Well, that was … just OK.
Monday night’s 66th Primetime Emmy Awards telecast wasn’t very memorable, save for a few shining moments –- definitely not what’s expected of TV’s biggest night.
First-time Emmys host Seth Meyers acquitted himself nicely — no easy task — firing off a few zingers in his opening monologue, including his allusion to the success of streaming TV: “It’s not very nice when someone younger comes along, is it, cable?”
Meyers didn’t appear to be jittery and played it safe, a good TV traffic cop keeping everything moving along. That’s part of his job as host, and he handled himself with aplomb. But it all played out like a nondescript, cookie-cutter sitcom: draggy and only occasionally funny or startling, backed by forced, canned laughter from an audience held hostage in LA’s Nokia Theatre.
Sandwiched between the predictable winners –- I loved “Breaking Bad,” but enough already — were some memorable bits, including presenter Jimmy Kimmel riffing on “True Detective” star/Emmy nominee Matthew McConaughey, who won an Oscar last winter for “Dallas Buyers Club”: “How many of those speeches are we supposed to sit through?” Emmy winner Gail Mancuso (for directing “Modern Family”) literally focused on McConaughey -– delivering her acceptance speech directly to him so she wouldn’t cry while looking at her co-workers. Nice, human touch.
I liked “Billy on the Street” host Billy Eichner taking his trademark man-on-the-street act to the avenues of Manhattan to test the public’s Emmys knowledge. “You’re a lesbian –- are you watching ‘Orange is the New Black?’” he asked one woman. But then there was the cringe-worthy “Weird Al” Yankovic adding unfunny lyrics (and dancing –- yeesh!) to TV theme songs. Can you say “flop sweat”?
Props to the show’s producers for trying something different: having Meyers “answer questions” from the “audience”: “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm (who tried, gamely, but only looked silly); “Mike and Molly” star Melissa McCarthy, who threw “Nurse Jackie” star Edie Falco under the bus; and “Portlandia” star Fred Armisen, the funniest of the bunch. And @midnight host Chris Hardwick, who’s built his Comedy Central show around social media, killed it by lampooning “anonymous” tweeters for their grammatical skills. To those of us who’ve been there — touche, my friend.
The night’s most touching moment? The annual “In Memoriam” segment, which, rightfully and respectfully, saved its biggest tribute for the beloved Robin Williams, who committed suicide earlier this month. “The brilliance was astounding,” said his emotional pal, Billy Crystal. “It’s very hard to talk about him in the past because he was so present in our lives for almost 40 years. Amen, brother.
The 66th Primetime Emmy Award winners
Best Comedy Series: “Modern Family” (ABC)
Best Drama Series: “Breaking Bad” (AMC)
Best Actor, Drama: Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad” (AMC)
Best Actress, Drama: Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife” (CBS)
Best Actor, Comedy: Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS)
Best Actress, Comedy: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep” (HBO)
Best Supporting Actor, Comedy: Ty Burrell, “Modern Family” (ABC)
Best Supporting Actress, Comedy: Allison Janney, “Mom” (CBS)
Best Supporting Actor, Drama: Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad” (AMC)
Best Supporting Actress, Drama: Anna Gunn, “Breaking Bad” (AMC)
Best Miniseries/Movie Supporting Actor: Martin Freeman, “Sherlock” (PBS)
Best Miniseries: “Fargo” (FX)
Best Variety Series: “The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)
What a loss.