Joke’s on ‘The Bear’ — ‘Hacks’ gets a surprise Emmy win for best comedy series
Hosts Dan and Eugene Levy immediately addressed the one thing that was on everyone’s minds Sunday night at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.
“I know some of you might be expecting us to make a joke about whether ‘The Bear’ is really a comedy ... but in the true spirit of ‘The Bear,’ we will not be making any jokes,” Eugene Levy said during the opening monologue.
And wouldn’t you know, enough Emmy voters agreed with the general vibe that, “Yes, ‘The Bear’ is terrific ... but it’s not really a comedy,” that they gave the evening’s final prize, comedy series, to “Hacks,” a show that contains, you know, actual jokes and humor and whatnot. (It has plenty of drama too, but it’s not as emotionally exhausting as what you witness in “The Bear.”)
Befitting the Canadian hosts’ land of origin, it was a perfectly nice show, mostly unsurprising (at least until that ending) but not without its share of moments. Let’s run them down.
Emmy for best timing
“The Bear” drops its new seasons in June, putting it in a weird place for the Emmys. All the Emmys it won tonight came for its second season, which dropped 15 months ago. But Television Academy members also were watching the new season when they were voting for the winners and saw Liza Colón-Zayas deliver her heartbreaking turn in “The Bear’s” stellar flashback episode “Napkins,” which showed how Tina landed her job at the Beef sandwich shop. Colón-Zayas had a moment in Season 2 as well during Tina’s moving karaoke performance of Freddy Fender’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls.” But it sure didn’t hurt to have that bonus episode in voters’ minds.
Emmy for worst timing
But the problem for “The Bear” was that “Napkins” might have been the only exceptional episode in the show’s third season, which, again, was the season that voters were watching while filling out their ballots. As the first half of a two-part storyline (the third and upcoming fourth seasons were filmed together), the latest batch of episodes felt, at times, like the show was spinning its wheels. That led to an inevitable “‘The Bear’ isn’t all that” backlash, with critics saying the show was inconsistent and light on plot. Coupled with some genuine confusion and resentment about why “The Bear” was competing as a comedy, its loss to “Hacks” was not a complete shock.
Jean Smart remains undefeated
After Colón-Zayas won the supporting actress comedy Emmy, a sweep for “The Bear” felt inevitable. (It wasn’t.) But that would underestimate Smart, now a six-time Emmy winner, including awards for all three seasons of “Hacks.” She is wonderful, of course, playing the indomitable Deborah Vance, a showbiz legend and survivor. And she’s a beautiful person too, as you could tell from her acceptance speech, which managed to be both sincere and sharp in a mere minute. “It’s very humbling, it really is,” she said, accepting the trophy. “And I appreciate this because I just don’t get enough attention.” It also should be noted here that “Hacks” delivered a superb season, its best yet. It deserved every Emmy it won.
Jodie Foster feels the ‘love, love, love’
Smart received the evening’s first standing ovation; Foster, winning her first Emmy to go along with two Oscars, earned perhaps the longest. (It was a great night for older women.) Taking the award for playing the local sheriff in “True Detective: Night Country,” Foster thanked the “Inupiaq and Inuit people of northern Alaska, who just told us their stories, and they allowed us to listen. And that was just a blessing. It was love, love, love. And when you feel that, something amazing happens. It’s deep and wonderful, and it’s older than this place and this time. And that’s just the message, which is love and work equals art.”
Least surprising of the unsurprising Emmy wins
I believed many things to be true when we tuned into the ceremony Sunday night. Eugene and Dan Levy would gently amuse. Ron Howard and Henry Winkler would evoke our ’70s nostalgia for a show set in the 1950s. And “Shōgun” would win the Emmy for drama series. It had, after all, already won 14 Emmys last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys, the most ever for a single season of any show. And that didn’t even count the award voters gave the behind-the-scenes docuseries about the making of “Shōgun.” If there was an Emmy for Best Program That Began Its Life as a Limited Series but Became a Drama Series Because No One Wanted It to End After One Season, “Shōgun” would have won it. Or maybe it did win it? There are so many Emmy categories, who’s to say?
Best bleeped-out moment
“F— you! I feel like Sarah McLachlan right now.” John Oliver, after winning yet another Emmy for his series “Last Week Tonight,” took a moment to pay tribute to his dearly departed, beloved dog, Hoagie, only to be played off with the schmaltzy, orchestral awards show play-off music. So he reacted the only way he could. (He’s really good at screaming profanity. I think he’s won an Emmy or two for it.)
Speech most exemplifying the tone of the winner’s show (and why “The Bear” is probably not a comedy)
Jeremy Allen White, after winning the lead comedy actor Emmy for playing stressed-out chef Carmy on “The Bear,” came onstage, seemingly in full-blown panic attack mode. “My heart is just beating right out of its chest,” he said. White collected himself and gave a heartfelt speech — and then walked offstage in the wrong direction.
Best spin on the obligatory winner’s shout-out to their kids
Taking the limited series supporting actor Emmy for “Fargo,” Lamorne Morris had this to say: “My beautiful daughter, Lily. I love you. I told you I would do it. You’ve always doubted me.” Lily turned 4 on Saturday.
In Gadd we trust
“Baby Reindeer” became a phenomenon after not being on anyone’s radar when Emmy campaigning began in the spring. Creator and star and kilt-clad Richard Gadd gave three speeches after winning Emmys for writing, acting and limited series, the final one eliciting some cheers from the audience.
“I know the industry is in a slump right now, and I know that might force or put pressure on networks to tighten the purse strings and broaden the slate, but I do believe no slump was ever broken without a willingness to take risks,” Gadd said. “If ‘Baby Reindeer’ has proved anything, it’s that there’s no set formula to this, that you don’t need big stars, proven IP, long-running series, catch-all storytelling to have a hit.”
The Saul Goodman Award for Emmy futility
“Better Call Saul” earned — and I mean earned — 53 Emmy nominations over its six seasons but never won a single prize. This year, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” bade us a sad farewell. (Sad for us. I don’t get the feeling that Larry David is all that broken up about it.) Voters offered no parting gift, leaving the celebrated series’ final tally at two wins (directing and picture editing) from 55 nominations. It is an honor to be nominated, so pretty ... pretty ... pretty good?
Emmy loser most likely to win an Emmy next year
Yes, Pedro Pascal will be back for “The Last of Us,” and his character has a lot of explaining to do. And Adam Scott will return with “Severance” and somebody may well pop from the next season of “The White Lotus.” But Gary Oldman and “Slow Horses” finally made inroads with Emmy voters this year, and I can’t see how Oldman doesn’t grab the trophy for his portrayal of the foul-mouthed, flatulent, booze-soaked, greasy British intelligence officer Jackson Lamb. I’ll bet my last tab of Alka-Seltzer on it.
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