Nate Bargatze said before hosting the 77th annual Emmy Awards that he wanted to keep the show silly and fun. It was occasionally that thanks to an abundance of first-time winners, but its central device — trying to find a way to speed up the acceptance speeches — became a case study in unintended consequences, leaving much of the “fun,” and certainly most of the relevance, on the cutting-room floor.
Unfortunately, racing through the speeches came at too high a cost for the show itself, one that played out in uneven pacing and awkward moments strewn throughout.
Not that you can entirely blame the producers for trying something a little bit different. Unlike the Oscars, the Television Academy must adhere pretty rigidly to its three-hour broadcast window, which makes finishing on time more of a priority.
The gimmick to run a tighter ship sounded funny when Bargatze laid it out: The host announced a $100,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which would rise or fall depending on how well people adhered to the 45-second limit on acceptance speeches.
It was at first blush inspired, hilarious and more than a little cruel, representing a novel twist on the whole “play-off music” issue that bigger stars tend to ignore.
Hollywood egos versus charity? Who would win?
In practice, though, even if it seemed likely the charity would be made whole before the night was over (as it was, to the tune of $350,000), the pressure to rush off winners robbed the show of much of its spontaneity, as the gag worked against Emmy recipients addressing issues that might resonate beyond the room.
The result was an initially fast-paced ceremony — until things ground to a halt in the final hour — but an otherwise bland affair, which, one suspects, is just the way the Television Academy wanted it.
The major outlier in that regard was “Hacks’” star Hannah Einbinder, who said she would “pay the difference” to the Boys & Girls Club and used her time to say “F–k ICE” (although that was mostly obscured by the censor’s button) and “Free Palestine,” to what sounded like a roar of approval from the crowd.
The show did derive intermittent emotion from an abundance of first-time winners, including “Severance’s” Britt Lower and Tramell Tillman, Seth Rogen (“The Studio”), Jeff Hiller (“Somebody Somewhere”), Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty (“Adolescence”), Cristin Milioti (“The Penguin”), and “The Pitt’s” Katherine LaNasa.
While the producers don’t control who wins, they benefited from the spectacle of seeing some lesser-known actors triumph in categories they shared with superstars, none bigger than an exuberant Hiller taking home supporting actor over Harrison Ford.
Granted, there were nice moments, such as Ray Romano and Brad Garrett riffing together near the end, or Owen Cooper, the 15-year-old star of “Adolescence,” getting his supporting-actor honor. But that was a speech to bask in, not one for watching the timer.
So while people discussed politics on the red carpet, the telecast felt largely stripped of meatier moments. And there was the disconnect of presenters taking all the time they wanted, then chasing off the winners who followed.
Even a few highlights that might have lent themselves to more pointed statements stayed in relatively benign territory. After opening with a standing ovation for Stephen Colbert, the outgoing CBS late-night host merely joked about his future employment prospects, handing a resume to Harrison Ford.
Later winning for “The Late Show,” Colbert delivered an emotional rallying cry for America, noting that his program had gone from one about love to loss. Notably, of the 26 competitive categories handed out Sunday, the two that went to broadcasters were both for late-night franchises (the other being “Saturday Night Live’s” 50th anniversary), while streaming claimed 21 of the statuettes.
Improbably, one of the few political statements came from TV Academy president Cris Abrego, who referenced the group’s pre-broadcast honor to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the need to champion inclusion and “keep telling stories” that will bring people together.
The last hour also saw the presentation of the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award to Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen for their philanthropic endeavors, allowing them time to offer a heartfelt speech that seemed more welcome juxtaposed with the hurried ones that preceded it.
As for the host, Bargatze had a relatively limited role beyond an opening sketch about the creation of television and servicing the acceptance-speech bit. His contribution turned out to be another victim of the idea that dominated the evening.
“What a night,” Bargatze muttered near the end.
It’s worth noting the Emmy ceremony rotates (for now) among the four major broadcast networks, but its TV-rights future after next year remains up in the air.
While poking fun at award shows on an awards show certainly has its place, appearing to make an award show aimed at people who dislike awards shows doesn’t. And in terms of fixing that, the TV Academy’s clock should start ticking now.
