7 Biggest Emmys Surprises, From ‘Hacks’ to ‘Slow Horses’

“The Bear” cleaned up at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, just not in the final category as so many experts predicted. And “Shōgun” proved more vulnerable than expected, not winning a single Emmy until two hours and 20 minutes into the show.

Below, the 7 biggest unexpected moments of the night.

Billy Crudup Beats Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira from “Shōgun”

Yes, Crudup won this category in 2020 for “The Morning Show,” but that was in the pre-“Shōgun” times. And considering Crudup was up against two other “Morning Show” cast members, Mark Duplass and Jon Hamm, it seemed likely that that voters would split the vote among the three of them, opening up a potential path to victory for Tadanobu Asano from “Shōgun” — or his cast mate Takehiro Hira. In the end, voters more likely split the “Shōgun” vote, clearing the way for Crudup’s second win.

Liza Colón-Zayas Beats, uh, Everyone to Win Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

“The Bear” was expected to clean up on Sunday, but few had bet on Colón-Zayas adding to the show’s victory tally. Most prognosticators had their money on Hannah Einbinder taking the prize for Season 3 of “Hacks.” It could just as easily been “Abbott Elementary” powerhouses Sheryl Lee Ralph or Janelle James. And then there were the two, you know, legends in her category: Carol Burnett and Meryl Streep. She beat them all and delivered a lovely, breathless and teary speech.

“The Traitors” Dethrones “RuPaul’s Drag Race”

Season 2 of the reality series set in Scotland had already bested the category’s reigning champ at the Creative Arts Emmys, when Alan Cumming beat RuPaul for best host of a reality competition. Still, it wasn’t a given that “The Traitors” would also end the five-year winning streak for “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” But it did.

“Alex Edelman: Just for Us” Wins Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special

Edelman’s stand-up show had made waves out there in the real world before it became a well-received HBO comedy special. And yet, most awards experts predicted that “The Oscars” (which won four times at the Creative Arts Emmys) would win here for the first time since Billy Crystal, Bruce Vilanch and company did it in 1992. Nope.

The “Fishes” Episode of “The Bear” Loses to “Hacks” for Comedy Writing

The Season 2 episode packed with powerhouse actors (two of whom won at the Creative Arts Emmys) is one of the most nominated episodes in Emmy history, but it ended up losing to “Bulletproof” from “Hacks,” written by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky. To quote my colleague Jose Bastidas, who quipped during the show, “Maybe the Academy does know what a comedy is.”

“Slow Horses” Beats “Shōgun” for Drama Series Writing

Steve Pond wondered if “Shо̄gun” was vulnerable here since it was running against itself with two episodes in contention: “Anjin” and “Crimson Sky.” He was right. It made for a great moment from “Slow Horses” creator and EP Will Smith, who started his acceptance speech with a sly reference to a certain slap at the 2022 Oscars: “Despite my name, I come in peace.”

“Hacks” Bests “The Bear” for Best Comedy Series

In the biggest upset of the night, the comedy about the stand-up comic bested the comedy whose classification as a comedy confounds everyone. After “The Bear” supporting actress Liza Colón-Zayas won over “Hacks” favorite Hannah Einbinder early on, “Hacks” sprang forward in the evening’s last moments to take the top prize that most people thought was a done deal for “The Bear.”

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