Best (and worst) moments from the Emmys
The Emmy Awards are back to normal. Sort of.
Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, TV’S biggest night this year looked a lot more like the usual Hollywood glitz and glamour than it did during last year’s entirely virtual ceremony. There were still COVID-19 precautions, but the actors and actresses all gathered together in their red carpet attire, golden statuettes were given and the expected nominees won.
But among all the predictability and commercial breaks there were a few great moments at the Emmys, and a few really terrible ones. From the wonderful tribute to TV legend Debbie Allen to terrible comedy bits that made the three-hour-plus show seem even longer, here are the best and worst parts of the 2021 Emmy Awards.
Worst: A cringe-worthy opening number
Most awards shows begin with a comedic monologue from the host, a montage of the past year of movies or TV shows or an opening musical number. This year CBS decided to go the musical option, but in the most bizarre way possible. Cedric, accompanied by a man with a TV screen for a head, opened the show rapping a version of Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” with Tv-centric lyrics, and he was eventually joined by a strange grouping that included Mandy Moore, Rita Wilson, Lil Dicky, “Hamilton” cast members and LL Cool J.
Best: Seth Rogen blasting the COVID-19 protocols
After the extremely unfunny opening, Seth Rogen, the night’s first presenter, walked onstage and cracked a series of jokes good enough to stand in for an opening monologue. His slightly panicked rant about COVID-19 protocols, particularly that that the Emmys were taking place in an enclosed tent, was hilarious and felt very genuine. The night’s DJ, Reggie Watts, then had to reassure viewers after a the commercial break that CBS was, in fact, following all recommended health and safety protocols.
Worst: Cedric the Entertainer’s hosting and endless bad bits
Awards shows are long enough, so if a host is going to interrupt the evening with comedy bits, they have to be funny. Cedric’s sketches were considerably less than funny. They were more often painful.
Between trotting out jokes that were 11 months old (like one about the fly on Mike Pence’s head during the 2020 vice presidential debate) or shoehorning his costars from CBS sitcom “The Neighborhood” into a bit or bringing actors like Alyson Hannigan into a whiny sketch about not winning Emmys, Cedric stopped hosting the show and started impeding it.
Compared to the actually funny presenters including the cast of “Schitt’s Creek,” Bowen Yang and Jennifer Coolidge, Cedric’s shtick just wasted time.
Best: Funny and moving speeches
From Hannah Waddingham’s jubilant scream to the jokes about only “hot writers” accepting the Emmy for HBO’S “Last Week Tonight,” there were some surprisingly good acceptance speeches Sunday. It’s hard to nail the right tone of humor, graciousness, emotion and sincerity in a speech at any awards show. But many of the winners hit the right notes without trying too hard.