Emmys 2024 as it happened: The Bear, Baby Reindeer win big; Elizabeth Debicki wins for Princess Diana performance

And here’s our wrap from Michael Idato, who was in the room where it happened (apologies, we do know this was the Emmys, not the Tonys).

From some very rushed speeches to a Hacks upset and glory for Australia, we hope you’ve enjoyed our live blog, and left with plenty of good television shows to add to the list. We’ll see you next time!

The awards are done, but for some, the night has just begun. There are a lot of long dresses with trailing capes, and high-heeled shoes, but the very smart Emmy invitees all know the best thing you can wear to TV’s night of nights is a pair of reliable sneakers.

Disney is hosting an after-party at the Music Centre in downtown Los Angeles, HBO is partying at San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood, and Apple TV+ has an after-party at LA’s very cool bar-restaurant, Mother Wolf.

Inside the Governor’s Ball.Credit: Michael Idato

If you were looking at the Emmys for any clues about the state of financial health in Hollywood, that’s two streaming companies, and a legacy studio with a very busy front-of-house streaming platform.

Of course, the night’s big ticket is the Governor’s Ball, which is held in the Los Angeles Convention Centre, just a block from the Peacock Theatre, where the Emmys were held.

Inside, the room is decorated in shades of green, purple and pink glitter, with a central dance floor, while food stations with menus from prominent celebrity chefs encircle the perimeter.

The 76th Primetime Emmys saw a three-way tie: Shogun, Baby Reindeer and The Bear dominated the evening, each taking home four awards.

For The Bear, this is rather impressive given this Emmys ceremony celebrated the show’s second season. It also competed in a category many believe it doesn’t even belong in (comedy). Meanwhile, Netflix’s mega-hit Baby Reindeer managed to sweep aside the ethical controversies and lawsuits to win its awards.

An ovation for Shogun, which took home four awards.Credit: AP

However, it was arguably Shogun that shone above the rest. The show’s quartet of awards tonight means it now has a total of 18 Emmys – the most a single season of any show has ever won. This record was previously held by Game of Thrones, which won 12, and John Adams as a limited series, which won 13. It also means Shogun won the majority of the 25 awards it was nominated for. Talk about slaying the competition.

The evening’s runner-up was Hacks, which won three awards overall, including one for its iconic lead Jean Smart and one for best comedy series. Given it was going up against The Bear, which dominated so heavily elsewhere, this was quite the victory.

The only Australian win came from Elizabeth Debicki, who took home a statuette for best supporting actress in a drama thanks to her performance as Princess Diana in The Crown. It was also her very first Emmy.

A few other shows and creatives received some love, including Jodie Foster from True Detective: Night Country, writer Will Smith (again, not that Will Smith) for his work on Slow Horses, and Billy Crudup from The Morning Show. But it was really all about “the big three” tonight.

Winners

Shogun: At first glance, it might seem that the most-nominated show this year had largely missed out until that late dash. But in truth, that was purely an effect of the order in which the awards were presented. Shogun was in fact a stayer, collecting 18 awards from its 25 nominations. The big ones include lead actor (Hiroyuki Sanada) and actress (Anna Sawai), outstanding director (Frederick Toye for the Crimson Sky episode), production design, and the biggest of all, outstanding drama series. With season two and three already commissioned, you can expect it to be back in the hunt next year too.

The Bear: It may have dubious credentials as a comedy, but as an Emmy contender, The Bear demands to be taken seriously. The kitchen drama (OK, we’ll stretch and call it a dramedy) collected 11 wins from 23 noms. It lost best comedy to Hacks, but won in five of the main acting categories (for Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as warring cousins, Liza Colon-Zayas as sous chef Tina, and Jamie Lee Curtis and Jon Bernthal as guest actors). That’s no laughing matter.

Baby Reindeer: The imminent defamation suit, in which Netflix faces a $US170 million damages claim from Scottish woman Fiona Harvey, didn’t do much harm to Richard Gadd’s autobiographical drama. It won him best actor and writer awards, best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie went to Jessica Gunning (who plays Martha, the character Harvey claims is based on her), and outstanding limited or anthology series. If it weren’t for that pesky lawsuit, you can bet Netflix would be desperately trying to work out how to spin a sequel from this true-life tale. Six wins from 11 nominations is a sterling return, and guarantees that Gadd won’t be able to use the descriptor “struggling comedian” on his CV any longer.

Richard Gadd, along with his series Baby Reindeer, was one of the big winners of the night.Credit: AP

Losers

Only Murders in the Building: Up for 21 awards, the Disney+ comedy murder mystery took home just three, two of them for the hilarious musical number Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It? Still, the telecast did feature an extended and very funny bit with the three main cast members – Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez – on stage, so you couldn’t quite say the show was a loser on the night (even though, on the numbers, it kinda was).

Hacks: Up for 16 awards, season three won three, including best comedy, best writing and best actress for Jean Smart. Her acceptance speech probably deserved an award of its own though.

The Crown: After six seasons, the heat has largely gone out of The Crown, though it was still in the hunt in seven categories. And that makes Elizabeth Debicki’s win as supporting actress in a drama series (as Princess Diana) all the more remarkable.

Slow Horses: If there was any justice in the world, a category would be invented just for Gary Oldman – Most Dishevelled, perhaps, or Most Flatulent – but this is Hollywood, so fans of the British spy dramedy will just have to settle for Will Smith’s writing award, its one win from five nominations.

Only Murders in the Building stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez on stage.Credit: AP

With thousands of people pouring out of the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, the crowd is forming into two long columns. One column is heading home for the evening, while the other is going to the Governor’s Ball.

Despite the name, it is not a function hosted by California Governor Gavin Newsom – though many assume it is – but is, in fact, the after-awards dinner, hosted by the governor of the board of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Historically, there would be after-parties across the city, but a more realistic television industry in the streaming age means that much of the focus and energy after the Emmys is on the Governor’s Ball as the one ticket to have.

Elizabeth Debicki in the press room after being named outstanding supporting actress in a drama series.Credit: AP

Hacks costars Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart embrace on stage.Credit: AP

Well, that’s the end of the (second) Emmys this year! And what a night it was, especially for new shows like Shogun and Baby Reindeer, which made major waves at their first-ever Primetime Emmys.

Most award shows have a reputation for dragging on, but this ceremony actually went relatively quickly. Sure, some of the award presenters and themes were pretty random (why did four Olympians appear on stage, only to leave three seconds later without saying anything?). But they kept to time, and no one said anything completely unhinged (I know, shocker).

The downside to that, however, is that it lacked a bit of pizzazz. Next time, perhaps throw in a few more musical numbers or a couple of stunts?

Regardless, we saw some of the year’s best television celebrate massive wins. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to rewatch the entirety of Hacks so that I can fangirl over Jean Smart some more.

A big win for comedy purists as controversial comedy pick, The Bear, gets pipped in the night’s final award for best comedy series.

Hacks beat out the likes of The Bear, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Abbott Elementary and Only Murders in the Building to mark its first-ever win in this category.

“When we pitched this show about two women, one of whom was over 60, we didn’t know if we would sell it,” said co-creator and star Paul W. Downs.

The Hacks cast and crew accepting their Emmy for outstanding comedy series.Credit: AP

“About 20 per cent of our population is over 60-plus, but they only make up around 3 [per cent] of the faces we see on TV. While I am a young supporting actor right now, one day I want to be an old lead so we need to make roles for them.”

The best comedy series win caps off a successful night for Hacks, which also took home the Emmy for outstanding writing for a comedy series, while Jean Smart pocketed outstanding lead actress in a comedy series.

There are looks of unbridled joy amongst Shogun’s showrunners as they make their way on stage to accept the Emmy for best drama series.

The series adds to its already impressive haul, having just won the awards for best actor and best actress in a drama.

Co-creator Justin Marks accepted the trophy, thanking producers for giving the green light to “a very expensive, subtitled Japanese period piece”.

The cast and crew of Shogun receiving their award for outstanding drama series on stage.Credit: AP

“Shogun is a show about translation … not what is lost, but what is found,” Marks said.

Perhaps in demonstration of this, the acceptance speech ended with star Hiroyuki Sanada, who said a few words in his native Japanese.

Shogun also did well at the recent Creative Arts Emmy Awards, winning a total of 14 awards at that ceremony.

Historical drama Shogun has already proven itself a record-breaker (in fact, it already proved that before the Primetime Emmys even began), but continued putting the competition to the knife.

Anna Sawai, who played the incredibly controlled and powerful Mariko, has been named best actress in a drama series. It’s her first Emmy nomination and win. It also brings Shogun’s tally up to three awards so far tonight.

An emotional Anna Sawai accepts the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series.Credit: AP

Presented by a trio of on-screen lawyers – Gina Torres, Christine Baranski and Viola Davis – Sawai took to the stage to thank the many people involved in FX’s thrilling Japanese historical epic.

“I was crying before my name was announced, I’m a mess today,” she said. “Thank you … to the whole FX team for believing in our story … Thank you to every single one of the crew and cast. [They’ve] really opened doors, and continue to open doors for people like me.”

Finally, she thanked her mother for “teaching her stoicism” – the trait that most inspired her portrayal of Mariko.

Hiroyuki Sanada has won best lead actor in a drama series for his performance in Disney’s Shogun. The series was one of the year’s most dominant – and surprising – hits, with a leading 25 Emmy nominations.

The drama series, set in 17th-century Japan, captured the zeitgeist earlier this year, thanks partly to Sanada’s performance as Lord Yoshii Toranaga.

“I am beyond honoured to be here with amazing nominees, thank you for FX, Disney and Hulu for believing in me,” said Sanada, who is also Shogun’s producer.

“It was an East meets West dream project, with respect, and Shogun taught me when people work together, we can create miracles, and we can create a better future together.”

Hiroyuki Sanada produced and starred in Shogun.Credit: AP