From the moment it opened, with a tribute to “Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,” to the moment it ended, with a clip of Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech, the broadcast of the 75th edition of the Emmy Awards on the occasion of MLK's birthday. On Monday night he did precisely what he should have done: celebrate the art form known as television in all its ever-changing forms, challenges and growing diversity.
In doing so, he created an evening that, while celebrating what we have, also reminded us of what we have lost. And not just in this year's particularly heartbreaking in memoriam section.
Hosted by Anthony Anderson, who committed to perpetual enthusiasm, non-stop hanging out with his mom (which caught the attention of those who had gone over the acceptance speech time limit), and multiple costume changes, the big anniversary spectacle This year was full of winks and cast. reunions of some of the most beloved shows in television history.
Often appearing in recreations of their most famous sets, the stars of “The Sopranos,” “All in the Family,” “Cheers,” “Grey's Anatomy” and “Ally McBeal” gathered to remember their glory days and offer their Emmy Awards count, while the casts of “Martin” and “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia” reminded everyone that even the longest-running and most successful shows can be criminally overlooked.
“Have you been doing this every year without us?” asked Charlie Day, after it was revealed that this was the first time “Sunny” had been represented in any way at the Emmys. When her co-star Danny DeVito admitted that she had, in fact, won an Emmy for “Taxi,” which had received 34 nominations and 18 wins during its five-year run, Kaitlin Olson exclaimed, “34 nominations in five years versus zero nominations.” in 16 years? That math is bad!
The math has gotten even worse lately, and the Television Academy's recent penchant for sweeps drained some of the enthusiasm from the actual awards; As predicted, “Succession,” “The Bear” and “Beef” walked away laden with trophies as the smiles of other nominated shows grew increasingly tense.
But the early hosts and winners set a tone of emotional engagement and sincerity that fed directly into the show's theme: how important television is and has been to American culture. Christina Applegate, recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, arrived with a cane to a standing ovation and joked: “The body is not Ozempic's.” Carol Burnett praised the many changes in television: “It warms my heart to see how well men are doing in comedy now.” Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”), Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Jennifer Coolidge (“White Lotus”) and Niecy Nash-Betts (“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) gave their first speeches that telegraphed the importance of the moment and its 75-year award.
Pushed from its typical September date by a pair of six-month-long, sometimes vitriolic writers' and actors' strikes, the show maintained a surprising and welcome sweetness, thanking more parents, spouses and families than agents. and to the studio. heads.
Natasha Lyonne, Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson pay tribute to “I Love Lucy” at the Emmys.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
However, it was not without political moments. Nash-Betts said she was committed to giving a voice to “black women and women of color who have not been heard and have been over-policed.” RuPaul urged viewers to listen to drag queens who want to read you a story “because knowledge is power, and if someone tries to restrict your access to power, they're trying to scare you.” And “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” writer Sofia Manfredi thanked host and executive producers Tim Carvell and Liz Stanton “for how much they supported us during the writers' strike; “They supported us all wholeheartedly, even though a third of us are annoying.”
Opening with a Compton choir singing the theme from “Good Times,” the show’s music drew heavily on nostalgia, as did Tina Fey and Amy’s “Weekend Update” recreations of “Saturday Night Live.” Poehler and the famous “I Love Lucy”. ”Chocolate factory scene by Natasha Lyonne and Tracee Ellis Ross. The result mixed the bitter with the sweet.
On the bright side, television has arguably become more diverse in history, form and certainly representation, which was reflected in Monday's winners, from “Beef” to “The Bear.” “Does everyone enjoy chocolate Emmys?” Anderson asked after the victories of three Black women. “We are going to kill him tonight; “This is like MLK Day and Juneteenth rolled into one.”
On the bitter side, seeing actors from classic shows like “Cheers,” “All in the Family,” “Good Times” and “Ally McBeal” reunite to present in categories now dominated by cable and streaming underscored the passing of a role model. television program that helped create the cultural touchstones that are honored. As beloved as they were, those shows simply wouldn't exist in today's landscape. Even Chandra Wilson's announcement that “Grey's Anatomy” is now the longest-running medical drama in television history was poignant: Shonda Rhimes is now working at Netflix, where an original medical drama of more than 20 episodes per season is almost anathema.
The striking contrast also made it hard not to wonder how much staying power the recent Emmy winners will have. “Succession” ended with just 40 episodes, compared to 73 for “Game of Thrones” or 86 for “The Sopranos,” let alone 420 for “Grey’s Anatomy” (and counting). With eight episodes in its first season (for which it just won 10 Emmy Awards) and 10 in its second, FX and Hulu's “The Bear” will have to run for more than 25 years to catch up with “Cheers,” more out of 10 for matches “Good Times.” Given the recent history of cable and streaming shows, that doesn't seem likely.
Television, like so many areas of American culture, has become more fragmented and concentrated: shows attract smaller but often more passionately devoted audiences (as reflected by the recent tendency of Emmy voters to give many awards to a few programs). Even if those shows don't last long enough for their theme song or opening music to be instantly recognizable decades later.
And that may be a necessary sacrifice, not only for the new economics of television but also for growing audience demands for all kinds of stories told about all kinds of people. For all their touching moments and occasional funny bits, this year's Emmys offered not only a celebration of mostly charming television, but also an unexpectedly clear recognition of the things we leave behind as we move forward.
Now they only have to give “Sunny” one or two nominations. I mean, unlike most shows that premiered in 2005, it's still going. And that has to mean something.
