On Sunday night in West Hollywood, Calif., HBO Max rolled out a red carpet, filled a fountain with ice and threw a champagne-and-caviar-filled after party for the 77th Emmy Awards.
After the ceremony, actors from popular shows like “The Pitt,” “Hacks” and “The Penguin” filed into the San Vicente Bungalows to drink, dance and revel in the success. HBO Max started the evening with 142 nominations — the most of any network — and ended it with 30 Emmy wins.
“The Pitt,” the fast-paced medical drama that follows doctors and nurses through one of Pittsburgh’s busiest trauma centers, won the Emmy for outstanding drama series, one of the biggest awards of the night. Its star, Noah Wyle, who plays the physician Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, won best actor in a drama series. Katherine LaNasa, who plays a nurse named Dana Evans, won best supporting actress.
Mr. Wyle, a television veteran known for his run as Dr. John Carter on the NBC series “ER,” said that getting to work on “The Pitt” felt like the stars had finally aligned for him.
“I remember during the strike, walking around Warner Brothers with the picket sign and thinking, ‘If I’m ever given the opportunity to work again, what would I want it to feel like? What would I want it to look like?’” Mr. Wyle said.
“‘If I can go back inside my favorite dream factory and recreate what I had in the first 15 years of my career, would it be possible again?’” he continued.
Mr. Wyle was nominated five times for his work on “ER,” receiving his last nomination in 1999. This was the first time he won an Emmy.
“It’s humbling, which isn’t what I thought I would feel,” he said. “I thought I would feel validated, I thought I would feel excited, and I just feel like, wow, really moved.”
On the other side of the party, Jean Smart was celebrating her fourth Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series on “Hacks,” her seventh overall.
“‘Hacks’ is the gift that keeps on giving,” said Ms. Smart, who portrays the comedian Deborah Vance on the show. “I never take it for granted and I’m just so excited that Hannah won, I could just die,” she added, referring to her co-star Hannah Einbinder, who won her first Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for her role as comedy writer Ava Daniels.
“We all try to say that the work is the most important thing and obviously, awards are just the cherry on top,” Ms. Smart continued. “But it does mean something.”
As partygoers mingled, they could sample yellowtail and bluefin from a handroll bar; caviar from New York’s Pearl Box (served with little bags of chips, crème fresh and mother-of-pearl spoons); ceviches from the seafood restaurant Holbox and smashburgers from For The Win in Los Angeles.
There were also bars serving martinis and neon-lit tiki drinks — but a large fountain filled with ice and dozens of bottles of champagne stole attention from both.
“We’ve got to make some of these bottles disappear and then the karaoke can start,” said Casey Bloys, the chief executive and chairman of HBO and HBO Max content.
“It was a big night, and we’re very happy, and we love having this party here,” Mr. Bloys added. “For years, we did it at the Pacific Design Center, and it was so big, you could go to the party and not see a lot of people.”
The space this year was slightly more intimate, and arranged with couches where castmates gathered and celebrated birthdays — cakes were brought out for Ms. Smart’s birthday, which is on Sept. 13th, and her “Hacks” co-star Megan Stalter’s birthday, on Sept. 15th.
Elsewhere, the room was filled with stars including Olivia Rodrigo, Caroline Rhea, Parker Posey of the “The White Lotus”; and John Oliver, who won an Emmy for his series, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
“They’re very humble, and they’ll never say this, but this is the hottest party,” said Jeff Klein, the owner of the San Vicente Bungalows.
Hits like “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” were played by Doppelganger Paris, a French DJ duo. HBO Max slippers were also passed out later in the night, for those who wanted to kick off their heels.
Around 11 p.m., organizers opened a late night karaoke lounge where guests could perform for onlookers watching from plush armchairs. Rhenzy Feliz, from “The Penguin,” took the stage for an electric performance of “Walking in Memphis.”
Paul W. Downs, a “Hacks” co-creator who also plays the talent manager Jimmy LuSaque Jr. in the show, was at the party with his wife and fellow “Hacks” co-creator, Lucia Aniello.
Mr. Downs and Ms. Aniello said they planned to stay out late celebrating, as they had in previous years.
“Season one of ‘Hacks’ I think it was us and Kate Winslet who were here last,” Mr. Downs said. “We did not leave.”
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