2024 Emmys review: ‘Shogun,’ ‘Hacks,’ and ‘Baby Reindeer’ are winners worthy of a very good ceremony

Television’s biggest night felt smaller heading into Sunday night’s 76th annual Emmy Awards. Since the 2023 Emmys were unceremoniously booted to 2024 after last year’s writers’ and actors’ strikes, this year’s ceremony was the second in nine months. The 2024 Emmys also took a backseat to national headlines: another assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, another Kansas City Chiefs game with Taylor Swift in attendance, and another Trump social media post that raised eyebrows (“I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT”).

But the second Emmys of 2024 acquitted itself well despite that excess baggage with a brisk show that honored the medium, crowned several deserving winners, and ended with a shocking win for “Hacks” that few saw coming.

The headline out of the 2024 Emmys is that “Hacks,” despite only winning two awards heading into the final award of the night, upset “The Bear” to win Best Comedy Series. The unexpected upset win turned a strong show into something of a unicorn, showing the power of live television as a means to still surprise and delight.

But before “Hacks” won, the 2024 Emmys was still pretty great. Hosts Eugene Levy and Dan Levy set the tone, with a playful monologue that felt brand-safe even while making jokes at the expense of the nominees. “Now, I love the show, I love the show, and I know some of you will 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 said during the monologue, perhaps the best commentary about “The Bear” and its relationship to comedy in the show’s three seasons — and, as it turns out, a canary in the coal mine that maybe predicted “The Bear” loss. (Eugene was more diplomatic than original “Saturday Night Live” cast member Laraine Newman, mother of “Hacks” star and nominee Hannah Einbinder. After Einbinder lost in Best Comedy Supporting Actress, Newman posted on social media: “F–K. THE. BEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Needless to say, she was probably happy by the time the show ended.)

Back in January, the Emmys won acclaim for the decision to stage cast reunions (“All in the Family,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Cheers,” “Martin”). On Sunday, producers chose to split the baby kind of: some cast reunions (notably ‘The West Wing,” “Saturday Night Live,” and “Happy Days”) and some tribute groups to honor famed television archetypes (coaches, dads, villains). It worked when the groupings were good (Emmy winners Christine Baranski and Viola Davis and Gina Torres to celebrate TV lawyers), less so when they felt a little random (“The Boys” star Antony Star, “Misery” Oscar winner Kathy Bates, and five-time Emmy nominee Giancarlo Esposito as legendary villains. Sure?).

But really, the Emmys – and all awards shows – really live or die on the winners. On that front, the 2024 Emmys did find room for some upsets and surprises. Before its series loss, it was hard to imagine that “The Bear” winning any category could be considered a shock, particularly after it won Best Comedy Actor for Jeremy Allen White, Best Comedy Supporting Actor for Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Best Comedy Directing for Christopher Storer twice in nine months. But Liza Colon-Zayas was an unexpected winner in the Best Comedy Supporting Actress category, defeating Einbinder and “Only Murders in the Building” star Meryl Streep. Similarly, in the Best Movie/Limited Supporting Actor category, “Fargo” star Lamorne Morris shocked the predictions by defeating presumed favorites Jonathan Bailey and Robert Downey Jr. Those wins, and their accompanying speeches were a high point. But even in categories where the wins were all but certain – think Jessica Gunning for Movie/Limited Supporting Actress for “Baby Reindeer” or Richard Gadd for Movie/Limited Writing for “Baby Reindeer” or John Oliver for Variety Scripted Series for “Last Week Tonight” – the speeches were gracious and memorable. By the time “Shogun” stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai won their expected Emmys as the show neared its fourth hour, their emotional speeches felt like a perfect finale to the entire night.

What didn’t work? As is typical with awards shows, the middle portion dragged slightly – John Leguizamo’s speech about the importance of diversity and representation was a great and necessary oration that still sort of stopped the show in its tracks. The Levys also disappeared for long stretches – again, typical of awards shows in the modern era – but their playful banter was missed, even as the Emmys trotted out other great awards show hosts like Jimmy Kimmel and Billy Crystal. 

In the end, maybe television’s biggest night isn’t as big as it used to be, but the 2024 Emmys proved good television is sometimes just as sizable — especially when it ends with a bang.