This year, another Emmy Awards ceremony was broadcasted on television; and winners, tributes, and political statements were announced. The Emmys are a prestigious award that honors American television and recognizes categories like technical achievements, documentary programming, drama series, and comedy. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences members who vote determine the awards.
Given that society votes for the winners, it’s no surprise that specific series or actors win more than one Emmy. This year, Adolescence, Severance, The Studio, The Pitt, and Hacks took home more than one Emmy. Other Winners include Cristin Militoti for The Penguin, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, and Dan Gilroy for Andor, Adam Randall for Slow Horses, Jeff Hiller for Somebody Somewhere, and The Traitors.
One series that took the internet and Emmys by storm is Adolescence, an original Netflix series that takes place after a
little girl named Katie Leonard was found murdered on the street. It follows the police and the community fighting to see who did it and how to cope with such a loss. Spoiler: the culprit is a boy named Jamie Miller, who took out his anger from Katie’s rejection by fatally stabbing her. The show works to depict the impact social media has on young boys and the pressure it puts on them. It also shows how Jamie’s family copes after the crime, trying to survive in their town and stay a family with a member missing. The series ended up winning a total of eight Emmys for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, Outstanding Lead Actor (Stephen Graham), Outstanding Supporting Actor (Owen Cooper), Outstanding Supporting Actress (Erin Doherty), Outstanding Directing, Writing, Casting, and Cinematography.
One of the positive outcomes of Adolescence was the introduction of Owen Cooper, who plays Jamie Miller. He is the main focus of the show and is an example of the effects of social media, specifically the “manosphere,” which is centered around misogynistic views and promotes an aggressive form of masculinity. Cooper can channel Jamie’s innocence and longing to be liked, but also his aggression and anger, which display his pure talent. Cooper is only 15 years old and is the youngest male winner of a primetime Emmy, not to mention this was his first acting role ever. Since the premiere of Adolescence, Cooper continued to work, starring as a young Heathcliff in the new adaptation of Wuthering Heights, and will appear in the BBC series Film Club.
Another mind-twisting series that took home two Emmys and was nominated for 27 Emmys is Severance, a show about
a company called Lumon, where all the workers have ungone a surgery to forget their lives while at work and forget work when they go back to their lives. It became a hit with audiences by bringing up topics of identity, corporate power, work-life balance, and the ethics of memory manipulation. It was directed by the famous actor and comedian Ben Stiller, who is well known for projects like Zoolander and Night at the Museum. It won in the categories of Lead actress in a drama series (Britt Lower) and supporting actor in a drama series (Tramell Tillman). The show was renewed for a third season by Apple TV+ in March, and writers have promised the wait will be shorter than the last one, in the hope of a release date in late 2026.
The show to win Best comedy series, writing for a comedy series, directing for a comedy series, and lead actor in a comedy series, and 9 other Emmys is Apple TV’s The Studio. With big names like Kathryn Hahn, Dave Franco, Zoe Kravitz, Anthony Mackie, and Catherine O’Hara, the series was bound to gain some attention, especially with it being directed and acted in by Seth Rogen, known for working on Superbad, Donnie Darko, Step Brothers, and Kung Fu Panda. It follows a movie-loving executive who gets thrown into the role of head of Continental Studios, a financially struggling film studio. It touches on topics such as creative desires getting in the way of corporate responsibilities, and the struggle to be respected in a new environment.
An environment the industry has seen before is the medical; it’s almost overdone with how many medical dramas there
are. But this one is slightly different from the average; the whole season takes place within one day during the pandemic inside a Pittsburgh hospital. Each episode is one hour during a 15-hour shift, giving the audience a look inside just how much healthcare workers deal with regularly. Unlike other medical dramas, there’s no workplace romance, and the creators strived to make the series as realistic as possible by having doctors on staff to create real injuries and what a real response would look like. It managed to take home 5 Emmys in Outstanding drama series, Outstanding lead actor, Outstanding supporting actress, Outstanding guest actor in a drama series, as well as Best drama series casting at the Creative Arts Emmys.
with many other memorable moments, such as Nate Bargatze having a donation fund for the Boys and Girls Club that changed depending on if winners kept their speeches within 45 seconds, a subtle Gilmore Girls reunion when Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel presented Outstanding Writing for a comedy series. There was also a shocking moment when Hannah Einbinder said, “F*ck ICE and free Palestine.” This ended up being censored in the live CBS broadcast, but the uncensored version was still spread around social media; this wasn’t the only political statement made with Javier Bardem wearing a kaffiyeh and advocating for the freedom of Palestine. Award season has only just started, so there’s sure to be more political statements and memorable moments to come in time.
