The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze, was a whirlwind of popular television receiving (mostly) deserved awards. With highly nominated front-runners like “Severance,” “The Pitt,” “Hacks,” “The Studio” and “Adolescence” all winning in major categories, viewers were rewarded for tuning in. While watching the award show with fellow Vanderbilt students in Crawford, predictions were accurate, and tensions were high. Here are the five biggest moments of the night.
1. Stephen Colbert has a monumental win for “The Late Show”
In a controversial statement this summer, CBS announced that it would be cancelling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” This decision was labeled as purely financial, but viewers believe it had political influence since the show was the highest-rated in late-night television. Regardless of the reason, Colbert has taken it in stride and is currently delivering his final season.
Considering this news, starting off the award show with a captivated audience, Colbert asks with his resume in hand, “Is anyone hiring?” Fortunately, that was not the last the crowd saw of Colbert, as he won Outstanding Talk Series in the final hour. With a large entourage, Colbert’s win signifies something more than just a trophy. Receiving a standing ovation, Colbert reminded the crowd, “If the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor!”
2. The Boys & Girls Club donation joke grows tiresome
Following his Saturday-Night-Live-styled introduction, host Nate Bargatze opened with an interesting twist. He announced that he will be personally donating $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Club — a non-profit dedicated to cultivating “safe and fun places for kids to grow and thrive.” However, for every second a speech went over 45 seconds, $1,000 was deducted. Yikes! Luckily for those who spoke quickly, $1,000 was added for every second under the timer.
This interesting method of keeping the night on pace led to a handful of awkward moments, with actors stumbling over their words once the donation started trending down. It also served as the backbone of many jokes of the night, which annoyed viewers who were simply excited to see their favorite actors win an award. At the end of the night, Bargatze announced that the program would donate $350,000 to the organization, but the whole situation left the show feeling unfinished due to multiple rushed speeches.
3. Seth Rogen sweeps all three nominations for “The Studio”
In a vibrant, burnt-orange velvet suit, Rogen took the stage in surprise after taking the award for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in “The Studio.” “I’ve never won anything in my life,” Rogen said. Keeping his speech short and sweet, one might have forgotten about his win if it was not followed by three more wins later in the night, both for writing and directing. With these wins, “The Studio,” a show about the struggle to keep movies alive and relevant, makes history for the most wins for a comedy series at the Emmys.
4. “Adolescence” star Owen Cooper makes history; Stephen Graham wins big
The record-breaking single-shot Netflix original “Adolescence” took the world by storm with its complex portrayal of toxic masculinity in young men. At the Emmys, the show received multiple awards, the most noteworthy being 15-year-old Owen Cooper’s win as Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. He is now the youngest male actor to win in a performance category. Writer and actor Stephen Graham took three categories as well, including his first acting win. The show took eight Emmys in total, with Erin Doherty winning for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her intense portrayal of a child psychologist in the third episode.
5. “Severance” and “The Pitt” split the drama categories; Adam Scott snubbed
At the beginning of the night, “Severance” seemed to be the frontrunner in the drama categories. Tramell Tillman’s speech, thanking his mother and Britt Lower’s elegant demeanor led the audience to believe the show might take it all. However, Patricia Arquette’s loss to Katherine Lanasa showed that “The Pitt” had a fighting chance. “The Pitt” ended up taking both Lead Actor and Outstanding Drama Series. This left “Severance” fans in an uproar, as Adam Scott was snubbed for his leading role as Mark Scout. Hopefully, the next season of “Severance” won’t take three years to produce, and Scott will find himself winning soon.
After finishing the award show, my friends were rather satisfied. My predictions were fairly accurate, and it was enjoyable to witness truly good television shows like “Severance” and “Adolescence” take home major awards. I would be remiss if I failed to mention the “Hacks” duo finally both won in the same night, with Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder taking home the Lead and Supporting Actress categories in comedy. Although certain attempts at keeping the broadcast entertaining fell flat, the Emmys proved they know how to recognize good television once again.
