At a rapid-fire pace worthy of “The Bear,” the Chicago-made restaurant series continued its winning ways Monday night by gobbling up multiple Primetime Emmy Awards.
In quick succession, the FX/Hulu show’s Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jeremy Allen White claimed trophies in acting categories. Later in the night, “The Bear” was named the year’s best comedy series, and creator Christopher Storer won the comedy-writing award as well as the one for directing.
“This is a show about family and found family and real family,” Edebiri said from the stage of the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
The awards continue a streak for “The Bear,” which earlier this month won in four technical categories at the Creative Arts Emmys. In just the last eight days, White and Edebiri also came away triumphant at the Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards.
With six Emmys on Monday, the show tied “Succession,” named best drama series. Other prizes for “Succession” included acting honors for stars Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Matthew Macfadyen.
The remaining comedy acting Emmy, for best lead actress, went to Pennsylvania-born, Second City-trained Quinta Brunson, creator and star of “Abbott Elementary.” She’s the first Black woman to win the award in more than 40 years. The last was Isabel Sanford of “The Jeffersons” in 1981.
“I love making ‘Abbott Elementary’ so much, and I am so happy to be able to live my dream and act out comedy,” Brunson said, fighting back tears.
Another Second City alum, Steven Yeun, was named best actor in a limited series for his seething work in the Netflix thriller “Beef.” Stand-up comedian Ali Wong, who plays his “Beef” enemy, also was a winner, the first woman of Asian descent to win a lead-acting Emmy.
The best variety special Emmy went to Elton John for his Dodger Stadium farewell concert, a historic win that put the veteran pop star in the EGOT pantheon for winning the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. He’s won Oscars for songs from “Rocketman” and “The Lion King,” a Tony for “Aida” and six Grammys.
Niecy Nash-Betts won best supporting actress in a limited series for playing a serial killer’s neighbor in “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.”
“I accept this award on behalf of every Black and brown woman who has gone unheard and overpoliced,” she said.
The show came on Martin Luther King Jr. Day after a four-month delay over Hollywood’s writers and actors strikes.
“Everybody having fun at the chocolate Emmys tonight?” host Anthony Anderson said of the show’s many winners of color. “We are killing it tonight! ... This is like MLK Day and Juneteenth all rolled up in one!”
Jennifer Coolidge, the only cast member among the cursed vacationers of HBO’s “The White Lotus” to return for Season 2, won her second Emmy for best supporting actress in a drama.
Emotions ran high from the start of the ceremony with first presenter, Christina Applegate, who said in 2021 that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, got a standing ovation as she came out using a cane to present the award, and was tearful as she announced the winners.
Honoring TV history was the theme at the 75th Emmys, with several cast reunions spread throughout the show.
Cast members including Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell from “Martin” and Ted Danson and Rhea Perlman from “Cheers” performed short bits from re-creations of their sitcom sets before presenting awards.
Contributing: Associated Press
