The annual Emmy Awards on Sunday celebrated some of the year’s best television. The medical drama “The Pitt” was named best television drama, while the show-business satire “The Studio” was crowned best comedy.
HBO’s “The Pitt” was a surprise winner, beating out “Severance,” a surreal commentary on corporate power that had the most nominations going into the ceremony in Los Angeles.
“The Pitt” star Noah Wyle took home his first Emmy for best drama actor. He had previously been nominated five times for his role in the medical drama “ER” but had never won. “Wow. What a dream this has been,” Wyle said on stage, thanking healthcare workers. “To anyone going on shift or coming off shift tonight, thank you for being in that job.”
Seth Rogen, the star and co-creator of “The Studio,” also won his first Emmy for best comedy actor, along with other awards for directing and writing the Apple TV+ show with his producing partner, Evan Goldberg. “I’m legitimately embarrassed by how happy this makes me,” Rogen said while holding the comedy series trophy.
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was honored as best talk series for the first time in its decade-long history. The network that broadcast the Emmys, CBS, had announced in July that it was canceling the show for financial reasons, a decision that sparked public outrage. A smiling Colbert offered gratitude to his employer on Sunday. “I want to thank CBS for giving us the privilege of being part of the late-night tradition, which I hope continues for a long time,” he said. Earlier, when presenting an award, Colbert joked about needing a job, asking the audience, “While I have your attention, is anyone hiring?”
“Adolescence,” a dark Netflix story about a teenager accused of murder, received the honor for best limited series. Its 15-year-old star, Owen Cooper, was named best supporting actor in a limited series, becoming the youngest winner in that category. The English actor said he had started taking drama classes a couple of years prior. “If you listen and you focus and step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything,” Cooper said. “I was nothing three years ago.”
In other awards, Jeff Hiller was the surprise winner of best supporting comedy actor for the HBO show “Somebody Somewhere.” Hiller thanked HBO executives for “putting sweaty, middle-aged people on the same network as the sexy teens of ‘Euphoria.'”
“Hacks” stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder claimed actress and supporting actress awards in the comedy field. The show tells the story of a comedian who clashes with the network that airs her late-night talk show. The award was Smart’s fourth Emmy for the “Hacks” role and the first for Einbinder, despite three previous nominations. Einbinder said she had convinced herself that “it was cooler to lose.” “This is cool, too,” she said with a smile, ending her speech with “Free Palestine,” one of the few political moments of the night.
HBO and Netflix led all networks with 30 Emmy Awards each this year, with Apple TV+ receiving 22. The winners were chosen by the roughly 26,000 performers, directors, producers, and other members of the Television Academy.
First-time host Nate Bargatze offered an incentive for honorees to keep their speeches short during the live ceremony on CBS. The comedian promised a $100,000 donation to charity but warned he would reduce the amount each time a speaker exceeded their allotted 45 seconds. By the end of the show, Bargatze announced that long-winded remarks had left his charitable fund in a deficit. He and CBS, however, would still donate $350,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
