‘Hacks’ upsets ‘The Bear,’ Hollywood cracks ‘childless cat lady’ jokes and more takeaways from TV’s biggest night

The 76th Emmy Awards have concluded, and while the night was mostly without surprises — OK, there was one surprise — the primetime telecast was smooth sailing with new hosts Dan and Eugene Levy at the helm. Here are the biggest takeaways from the night.

Hosts Dan and Eugene Levy bring fresh new energy

The father-son duo wanted the night to be “light and bright,” and their opening monologue set that tone. The Schitt’s Creek stars, who hosted the show for the first time, poked fun at each other and left the star-studded crowd mostly alone. Really, their harshest one-liner had to do with The Bear.

“In the true spirit of The Bear, we will not be making any jokes,” Eugene said, referencing the online debate about whether the show really is a comedy or a drama. (The FX show was nominated in the comedy category on Sunday night and dominated.)

Dan also poked fun at critics finally giving Emmy-nominated show Reservation Dogs the respect it deserves: “The Television Academy found a show that was creatively thriving for years and said ‘Hey, look what we discovered.'”

The Emmys get somewhat political

For an awards show, this one wasn’t over the top — but a few stars had something to say.

Presenter Candice Bergen poked fun at Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance’s infamous “childless cat lady” line. She sarcastically commented on “how far we’ve come” since, more than 30 years ago, former Vice President Dan Quayle publicly slammed her Murphy Brown character’s decision to have a child as a single mom.

Selena Gomez also sneaked in a cat lady line. While presenting with her Only Murders in the Building co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short, she quipped: “And let me say what an honor it is to work with two guys who are this far away from being childless cat ladies.”

When The West Wing cast, including Martin Sheen, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, Dulé Hill and Janel Moloney reunited to present an award, Janney joked the show’s writers “actually had to use their imaginations to create interesting plot lines” 25 years ago.

“Unlike today, where storylines can be plucked right off the news, storylines that writers would have deemed a bit far-fetched if not utterly ridiculous 25 years ago,” Schiff added. Moloney said that “while the political landscape” has shifted, the “importance of everyone making sure to be registered and to vote” has not.

The Bear actress Liza Colón-Zayas urged people to “vote” when she won for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

“To all the Latinas who are looking at me, keep believing — and vote,” she said on stage. “Vote for your rights. Thank you.”

Alan Cumming, who accepted the award for The Traitors winning Outstanding Reality Competition series, thanked Holland, explaining that there “must be something in the water” there, where many reality formats begin. “Let’s find it, let’s drink it and all America’s problems will be solved.”

The night’s big winners: Baby Reindeer, The Bear and Shōgun

The Bear scored three acting wins on Sunday night, including a back-to-back Emmys wins for Jeremy Allen White as Outstanding Lead Actor. The show won a fourth award for directing. However, it lost out on Outstanding Comedy Series as the Jean Smart-led comedy Hacks took home that prize. Still, The Bear set a new record for most wins in a single season for a comedy, with 11 in total including its haul at the Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month.

Shōgun won a total of 18 Emmys this year, the most of any show, including Outstanding Drama Series. Actors Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai won Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Drama Series, respectively, during the primetime telecast.

Baby Reindeer won Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series with creator Richard Gadd scoring Emmys for both writing and acting. Jessica Gunning won Outstanding Supporting Actress.