Anderson steered clear of the strikes in his opening monologue. Instead, Anderson kicked off the show with a musical tribute to some of the favorites of his childhood, including “Good Times,” “The Facts of Life” and “Miami Vice,” leaning into a sense of nostalgia for an earlier and, in general, financially healthier era in the industry that ran through the entire ceremony as it reflected on 75 years of TV history.
“We’re going to commemorate the greatest shows of today while paying tribute to some of the iconic series that mean so much to us,” Anderson said. “Simply put, television has shaped the world and more importantly, it’s shaped me.” (Throughout the show, from her seat in the audience, Anderson’s mother, Doris Hancox, played speech-clock enforcer, sternly telling stars like Jennifer Coolidge, who won the comedy supporting actress prize for HBO’s “The White Lotus,” when they needed to wrap up their thank-yous.)
Scrambling the usual awards calendar, the strike pushed the Emmys somewhat awkwardly into the heart of the movie industry’s Oscar season. Just over a week ago, stars gathered for the Golden Globe Awards, where several of Monday night’s Emmy winners, including Edebiri, Yeun, Wong and Macfadyen, were also honored.
To normalize the cadence again, a second Emmys ceremony is planned for later this year in September, putting the TV awards season back on its traditional track.
As a tonic against the angst in Hollywood, the Emmys offered a fond look back at a number of beloved shows from the past, with cast members from “Cheers,” “Game of Thrones,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Martin” reuniting to hand out awards.
But even as the show largely steered clear of any mention of the recent industry strife, there were hints that all is not fixed in Hollywood. “A lot has changed in the last 46 years for the better — progress has been made,” comedy legend Carol Burnett said as she presented the award for lead actress in a comedy series. “And it truly warms my heart to see how well men are doing in comedy.”
In one of the night’s emotional high points — and one of its relatively few politically charged acceptance speeches — Niecy Nash-Betts brought down the house when she accepted her award for supporting actress in a limited series for Netflix’s “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” marking her first prime-time Emmy.
“I want to thank me for believing in me and doing what they said I could not do,” Nash said in a rousing speech that doubled as a call to action as she dedicated her prize to Black women who’ve been “unheard yet overpoliced,” like her character Glenda Cleveland, Breonna Taylor and Sandra Bland. “My job is to speak truth to power, and I’m gonna do it to the day I die.”
More Emmys coverage:
Today’s top stories
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a caucus site at Horizon Events Center, in Clive, Iowa, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.
(Andrew Harnik/AP)
Elections 2024
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Today’s great reads
Ryan Metzger came up with the idea for Ridwell after organizing a local effort in his neighborhood to collect and dispose of hard-to-recycle items.
(Ridwell)
Need to get rid of your junk and your consumer guilt? There’s a subscription for that. Sure, the city will pick up trash and basic recyclables. But the rest? For a fee, Ridwell promises to dispose of it.
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For your downtime
Stay is a lounge in Chinatown that serves only nonalcoholic drinks.
(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)
Going out
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And finally … a great photo
Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.
Hermano Drive in Tarzana is the only cul-de-sac in L.A. where there is an ordinance making it illegal to skateboard.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Today’s great photo is from the Times’ Mel Melcon. Hermano Drive snakes up a steep hill in Tarzana. The tucked-away enclave is the only one in L.A. where skateboarding is banned.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Elvia Limón, multiplatform editor
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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