The Emmys 2024: What You Didn’t See On TV

The Emmys 2024 winners have all packed up their trophies and gone home. Although a handful of series swept many of the categories (Baby Reindeer, Shōgun, and The Bear, we’re looking at you), the show also had a few big surprises in store—like Hacks winning a surprise Emmy for best comedy. There was also plenty of behind-the-scenes action at the Primetime Emmys that didn’t make it onto the broadcast. Here are some of the best things we saw in the auditorium (and right outside of it).

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Before and during the awards ceremony, the lobby of the Peacock Theater was the place to see and be seen—although at times it got so crowded, it was hard to avoid stepping on gown hems.

The gang from RuPaul’s Drag Race cut a swathe through the lobby, their colorful dresses bouncing behind them, while the Reservation Dogs posse quietly took pictures at the entrance. Although neither of those shows took home a statue, their crews celebrated their nominations together. Baby Reindeer star and creator Richard Gadd looked a bit panicky in his fetching green plaid kilt early in the show as he tried to get back into the theater before an ad break ended. He got trapped in the doorway, a stream of people begging him to take selfies with them. He kindly agreed (he is Scottish, after all) before dashing back down the aisle to find his seat. He would go on to dominate the limited-series Emmys, taking home awards for writing, producing, and starring in the show.

REFRESH YOURSELF

Unlike shows like the Golden Globes, where food and plenty of beverages are brought to the tables (or more recent Oscar shows, where Jimmy Kimmel might stash surprise snacks or tequila under your seat), the Emmys are a do-it-yourself affair. The lobby has several concession stands, and the lines to buy chips, candy, or drinks are always long. Being a nominee or a top exec doesn’t help, either. We spotted Slow Horses star Kristin Scott Thomas trying to shout across the refreshments line to nominated costar Jack Lowden and his wife Saoirse Ronan before hitching up her elegant dress and climbing under the ropes. Fallout’s Walton Goggins stood in line just a few feet behind them, and Andrew Scott was lounging nearby, drinking bubbly with his Ripley costar Dakota Fanning.

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SOCIAL NETWORKING

The first several rows of the theater were crammed with nominees, and when the live cameras weren’t rolling, actors grabbed the chance to socialize with one another. Before the show, many of them joyfully bounced from one conversation to the next. Ramy Youssef snapped a picture of Ayo Edebiri posing with Jon Stewart while Stephen Colbert looked on. Brie Larson rushed over to greet her Lessons in Chemistry costar Aja Naomi King, while Shōgun’s Anna Sawai was surrounded by fans who rushed to say hello before the show started. During a later commercial break, Quinta Brunson jumped up from her seat to hug Da’Vine Joy Randolph while Tyler James Williams nodded in admiration. Naomi Watts and Gillian Anderson snuggled together to pose for a photo in the front row, while Robert Downey Jr. and Paul Rudd made the rounds behind them, as Selena Gomez looked on from her seat in the front row.

THE STANDING-OVATION COUNT

The first standing ovation of the night came when Hacks star Jean Smart won for lead actress in a comedy. This Emmys audience was surprisingly stingy with their standing ovations compared to some other years, only getting out of their seats a couple other times that night. When Greg Berlanti was honored with the annual Governors Award, the audience gave him a warm standing reception. The next standing ovation came for True Detective: Night Country’s Jodie Foster, and then Shōgun’s Anna Sawai—and finally, for when Hacks won the final award of the night for best comedy series. A shocked murmur could be heard through the crowd when Hacks took the final award as many had expected The Bear’s dominance to run all the way through to the end.

A GALA TO REMEMBER

Right after the Emmys ended, guests walked over to the nearby Governors Gala, where they could drop their statues on a table, stuff their faces with food, take a spin on the dance floor, and hobnob with fellow nominees and winners. FX marked the spot for the night’s most victorious network: A table near the front of the room literally had an FX flag planted on it. The network had plenty of reasons to celebrate: Its 36 wins made it the winningest platform of the night, thanks largely to Shōgun and The Bear. Members of both casts orbited around the area, with The Bear’s newly minted Emmy winner Liza Colón-Zayas happily sitting down to eat dinner as soon as she got in the room.

Gadd walked across the party clutching one statue in each hand, looking even more shell-shocked than he had earlier in the night. Costar Jessica Gunning, who’d won her own Emmy for her role as Baby Reindeer’s stalker, stood at Gadd’s side, grinning as he uttered, “It’s been a crazy night!”

Gadd and Gunning weren’t the only ones who walked through the gala in a daze. Hacks creators Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs couldn’t stop smiling as they stood at the station where statues were engraved with winners’ names. They had bucked the Bear trend, taking home Emmys for best comedy and best writing in a comedy, as well as the best-comedy-actress prize going to Hacks star Jean Smart. Emmy cohost Dan Levy grabbed Aniello to congratulate her. “I’m totally shocked,” Downs said, joking that even his mother didn’t think they would win.

DISNEY DAZZLES

Disney hosted a bustling after-party at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles, and most of the talent whose series were made by the media conglomerate (including ABC, FX, and Hulu shows) made it their first stop after the Governors Ball. At the greenhouse-themed party, The Bear’s large ensemble cozied up in booths on one corner, with winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach and his costar Matty Matheson spotted sitting together and snacking, while Jeremy Allen White stood nearby, having shed his Calvin Klein tux jacket. There were plenty of fun cross-show convos going on, like winner Liza Colón-Zayas getting a warm hug from Abbott Elementary’s Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Neicy Nash chatting with Ayo Edebiri nearby. Reservation Dogs’ creator Taika Waititi was spotted deep in conversation with Lily Gladstone, while Fargo’s Lamorne Morris, with his Emmy in hand, received warm congrats and hugs from many partygoers.

But for a while, everyone was wondering where the night’s biggest winners were. The cast of Shōgun didn’t make their way into the party until around 10:40pm. Their first stop by creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo and star Hiroyuki Sanada was to greet Disney’s bigwigs Bob Iger and Dana Walden, posing for photos with their many Emmys in tow.

By 11 p.m. the dance floor was finally taking shape, led by the cast and crew of Reservation Dogs—and it became clear that this celebration would go on long into the night.

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