Jennifer Coolidge didn’t take a lavender bath just to watch such an embarrassing Emmys television station.
Actress who deserves to win a Emmy Award Because Her work on White Lotusgave a long overdue speech and was as amusing as all of her fans gave her, but was overridden by the producers of a TV special about how good TV is that people don’t know what kind of TV people want or need to watch.
Coolidge made the most of the time, dancing merrily as the music drowned out her thanks. So, ironically, one of the most iconic moments of the night was due to the negligence of the producer. They played Jennifer Coolidge, who any savvy person knows would give a broadcast worthy of an hour-long speech. But at least we got that terrible and too long Commercial Kia. If you buy a Kia right now, you’re officially homosexual.
This is one of the worst Emmys telescopes in recent memory. It’s not in a “clawless” fashion that people tend to rush into award shows because of a loss of contact. It is the opposite.
The prize of this award program is very beautiful. They have meaning. With every win and with every exciting, special speech, the show proved why TV is such a powerful media and at this point it is more impactful and comprehensive than ever. Awards shows are fun to watch, and even so, this year’s ceremony made the case.
But the resistance to let this progress and the emotions surrounding it — leading to speeches from Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lizzoand Geena Davis—Make and instead assume it must be packed with old-fashioned gimmicks and “showbiz” produced nonsense to show how ill-equipped Hollywood is to embrace change which we (and the people who voted for the Emmys!) have accepted and are now celebrated.
Because the Emmys themselves seem to have overlooked what this means, here are the big winners: Abbott Elementary School scored big wins for Ralph and Quinta Brunson. Heir won the award for Best Television Series. Squid game took home several awards, a monumental moment for foreign-language films, including Best Actor for Lee Jung-jae and Best Director for Hwang Dong-hyuk, who First Asian man to do this. Zendaya became the first Black woman to win the award for Best Actress in a Drama Series twice. Amanda Seyfried took home the trophy for her revelation work In Dropout. White Lotus clean house, as it should be; an important milestone for eat butt on TV.
Ted Lasso also won several awards for Best Actor, Best Director and Best Comedy Series. Ted Lasso is a good program, but it shouldn’t have won those awards. Putting Jason Sudeikis to shame when he passed Martin Short and Steve Martin on his way to the stage to accept the trophy made me chuckle. (Again: Great show! Bill Hader and Abbott Elementary School want a word!)
The reason to highlight these victories, again, is that the broadcaster himself seems to find them unimportant. It’s almost as if the awarding of titles is a chore – a distraction from the mission that causes viewers to roll their eyes as much as possible while watching uneditable footage.
So how hilarious, how touching most of the wins are. (Also, I can’t remember a time when I’ve watched an award show and thought that almost everyone winning was the right choice.)
While the broadcaster ran away from Pete Davidson, who admitted he wasn’t in for the rehearsal and then repeated a joke that Regina Hall had masterfully presented 10 minutes earlier, and so on, itself having dug its own award grave, the actual point of the show — the rewarding TV show — showed why it matters.
Pete Davidson speaks on stage during the 74th Primetime Emmys at the Microsoft Theater on September 12, 2022, in Los Angeles, California.
Kevin Winter / Getty
Watch Ralph’s speech now. Do it. It ranks among the greatest award speeches of all time. I can’t wait to watch it over and over again while drunk at 1am and cry. She lost her time. She made it her moment, this was secured and then some. After a second of standing ovation, she turned on the song. (Another standing ovation.)
“For anyone who has ever had a dream and thinks your dream doesn’t, won’t, can’t come true, I’m here to tell you this is what believing looks like. Hey, this is what striving looks like,” she said. Like actress Jackée Harry tweetedThis is the first time in 35 years that a Black woman has won this award. Up until now, Harry is the only one to do so – not because there are no worthy candidates, but because Hollywood is. Ralph, after an unparalleled career, she is slowly perfecting. Her moment means maybe things are changing.
Zendaya’s second win in the category of Best Actress in a Drama Series means that perhaps things are changing. Lee Jung-jae and Squid fishing game‘Winning means the same thing.
Quinta Brunson is the second black woman to win the award for comedy. The first, Lena Waithe, won only five years ago. While Brunson was giving a speech, Jimmy Kimmel lay at her feet, showing a bit of humor to the point of being unable to laugh. But he stayed there anyway, as Brunson delivered her life-changing speech and, for the young people watching, the speech that changed society.
Like most TV shows, it’s immature and raw. The group participates in Abbott Elementary SchoolBy the way, donate their Emmys campaign budget to teachers and schools. It proved to all classes that this ceremony was absent.
Kenan Thompson hosted the show, and to keep it short, it sucks. It’s never a good thing the parade of presenters nailed their bits— There are only murders in the building cast, Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers, Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak, Vanessa Bayer and Molly Shannon, Regina Hall — you wish they were the hosts instead.
The opening has people performing interpretive dance moves to classic theme songs. At one point, shove of The Brady Bunch was introduced, but no other series are associated with this film. It has no meaning. Between the energy of “Debbie Allen contemporary choreography for film scores” and editing for all the “TV series” and “medical TV shows,” the ceremony delivered strong Oscars vibes. the 1990s.
“Kenan Thompson hosted the show, and to keep it short, it sucks. It’s never a good thing when a parade of presenters nailed their bits… you wish they were the host instead.“
There was an inexplicable decision to announce the nominees for the next award while the previous winner was still on stage, which seemed completely disrespectful, and then, the presenters stepped out and spoke from the remote camera for 45 seconds before announcing the winner. Make any sense of this!
At one point I thought maybe the producers had an idea of what this year’s Emmy Awards specifically meant. They gave an honorary award and a great time (time for which I am grateful) to the Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media. It’s a remarkable organization crusade for more representation on TV and movies, and explain why that’s important.
Davis himself seemed to have observed the profound nature of what was happening that night with the victories.
Davis took the stage minutes after Lizzo won an Emmy for Best Reality Series/Contest for Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Girls. “When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media. There are people who are fat like me, Black like me, beautiful like me,” said Lizzo. “If I could go back and tell little Lizzo something, I would say, ‘You’re going to meet that person, but that bitch would have to be you.’
Television helps people see themselves and who they are, Davis said.
Host Kenan Thompson performs on stage during the 74th Primetime Emmys at the Microsoft Theater on September 12, 2022, in Los Angeles, California.
Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty
That echoed throughout the night. The Abbott Elementary School win! Squid game! Zendaya! Murray Bartlettwho thanked his partner and brought Jonathan Groff to the show!
But it was also a night not knowing what to do with its own significance. I can’t believe that’s all we got a tribute to Betty White. Seconds at the start of In Memoriam? Ditto cho Nichelle Nicholsthe forerunner Star Trek actress. There was such an opportunity for moments here, but the Emmys were too paranoid about its identity to embrace them.
Instead, we have poor Sam Jay, a comedian and commentator people I love, saying things like, “Now scan that QR code” to find social media links that no one would care about, and at the worst of the show, introduce Laws & Orders: SVUMariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni as “two policemen no one wants to see fired”. What…
Then there are the musical cues. “Shake Your Booty” explodes when Jesse Armstrong accepts the award for Heir. Zedd went to jail for this.
This year’s Emmys are more important than ever and I’m really happy about that. But they also really suck. Instead of trying to reconcile that, I’ll lie on the floor like Jimmy Kimmel. That, apparently, is what now qualifies as showbiz.
