It may not have felt exactly like the 2020 Emmys, when the made-in-Canada comedy “Schitt’s Creek” cleaned up and left no crumbs, but it still felt pretty damn good to watch the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards as a Canadian on Sunday evening.
“The Studio,” the riotous new series cocreated by Canadians Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, won a slew of major comedy awards at the ceremony, which also featured fellow Canucks Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and Nathan Fielder.
The award show, hosted by the American standup comedian Nate Bargatze, was filled with upsets, in many significant categories. The medical procedural “The Pitt,” created by Canadian-American R. Scott Gemmill, bested Apple TV’s “Severance” to win five awards overall. (That total includes the awards won last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys, which celebrates technical achievement.)
“The Studio,” meanwhile, which stars Rogen as a flailing film exec trying to right a sinking studio while balancing his own personal ambitions, ultimately won 13 Emmys, after entering this year’s awards with 23 nods, the most for a comedy series in its debut series.
Here’s a recap of the other major storylines from television’s biggest night.
Seth Rogen goes four for four
Though Rogen entered Sunday’s ceremony nominated for a quartet of major awards (for outstanding comedy series, lead actor, directing and writing) it was a tall, near impossible order that he would sweep them all. But the Vancouver-born multihyphenate managed to pull it off.
Rogen’s wins for outstanding comedy series and direction (the latter shared with Goldberg) were more or less locks. The acting prize was also a pretty sure bet for him. (The only person who had a chance of snatching that award from him would have been Short, for his performance in “Only Murders in the Building.”) But the surprise came when Rogen won in the writing category, besting the writing team behind the “Hacks.” Four for four is an incredible feat for the Canadian, especially considering he came into this year’s Emmys with an 0-5 record.
In his first acceptance speech of the night, Rogen said: “I’ve never won anything in my life. When I was a kid I bought a used bowling trophy at an estate sale.”
Nate Bargatze is a shaky emcee
When the Television Academy announced earlier this year that the standup comedian Nate Bargatze would host the 2025 Emmys, there was a collective sense of bewilderment. Yes, Bargatze is one world’s top-earning comedians. Yes, he’s released three Netflix specials. But outside of those circles, the American comedian is largely unknown.
Bargatze’s performance on Sunday seems unlikely to win him many new fans. He opened with an awkward sketch poking fun at the state of TV today, in which he played a “visionary genius” from a century ago who invented TV. His most successful joke was a jab at the comedy-not-comedy “The Bear,” but that doesn’t really count. It’s been a perennial jab for several years now.
While other awards shows, like the Oscars and Golden Globes, have had luck finding regular hosts (Conan O’Brien and Nikki Glaser, respectively), the Emmys have struggled to do the same. In the last four years, the Television Academy has gone through five emcees. (The father-son duo of Eugene and Dan Levy resulted in two hosts last year.) It was be quite the surprise if Bargatze returns next year.
Netflix’s “Adolescence” has a monster night
It was a huge evening for the Netflix limited series “Adolescence,” a British psychological crime drama about a boy who’s arrested for the murder of his schoolmate. It won every single Emmy is was up for Sunday, including for outstanding limited series.
Its 15-year-old star Owen Cooper, who became the youngest Emmy winner in the supporting actor category, also delivered one of the night’s best speeches, dispensing of some sage advice that was well beyond his years: “Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to even be in the United States, let alone here,” he said. “But I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life. I was nothing about three years ago. I’m here now.”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” wins after CBS cancels series
That “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” would win outstanding talk series was a foregone conclusion ever since it was abruptly cancelled by CBS in July. But surprise on not, Colbert’s win still felt like a statement, as if voters were repudiating the television network’s controversial decision.
Colbert accepted the award while receiving some of the loudest applause of the night. “I want to thank CBS for giving us the privilege to be part of the late night tradition, which I hope continues long after we’re no longer doing this show,” he said. “Sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it. If the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor.”
CBS had axed the talk series three days after Colbert criticized a settlement between Trump and CBS parent company Paramount Global as it was seeking administration approval for a merger. Critics said the cancellation was political, though CBS executives insisted the decision was financial.
Those in the television industry quickly came to Colbert’s defence. Even fellow talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who was also nominated in the same category, said he was casting his vote for Colbert.
Viewer discretion is advised, indeed
Before the start of any live show is the obligatory message that anything could happen, so “viewer discretion is advised.” That warning did some heavy lifting at this year’s ceremony. It was a show filled with intentional — and unintentional — F-bombs, including those delivered by John Oliver and Hannah Einbinder. Was the CBS broadcast not delayed? Or did those operators in the booth miss bleeping them out?
“Severance” pulls off several upsets, but is itself upset for the biggest prize
“Severance” pulled off several upsets, particularly in the acting categories, but was also on the receiving end of several other upsets, most notably for outstanding drama series, where it lost to “The Pitt,” which also took home the prize for outstanding lead actor (Noah Wyle) and supporting actress (Katherine LaNasa).
Kathy Bates was predicted to win for her comeback role in “Matlock,” but Britt Lower took the prize for playing both an “innie” and “outie” in “Severance.” Earlier, her co-star Tramell Tillman triumphed as supporting actor in a drama for playing a manager at the sinister Lumon Industries. Both were first-time Emmy nominees and winners.
