The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards took place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday night (Monday morning in India). It was only the first time that the Emmys — that honours the best across television and streaming — took place twice in the same year, with the one in January this year having to be pushed back from 2023 due to the Hollywood Writers’ Strike.

This edition of the Emmy Awards was crisp, with most of the predicted winners taking home the golden statuette. There were also quite a few impassioned speeches and some surprise appearances. t2 picks the highlights.

1 THE SHOGUN SWEEP

FX’s much-lauded Japan-set historical epic Shogun, going into the evening with a whopping 25 nominations, created a new Emmy record with 18 wins, the most ever for a show in a single season.

Winning the big one for Outstanding Drama Series, the cast and crew gathered on stage while executive producer Justin Marks thanked the show’s producing partners, saying: “You guys green-lit a very expensive, subtitled, Japanese period piece whose central climax revolves around a poetry competition. I have no idea why you did that, but thank you for your faith in this incredible team.”

With 14 Creative Arts Emmys last weekend, Shogun had already broken the record that was previously held by HBO’s 2008 miniseries John Adams, which won 13 Emmys.

On Sunday, Shogun’s other major wins were in the main acting categories, with Hiroyuki Sanada winning Best Actor and Anna Sawai being adjudged Best Actress. It was a double win for Sanada who is also a producer on the series while Sawai became the first Japanese name to win a Primetime Emmy in the Best Actress category.

2 THE BEAR SCORES BIG, BUT...

The Bear, the favourite to win in the major categories in the Comedy Series bracket, won four Emmys. That included acting awards for Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Liza Colon-Zayas as well as Best Directing for Christopher Storer. The episode that took home Best Directing, named Fishes, had already won big at the Creative Emmys with Jon Bernthal and Jamie Lee Curtis taking home Guest Acting Awards last weekend.

Team The Bear comprising (L-R) Jeremy Allen-White, Liza Colon-Zayas and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Colon-Zayas created history by becoming the first Latina actor to win an Emmy in The Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category

However, surprisingly, The Bear — which, across three seasons, has, in a heartwarming and inspiring manner, told the story of an award-winning chef who returns to his hometown of Chicago to manage the chaotic kitchen at his deceased brother’s sandwich shop — lost out on the statuette for Outstanding Comedy Series to Hacks, in what was clearly an upset. This was after six-time Emmy winner Jean Smart pipped The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri in the Best Actress in a Comedy segment.

Hacks, which has scored 48 nominations in three seasons, is about a 60-plus woman (played by Smart) who mentors a younger woman. Noting the subject of the show, co-creator and actor Paul W. Downs called for more representation, saying: “When we pitched this show about two women, one of who was over 60, we didn’t know if we would sell and we have to thank everyone that helped make this show. About 20 per cent of our population is over 60 and only three per cent of those characters on television are 60 and I would like to see more of them because while I am a great young supporting character, I would love to be a great old lead!”

3 MAKING HISTORY

Liza Colon-Zayas became the first Latina to win the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy Series. Her groundbreaking win for her role in The Bear marks a significant milestone in the recognition of Latino talent in the television industry, especially when she beat out names like Meryl Streep, Carol Burnett and Sheryl Lee Ralph. “Thank you for giving me a new life with this show. And to all the Latinas who are looking at me, keep believing and vote. Vote for your rights,” she summed up in her powerful speech.

4 BABY, BRING IT HOME!

Baby Reindeer, Netflix’s runaway but contentious hit, was the big gainer in the Limited Series category, winning four trophies at the ceremony in Los Angeles. The show’s creator and star, Scottish comedian Richard Gadd, won three of those — for acting in, writing and executive producing the show, while Jessica Gunning, who winningly plays Martha, won Best Supporting Actress.

Gadd, who honoured his Scottish roots by wearing a kilt, accepted his multiple awards, saying: “I don’t know much about this life. I don’t know why we are here. None of that, but I do know that nothing lasts forever and no matter how bad it gets, it always gets better. So if you’re struggling, keep going, keep going and I promise you things will be okay.”

Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning with their four Emmys for Baby Reindeer

Later, in his speech for Best Limited Series, he added a plea for the industry: “Take risks, push boundaries, explore the uncomfortable, dare to fail in order to achieve.”

5 THUMBS-UP FOR INCLUSIVITY

Prolific content producer Greg Berlanti, the man behind 45 shows on TV over the last few decades, including winners like Dawson’s Creek, Arrow, The Flash and Riverdale, was honoured with the Governors Award, akin to a lifetime achievement award. He spoke about how far the industry has come in the representation and depiction of gay characters.

“There wasn’t a lot of gay characters on television back then, and I was a closeted gay kid, and it’s hard to describe how lonely that was at the time,” Berlanti said. “There was no Internet to connect with other queer kids, no LGBTQ+ advocacy groups in schools. Back then, the only way to tell if another kid might be gay was if he also watched Dynasty, Dallas and could name all four of The Golden Girls!” He continued: “To have travelled that distance from that scared kid years ago to this stage... when I think about how much the world had to change to make the life I am living now possible, even in hindsight, it’s unimaginable to me.”

6 MAIDEN EMMY

Two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster won her first Emmy, taking home the trophy for Best Actress in a Limited series for True Detective: Night Country. “This is an incredibly emotional moment for me because True Detective: Night Country was just a magical experience,” said a visibly moved Foster as the whole of Peacock Theater rose to give her a standing ovation.

7 LEVYS ON FIRE!

Schitt’s Creek men Eugene and Dan Levy became the first father-son duo to host the Primetime Emmy Awards. Taking the stage for their opening monologue, the two did a rip-roaring job, including a roast of The Bear, contentiously nominated in the Best Comedy category, without, of course, being one.

“The Bear is nominated for 23 Emmys tonight, making it the most-nominated comedy in history,” Eugene Levy said. “Now, 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!”

They also cracked a crisp one regarding Shogun and its “attention to detail”. Dan Levy said: “The creators of Shogun actually had their scripts translated into Japanese, rewritten and then translated back into English subtitles that you missed because you were also on your phone watching Sabrina Carpenter eat a hot wing!”

The Levys closed out the monologue by reminding winners to keep their speeches short so as “not to kill Eugene”. “Confrontation in general is anxiety-inducing, especially for my 77-year-old father. The man is frailer than he looks, he gets palpitations from time to time. I’m hearing about tendonitis,” Dan said, adding: “I don’t want to be alarmist here, but having to cut you off could kill this man.”

One of the best moments of the evening was when Annie Murphy — who plays the indomitable Alexis on Schitt’s Creek — joined the duo on stage even as co-star Catherine O’ Hara presented the award for Outstanding Drama Series. A Rose family mini reunion we loved... and want more of!

Greg Berlanti with his Governors Award

8 TOP TRIO

Only Murders in the Building co-stars Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short were the first presenters of the evening, and their banter was top class! While presenting the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Selena started off saying: “The Emmy Awards! What a magical evening it’s been trying to remember people’s names. And pretending that we have seen their shows.” To which Martin Short interrupted with: “And when I see an actor I don’t know, I just say, ‘I love your scene with Nicole Kidman.’ Nine times out of 10, I am right!”

They, of course, had to pull each others’ leg with Short saying to Steve Martin: “And Steve, let me just say what an honour it is for me to be working with someone who looks like he’s fallen and can’t get up.” Steve Martin’s quick-as-a-whip quip: “And let me say what an honour it is to be working with someone who looks like a former women’s tennis champion!”

It was Selena, however, who had the last word (and the last laugh). “And let me say, what an honour it is to work with two guys who are this far away from being childless cat ladies,” she teased.