From history making wins to heartfelt reunions, this year’s Emmys didn’t disappoint.
2023 featured a host of problems for Hollywood, perhaps most notoriously, the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Actors and writers ed forces, shucking their pearls in favour of protest attire, to fight against the use of AI in film and media production. As such, this greatly delayed the production of the 2023 Emmys. After all you can’t expect AI to write all the awkward jokes, emotional acceptance speeches, and dazzling musical numbers that make the award show such a spectacle.
Nevertheless, this year’s Emmys delivered. Dazzling—although occasionally wrinkled—outfits, heartfelt speeches, and sentimental reunions made the event a night to .
The award show opened with host Anthony Anderson giving a smashing monologue and piano performance that immediately captivated the audience before transitioning to a surprisingly funny appearance from Christina Applegate. With quick jokes, razor-sharp wit, and heartfelt speeches, it’s no wonder 4.3 million viewers tuned in.
This year’s Emmys weren’t just comical, they were historic. Early in the program, Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, becoming the first Black actress in over 40 years to do so. Brunson delivered an emotional speech before ing Ayo Edebiri, another Black actress who was this year’s winner for Best ing Actress in a comedy series, backstage. This moment illustrated a crucial push for diversity in Hollywood. The historically white dominated society chose to honour two Black women first in their program—bestowing them with high awards.
Brunson and Edebiri weren’t the only POC actors honoured that night. Other performers like Niecy Nash-Betts, Ali Wong, Steven Yeun, and Lee Sung Jin were also presented with Emmys. These winners also used their speeches to call for change, fight for better representation, and call out past injustices within Hollywood.
Once again making history, Mr. Rocketman himself, Elton John, achieved EGOT status, having received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. Winning his first-ever Emmy for Best Variety Special Live, the 76-year-old is now the proud owner of the EGOT quartet and the 19th person to the exclusive club.
John’s team accepted the award on his behalf, making a brief but excellent speech on the importance of his music as “the soundtrack to our lives.
This year’s Emmys also featured several sappy cast reunions—ranging from the father favourite Cheers! to the hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. Actors from the iconic shows gathered to reprise their roles and deliver corny banter on stage, paying homage to their respective shows’ influence on pop culture, society, and, of course, television.
However, this program isn’t without critique, as once again, the Academy failed to recognize the vast number of translated, subtitled, and international works—with not one nomination granted to K-drama, French, Spanish, or non-English language work.
Furthering this lack of diversity, the program stuck to the rigid confines of gender. It referred to male-identifying individuals as Actors and female-identifying individuals as Actresses, with little room for in-between.
With the recent rise in openly genderfluid performers like Bella Ramsey, it becomes difficult to ally oneself with such behaviour. Here’s to hoping the Emmys utilize gender-inclusive language next year.
Overall, the Emmys delivered human-written comedy—although occasionally cringy—glamorous outfits, and a brief look into the optimistic future of diverse television.
Tags
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].
Aubrey
Love the focus on diversity and equity in Hollywood! Pearls for protest attire was my favourite phrase!