The Emmys first began in January of 1949 at the Hollywood Athletic Club in Los Angeles. In the beginning of its existence, it only honored local television programs. It began nationalizing in 1950 to honor aired programs all over the country. Now, it is a staple in the entertainment industry and is the first component of the coveted “EGOT”. The 2025 Emmys aired Sep. 14 with some big winners of the night.
Netflix’s hit limited series “Adolescence” swept, taking home six awards, including Best Limited or Anthology Series. Stephen Graham, one of the show’s leads, won Best Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie alongside co-writer Jack Thorne, as well as Best Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Erin Doherty, who plays Briony Ariston (the psychologist) in the show, won Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. The program’s star actor, Owen Cooper (Jamie), went home with Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Cooper is the youngest to ever win this award, being only 14-years-old when filming and 15-years-old when he won the award.
Seth Rogen won four awards at this year’s Emmy awards for “The Studio”. This included Best Directing for a Comedy Series, Best Writing for a Comedy Series, Best Actor in a Comedy Series, and Best Comedy Series. “The Pitt” won three Emmys, including Best Drama Series. The show’s cast members Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa won Best Actor in a Drama Series and Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, respectively.
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” won Best Talk Series, just two months after CBS announced they would be canceling the program. When Colbert and his staff accepted the award, they received a standing ovation. Tramell Truman turned into the first Black man to win Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role in “Severance”. His co-star Brit Lower won the accompanying award of Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Jean Smart won Best Actress in a Comedy Series for “Hacks”. Cristin Milioti is the Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series due to her performance in “The Penguin”.
The show was hosted by Nate Bargatze at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles and aired live on CBS. The ceremony is also available for streaming on Paramount+. Jeff Probst, Sydney Sweeney, and others appeared as presenters. “Gilmore Girls” co-stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel presented an award, as well as “Wednesday” mother-daughter-duo Jenna Ortega and Catherin Zeta-Jones.
Ortega appeared on the red carpet in a captivating jewel Givenchy piece. The look was a nod to a character played by Isabella Rossellini in the 90s, only with a more gothic twist. Cate Blanchett stunned in a Giorgio Armani pantsuit, honoring the visionary designer after his passing earlier this month. The most talked about was also the simplest, and likely cheapest, look of the evening. Megan Stalter showed up in jeans and a white t-shirt, with some pointed flats to dress it up. She had a black handbag with the words “Cease Fire” written on it, an exclamation point following. Javier Bardem showed up with a kaffiyeh around his neck, woven in the colors of the Palestinian flag (White, Green, Red, and Black). Along the red carpet, he spoke of his aversion to working with organizations associated with Israel.
As always, the Emmys was an eventful night, full of recognition and politics. It’s near impossible to have television and pop culture clean of politics and in the current climate, it’s almost frowned upon to be apolitical. The Emmys are a multifaceted award show. Their principal purpose is to honor the hard work of television workers but it also, and has for 76 years, doubled a petri dish for political and social commentary.
