“Wait, didn’t the Emmys already happen this year?”
Sigh. Get ready to hear that a lot from civilian friends and family — if you haven’t already — as we get deeper into this Emmy season. And of course, they’re not wrong. There was indeed an Emmys this year — it just wasn’t this year’s Emmys.
I know, that probably doesn’t clear things up for them. You and I know that the Hollywood strikes delayed a lot of TV, and led to the previous ceremony being pushed from September 2023 to January 2024. It wasn’t ideal to throw the 75th Emmys just weeks before the kickoff of the 76th Emmy season. But it was logistically the only way to go.
Of course, that doesn’t help answer the inevitable follow-up question: “So then, why is the 2023 season of ‘The Bear’ eligible for the 2024 Emmys? Didn’t it just win for that?”
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At that point, just change the subject.
Listen, we live in confusing times, so let’s just embrace 2024 as the Year of Double Emmys. At least the Television Academy is still coasting on the goodwill that came out of January’s Fox telecast. The ratings weren’t stellar, but the accolades were.
At press time, we didn’t know for sure who was helming this year’s show. But my choice — if they can muster up the energy to do it again so soon — is previous producers Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and
Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment.
That team concocted a 75th Emmys that served as a true love letter to television, starting with host Anthony Anderson’s opening ode to childhood favorites like “Good Times,” “The Facts of Life” and “Miami Vice.” From there we saw a mix of TV reunions like “Cheers” cast members parked at the show’s bar, the “Martin” ensemble in that sitcom’s apartment set, and “Ally McBeal” stars dancing in a re-creation of that comedy’s infamous unisex bathroom.
Add in an emotional yet funny appearance by Christina Applegate (who had mostly been out of the public eye since her 2021 multiple sclerosis diagnosis) and an unexpected collab between Charlie Puth and the War and Treaty during the In Memoriam segment, and it was a reminder that events like the Emmys can still pull off some remarkable moments.
“We would love the opportunity to do it again,” Collins told me in January, the day after the telecast. “We have to see what happens. But it was a lot of fun and it’s a great show.” Your move, ABC.
Meanwhile, once the producers are in place, we can start seriously looking at host contenders. Given that he just emceed the Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel is unlikely to be a yes. The Alphabet network has no shortage of options, given its bevy of unscripted hosts (Steve Harvey among them). Expand the pool to sibling Hulu, and perhaps the “only Murders in the Building” trio of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez (whom I’ve previously pitched as a great choice for Oscars host) might be the way to go. Or Kim Kardashian. (I’m only half joking about that one.)
What I hope the Emmys continue to be this year is a celebration truly befitting the medium that still provides the best storytelling in popular culture. Where else can you elicit the kind of emotions that you get watching a powerful documentary, a gripping murder mystery or a hysterical half-hour comedy? Sorry, TikTok, you’re good for a lot of things, but bringing mass audiences together to experience something of such magnitude isn’t one of them.
With Emmy stalwarts like “Succession” and “Ted Lasso” all wrapped up and out of the race, coupled with production delays due to the strikes, there were questions early on about what might fill their void — and if we’d have a vibrant crop of contenders this time out.
Given the flurry of fantastic programs that have premiered in recent months, I don’t think anyone is asking that anymore. Yeah, the Emmys already took place this year. And now, let’s do it again.
