Emmys 2024: Top 10 Most Memorable Moments

The father and son duo, Dan and Eugene Levy, hosted the Emmys this year for the first time, doing a fabulous job. They brought quick jabs and funny humor to the stage emulating their personalities from their hit show and Emmy winner, Schitts Creek. To close out the award show, Annie Murphy, who played Alexis on Schitts Creek and Catherine O’Hara who played the eccentric mother Moira Rose, joined Dan and Eugene on stage. Audiences loved to see the beloved TV family back together again.  

To celebrate SNL’s upcoming 50^th anniversary, SNL alums and favorites gathered on stage to poke fun at Lorne Michaels, creator of SNL. Seth Meyers, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig and Bowen Yang hilariously made fun of Michaels, about SNL losing out at the Emmys 85 times. Kristen Wiig reassured Lorne jokingly saying “You are worthy. You are not and have never been a loser even though you have lost a lot.” When these comedy legends and SNL alums hit the stage, it is always sure to be a memorable moment.  

Greg Berlanti was honored on Emmys night receiving the Governors Award for his dedication to uplifting and creating LGBTQ+ storylines and voices. Greg has worked on and created numerous popular and defining TV shows such as Dawson’s Creek, Riverdale, All American, You and many more. In his uplifting speech he dedicated his award to his mother for her endless support throughout his life and career. He spoke about his own childhood and how that inspired him to write and create LGBTQ+ storylines so that young kids nowadays could see representation in a way that he hadn’t during his own childhood.  

During the Emmy Awards, the talented cast of The West Wing reunited on stage. Actors Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney and Richard Schiff reunited on stage to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of The West Wing. The West Wing, running from 1999 to 2006, was very successful at the Emmys with over 98 nominations and 27 wins. The cast came together to present the award for Outstanding Drama Series to the hit Shōgun.  

Shōgun had a monumental year at the Emmys. This FX drama was nominated for 26 Emmys and won 18 of them including Outstanding Drama Series. It now holds the record for most wins for a single season of TV and became the first majority non-English language show to win Best Drama. Shōgun star Anna Sawai took home the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress becoming the first Asian actor to win in this category. This year was definitely defined by Shōgun’s success.  

The cast of The Bear also had a fruitful Emmys taking home eleven Emmy awards this year. The anxiety-inducing and star-studded episode “Fishes” won an Emmy for both Outstanding Directing and Writing for a Comedy Series. Everyone’s favorite troubled chef, Jeremy Allen White and the beloved cousin, Ebon Moss-Bachrach both took home Emmy awards for the second year in a row. The most exciting win of the year for The Bear went to first time Emmy winner, Liza Colón-Zayas, for her portrayal of Tina on the show.  

This year Jane Lynch paid tribute to her most iconic role, Sue Sylvester in Glee during the segment in which they recognized beloved TV coaches. She brought her witty attitude to the stage and definitely left her mark at the Emmys. She was later joined by Olympic and Paralympic athletes such as Stephen Nedoroscik, Ilona Maher, Caeleb Dressel and Ezra French. They all presented the award, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, which went to Frederick E.O. Toye for his work on Shōgun.  

Throughout the night, TV archetypes were honored, bringing back on-screen favorites to the stage. Some of the character tributes included TV constants such as actors who had played police officers, coaches, moms and dads, villains and doctors. 

The night revolved around first-time and unexpected wins. For example, beloved actor, Lamorne Morris, best known for his role in New Girl, won his first Emmy for his portrayal of Witt Farr in the anthology series, Fargo. Baby Reindeer stars Jessica Gunning and Richard Gadd both won for Outstanding Lead Actress and Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Finally, Jodie Foster won her first Emmy Award for her portrayal of Detective Liz Danvers in True Detective: Night Country.  

Jelly Roll took to the stage to honor all those in the industry who had passed away this year. Jelly Roll beautifully performed his song “I Am Not Okay.” He began his performance by stating, “I hope that this song can act as a healing moment for those mourning the storytellers that we have lost this year.” As he sang with a string quartet behind him, the faces of beloved actors and industry workers were honored and shown across the screen such as legendary actors Shannen Doherty, Carl Weathers, Donald Sutherland and James Earl Jones.