Key events
WINNER: Ted Lasso wins best comedy series
Pete Davidson comes on stage dressed like an Australian tradie, then announces the winner is Ted Lasso.
Look. This show was up against What We Do in the Shadows, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hacks and Barry. We’re not in lockdown anymore, yet Ted Lasso continues to win stuff. Jason Sudeikis says the nice soccer show is about “good and evil, truth and lies”. Sure thing bud.
WINNER: The White Lotus wins best limited series
Showrunner and creator Mike White leads a huge procession of cast and crew on stage, briefly mentions HBO and then hands the spotlight over to executive producer Nick Hall, who is a rare example of someone actually writing out a speech.
WINNER: Lee Jung-jae wins lead actor in a drama series for Squid Game
Wow! In a genuine upset, the Squid Game actor wins in a category that pit him against Brian Cox, Adam Scott, Jeremy Strong and Bob Odenkirk. The South Korean is the first actor in a non-English language series to be nominated in this category, let alone win. Truly a surprise.
WINNER: Jesse Armstrong wins best writing in a drama series for Succession
He was up against Better Call Saul, but Armstrong has deserved an Emmy since Peep Show. He also won this category for the Sucession season one and two finales.
WINNER: MJ Delaney wins best writing in a comedy series for Ted Lasso
I have already made my opinions about Ted Lasso clear. Well done to MJ Delaney, who is wearing a dress with incredible sleeves and gives a speech so quick that no laser dot appears on her forehead.
WINNER: Jean Smart wins lead actress in a comedy series for Hacks
The third queen of the evening (following Lizzo and Jennifer Coolidge) takes to the stage to receive her second lead actress in a comedy series in a row, having won for Hacks last year too.
She’s funny and radiant and wins the hearts of everyone in the room. Let’s gather again to see her win again next year.
Doing a little searching around and it appears Zendaya has just become the first Black woman to win the Emmy for lead actress in a drama series twice. She became the second Black actress to win the category in 2020, after Viola Davis in 2015. Seeing as Zendaya is just 26, that is an astounding achievement (and an indictment on the Emmys’ track record.)
WINNER: Zendaya wins lead actress in a drama series for Euphoria
Zendaya sees off competition from Jodie Comer, Laura Linney, Melanie Lynskey, Sandra Oh and Reese Witherspoon for her performance as Rue in Euphoria. She also won this award two years ago, for the same role.
WINNER: Hwang Dong-hyuk wins best director of a drama series for Squid Game
Squid Game lands its first win of the evening*, with Hwang Dong-hyuk taking to the stage without his translator and giving a perfect speech in English. He also reveals the time limit is 45 seconds, which seems longer than expected given the panic everyone is having.
* The show won three Creative Arts Emmys the other day, but they don’t get televised so somehow that means they don’t count.
WINNER: Quinta Brunson wins best writing on a comedy series for Abbott Elementary
Will Arnett drags Jimmy Kimmel on stage and it is immediately funnier than any moment in Ted Lasso. ANYWAY. Brunson wins for her work on Abbott Elementary and handles the time limit like an absolute pro. She’s been an absolute star since her Instagram series, The Girl Who’s Never Been on a Nice Date.
WINNER: Jason Sudeikis wins lead actor in a comedy series for Ted Lasso
Law and Order stars Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay are pretending they are investigating an Emmy being stolen. But they appear in Law and Order: SVU, which somehow implies the Emmy statue was assaulted. Who cares – they are both super hot and this really doesn’t make much sense.
Sudeikis takes to the stage to win yet another gong for Ted Lasso, a repeat of last year. It remains baffling to me that TV’s equivalent of beige continues to dominate the comedy categories, but it is nice I guess.
We’re now at the in memoriam point of the evening, with Betty White, Nichelle Nichols, Bob Saget, James Caan, Gilbert Gottfried, Ray Liotta, Sidney Poitier and Anne Heche all getting mentions. As we’ve been saying every year since about 2016: it truly has been a big year for celebrity deaths.
John Legend performs; it is undeniably moving, but it does feel like the only time I see him perform is at in memoriam ceremonies. I’ve just checked and he has only done it once before, at the 2017 Grammys, so it is truly just a vibe he gives off. Sorry John.
WINNER: Jerrod Carmichael wins for writing for a variety special
The comedian takes to the stage, deservedly winning for his comedy special Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel. (If you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend you go find it any way you can – it is completely brilliant.)
He also happens to be wearing the best outfit of the night. (Sorry Lizzo.)
“I wanted to win, I am happy I won,” he says, adding: “I’m going to go home because I can’t top this right now.” Beautifully put.
WINNER: Mike White wins best writing in a limited series
Writing dream team and my dream aunt and uncle, Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak, take to the stage to present best writer on a limited series. Mike White takes to the stage for the second time in one minute to receive his second Emmy of the night. He starts talking about Survivor for some reason, because why not when you’re being given a whole extra seven seconds on stage.