Key events
Adrian Horton
More arrivals on the red carpet, with just less than an hour before showtime:
Benjamin Lee
Producers are promising more of the “energy of nostalgia” that we saw in January’s ceremony tonight with some big reunions and a host of cameos. Tonight we’ll see surviving cast members from Happy Days, The West Wing and Saturday Night Live, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary tonight.
For understandable reasons, a Friends reunion has been confirmed not to be part of the evening despite its 30th anniversary while there will also be groups of TV characters on stage such as iconic mums, lawyers, villains and cops.
Adrian Horton
Selena Gomez is here! The Only Murders in the Building star is riding high with her first solo acting nom for the show’s third season, fresh off a best actress award at Cannes (shared with co-stars Zoe Saldana and Karla Sofía Gascón) for Emilia Pérez.
Only Murders’ nominations tonight also make Gomez, an executive producer, the most-nominated Latina producer for a comedy in Emmy history.
Benjamin Lee
Is The Bear a comedy? According to the TV academy yes, yes it is. According to the Guardian’s Stuart Heritage (and most of Twitter) no, no it really isn’t:
Adrian Horton
Trust the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race to serve something interesting on the red carpet – Nymphia Wind sees Princess Poppy’s Green Goblin last year and raises it a cunty banana.
Benjamin Lee
John Oliver is set to win his gazillionth Emmy tonight for his late night show (deserved) and has been talking the other E-word on the red carpet:
Benjamin Lee
As usual, the Emmys splits awards over two ceremonies (a real blessing for those of us tuning in) which means that last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys, we started to get an idea of which shows the academy seems to be favouring this year.
It was a momentous night for Shōgun, taking home 14 awards, breaking the record for most wins at the pre-Emmys Emmys while there were also acting wins for stars such as Michaela Coel and Jamie Lee Curtis. Here are some of the highlights:
Outstanding guest actor in a comedy series: Jon Bernthal (The Bear)
Outstanding guest actress in a drama series: Michaela Coel (Mr & Mrs Smith)
Outstanding TV movie: Quiz Lady
Outstanding host for a reality or reality competition program: Alan Cumming (The Traitors)
Outstanding guest actress in a comedy series: Jamie Lee Curtis (The Bear)
Outstanding narrator: Angela Bassett (Queens)
Outstanding guest actor in a drama series: Néstor Carbonell (Shōgun)
Outstanding cinematography for a drama series (one hour): Shōgun
Outstanding visual effects in a season or movie: Shōgun
Adrian Horton
And the red carpet is underway! Here are some of the celeb arrivals so far:
Benjamin Lee
Tonight’s ceremony will be hosted by Eugene and Dan Levy, the father-son duo whose comedy Schitt’s Creek finally saw some TV academy love for its final season, when it won nine Emmys. Like that show, we can expect a fuzziness from the pair, who have said they will be going for nice over nasty.
In a Los Angeles Times profile, Eugene Levy said: “It’s always hit me in a funny way when jokes are done at the expense of people who are nominated – they’ve put in the work, and it’s their night, really, and you have to have enough respect for the awards show itself. Otherwise, why are we here?”
Dan Levy added: “People, from what I’ve been told, are kind of excited that we’re not hard-edged comics, that there will be a kind of warmth to the room.”
So look forward to three hours of this:
Welcome (back) to the Emmys
Adrian Horton
No, you’re not hallucinating – the Emmys are back! A mere nine months after the 2023 ceremony, which was held in January, the Emmys return to its usual September slot to celebrate the 2023-2024 season, with a (mostly) new slate of nominees.
The end of Emmys juggernaut Succession (RIP) opens the door for a new drama heavyweight – Shōgun, FX’s ambitious historical epic set in 1600s Japan, enters the night with 25 nominations, the most of any show. With 14 Creative Arts Emmys already, Shōgun competes with The Morning Show, Mr and Mrs Smith, Slow Horses, 3 Body Problem, The Gilded Age, Fallout and former Emmys favorite The Crown.
Another FX production, The Bear, nearly swept the comedy awards in January and leads the category with 23 nominations, despite its dubious record as a comedy. It faces stiff competition in fellow Emmys darling Abbott Elementary, Hacks, Only Murders in the Building, Palm Royale, Reservation Dogs, What We Do in the Shadows and the final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. On the limited series side, HBO’s True Detective: Night Country leads the way with 19 nominations, though buzz is in favor of Netflix’s breakout hit Baby Reindeer.
The night promises plenty of heartfelt speeches and another round of TV nostalgia – stick with us for all the highlights!