The audience watching Emmy Awards had a massive surprise when the Best Comedy Series award was grabbed by Hacks, a story revolving around an ageing comedienne seeking to reinvent herself and the young writer trying to help her. The series beat fans' favourite show The Bear to hold this title.
Also nominated in the category were Abbott Elementary, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Only Murders in the Building, Palm Royale, Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows.
The series also won the Best Lead Actress for Jean Smart and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy for series for co-creator Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs and Jen Statsky. The series earned 16 nominations ahead of the award show.
During her acceptance speech, series co-creator Lucia Aniello highlighted the significance of comedy. “Comedy means a lot to us, of course, but we truly believe it has the power to bridge divides,” she stated. “Sharing a laugh creates a connection. So please, support comedy. It has the ability to speak truth to power. It really does, so make sure to support your local comedians.”
Paul W Downs, co-star and co-creator of the series, also spoke to the audience, sharing that there were initial concerns about the show’s potential success, especially since it centered around two female characters, one of whom was over 60. Jean Smart plays the character of Deborah Vance, a renowned stand-up comic.
“Although about 20 percent of our population is over 60, only 3 percent of TV characters fall into that age group,” Downs remarked. “I’d love to see more of such characters on screen because, while I’m happy to be a young supporting actor, I aspire to be a strong lead as I age.”
Many have debated whether The Bear does fit the section of a comedy series as it is considered to be dramatic and serious in its script and writing. During the co-hosts’ monologue, Eugene Levy addressed the crowd, saying, “I’m sure some of you are expecting us to joke about whether The Bear qualifies as a comedy. But staying true to the spirit of The Bear, we’re not going to make any jokes about it.”
Hacks, which premiered in 2021, stars Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, and Carl Clemons-Hopkins in lead roles. The second and third seasons premiered in 2022 and 2024 respectively. A fourth season is in the making.
The Bear won four awards including prizes for Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Miss-Bachrach and Liza Colon-Zayas. It earned 11 in total including last week's Creative Arts Emmy awards. Earlier, it broke the record for the most number of nominations in a single year with 23 noms.
