2022 Emmys: The Best and Worst Moments

The 74th Primetime Emmys were held on Monday, Sept. 12 in Los Angeles, which meant cheers and groans could be heard from coast to coast as another awards show fought the impossible fight against increasing irrelevance. NBC's broadcast took some swings, and whiffed on most of them, but thank the TV gods for celebrities, because they provided some great moments that we'll be talking about for minutes. Here are the best and worst moments of the 2022 Emmy Awards, as they appeared in the broadcast. 

Host Kenan Thompson opened The Emmys by dancing to TV theme songs, and it went about as well as expected. The joke was dancing? And then that joke happened again during the next theme song? Okay.

We liked the honest woman-woman appreciation between Hacks' Hannah Einbinder, who said the only reason she agreed to present an award was to get a better look at Euphoria's Zendaya, and Zendaya, whose response was adorable.

Apparently, the Emmys gave winners the option to have some thanks displayed via subtitles during their acceptance speeches. This is a win-win for everyone; we don't have to hear winners brown nose studio executives, and winners don't have to lose their jobs for forgetting to brown nose studio executives!

Abbott Elementary's Sheryl Lee Ralph won for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy award and promptly delivered one of the greatest acceptance speeches EVER. First, she SANG part of it. Second, she delivered impassioned thanks to those in her corner and let everyone know that this is what hard work and believing in yourself looked like. 

NBC sold some airtime IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CEREMONY to Kia to run an ad for over two minutes. And yet NBC decided to cut Matthew Macfadyen's speech short. I WAS gonna buy like seven Kias, but not anymore!

Jennifer Coolidge won for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for The White Lotus, and when the producers tried to play her off and cut her speech short, they started with a some orchestral music before trying some more upbeat music to entice her to vamoose. What did Coolidge do instead? She used the opportunity to dance. Never change, Jennifer!

Following a bit in which Kenan Thompson checked in with incredibly stressed honorary bartender Kumail Nanjiani, Kenan asked a fellow who was slumped over at the bar if he wanted a drink, and that dude ended up being Kel Mitchell, Kenan's co-star from the classic Nick sitcom Good Burger. They did some kung fu. Delicious.

YES.

And then there was this. Pete Davidson, who took a break from time traveling, presented an award.

Squid Game made history by becoming the first non-English program to be nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys, and show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk won Best Directing for the series. In his speech, Hwang said, "I truly hope Squid Game won't be the last non-English series to be here at the Emmys." We hope it won't be, either! -Kat Moon