Last year, the Emmys bet on an unorthodox host in Nate Bargatze and the result was an unmitigated disaster. This year, the Emmys bet on an unorthodox host and were rewarded with an effusive, yet efficient tribute to television at its best. Watching “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star — and “My Mom Jayne” director, and Broadway leading lady and New York Knicks superfan — Mariska Hargitay emcee the Emmy awards’ 78th ceremony, I thought often of stand-up comedian Nikki Glaser.
After Jo Koy’s abysmal, contemptuous turn leading the Golden Globes, Glaser rescued the broadcast, raised her own profile and ultimately became a repeat host by embracing enthusiasm. And while Bargatze’s Emmys performance last year wasn’t quite as infamous as Koy’s, a countdown clock preemptively chiding honorees for enjoying their moment a little too much showed a similar lack of regard for the evening’s ostensible purpose. Hargitay went in the other direction, throwing herself into multiple musical numbers and generally showing herself to be a fan of television as well as one of its most visible ambassadors.
It helped that Hargitay, while game, wasn’t exactly earnest: a seemingly sincere monologue about the power of storytelling turned out to be a feint, transitioning into a ripoff of the AMC Nicole Kidman ad called out by the Australian actor herself. (The bit was also a self-aware wink on the part of Kidman, who Hargitay brushed off as “movie lady” but spends most of her time on the small screen these days.) But the novice host clearly took the job seriously, going through more outfit changes than her good friend Taylor Swift on an average night of the Eras Tour. Hargitay even got Swift herself to show up for a pre-taped segment, even if the cameo didn’t entirely justify an overlong parody of the pop star’s conspiratorial fanbase. The Emmys had room to spare because the show had bumped several awards to the earlier ceremony once known as the Creative Arts Emmys, including supporting actor and actress in a limited series. (Winners Linda Cardellini and David Harbour of “DTF St.
Louis” still got to appear in the main show as presenters.) The move was controversial — when the Oscars tried something similar a few years ago, demoting most of the technical awards to a pre-show, the time savings weren’t enough to justify the slight and the strategy was swiftly reversed. But on Sunday at the Emmys, the results spoke for themselves with a brisk show that miraculously came in a few minutes under time. One Hargitay-led song, a riff on Supertramp’s “Goodbye Stranger” repurposed into an ode to series finales with an assist from Andrew Rannells, wasn’t necessary.
But a dedicated tribute to Dolly Parton, led by fellow country luminary Reba McEntire, was certainly nice to have — as were extended honors for Catherine O’Hara and Rob Reiner. Even letting John Mulaney riff for several minutes before presenting lead actor in a drama felt like a good use of airtime. After all, the award itself was almost an afterthought: everyone in the room knew it was about to go to Noah Wyle of “The Pitt” once again, and deservedly so.
The modern Emmys love a sweep, which can give the proceedings a monotonous feel. It’s nonetheless hard to begrudge the love for horror comedy “Widow’s Bay,” a tide so strong it seemingly transcended categories and propelled star Matthew Rhys to a double acting win for his turn in Netflix’s “The Beast in Me” as well as the Apple TV breakout. An original story and therefore an underdog, “Widow’s Bay” also yielded the best speech of the night in creator Katie Dippold’s commitment to shamelessly show off her new trophy.
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