From nudity and F-bombs to impromptu pranks and heartfelt gratitude, the 64th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards certainly left viewers with plenty to talk about and a memory or two that we would quite like to forget. Check out what we think are the most memorable moments of this year’s Emmys.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Prank
Jimmy Kimmel promised us a prank during the Emmys but it wasn’t quite what we had anticipated. Inviting 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan up onstage, Kimmel had him lie on the stage and then asked everyone watching to tweet and post the message, “OMG Tracy Morgan just passed out on stage! Turn on ABC now!” Morgan then spent the next ten minutes lying on stage while Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere stepped over him to present an award. Although Kimmel delivered a rather unique interactive prank that sparked as many as 25,000 tweets according to @TwitterTV, we were hoping for better from the comedian who declared he would deliver the “biggest prank ever”. Underwhelmed? Yes, but kudos to Kimmel for trying.
Naked Lena Dunham
One of the night’s biggest surprises was Lena Dunham‘s in the Emmy’s opening sketch. The sketch featured Connie Britton, Zooey Deschanel, Mindy Kaling, Christina Hendricks, Kathy Bates, Martha Plimpton, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus consoling Jimmy Kimmel about a Botox procedure gone wrong. Lena Dunham, however, was the highlight of the sketch, appearing in the buff happily snacking on some cake in a bathroom stall. Spending a large part of the first season of Girls in the buff, it was unexpected and hilariously self-aware on Dunham’s part.
Homeland‘s Win & Mad Men‘s Failure
Newbie series Homeland has been a critical favorite from the start, but it didn’t seem it would have much of a chance against favorites Mad Men and Breaking Bad. But the underdog Showtime drama proved us all wrong by winning Best Drama Series, and taking away Mad Men‘s potential Emmy record. This was Showtime’s first best-series Emmy ever. Homeland also saw stars Damian Lewis and Claire Danes win in the acting categories, and the show won Best Writing for a Drama Series for its pilot episode. On the other hand, 17 times nominated Mad Men shocked by walking away with nothing. It seems a bit bizarre that this television favorite got shut down so hard.
F-Bombs & Lack There Of
Host of Daily Show Jon Stewart scored the show’s 10th win for Outstanding Variety, Musical, or Comedy Series, but caused a bit of an upset with a well-placed F-bomb. “Years from now … when aliens visit, they will find a box of these [Emmys] and they will know just how predictable these f—— things are.” Glad to see he was delighted by the win. Let’s hope next year The Colbert Report finally gets its due.
Conversely, we were pleasantly surprised by famously filthy Louis C.K.‘s sweet speech that included gracious thank-yous and even a shout out to his children. Louis nabbed two Emmys — for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and for his comedy special Louie C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre. Fingers crossed that next year’s Emmys will nominate his genre-defying comedy Louie in the Best Comedy category.