‘The Pitt’ wins drama Emmy Award as the ‘The Studio’ breaks Emmys comedy record

(AP) — “The Pitt” won best drama series at the Emmys while star Noah Wyle won best actor in a drama on a night that “The Studio” set a record for the most wins by a comedy series in a single season.

Katherine LaNasa also won best supporting actress for the HBO Max medical series that had a Cinderella evening, trumping such heavyweights as “Severance” and “The White Lotus” for the top prize

Netflix’s “Adolescence” dominated the limited series categories with six victories, including best limited series.

“Studio” co-creator Seth Rogen personally took four Emmys, including trophies for acting, directing, and writing. The four wins, along with nine claimed at last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys, broke a record set last year by “The Bear” with 11.

“I’m legitimately embarrassed by how happy this makes me,” Rogen said after winning best comedy series.

Rogen shared the directing Emmy with longtime collaborator and “Studio” co-creator Evan Goldberg, shared the writing Emmy with Goldberg and others. The show rode blockbuster buzz into the Emmys for its breakout first season.

Noah Wyle won best actor in a drama for “The Pitt,” getting his first Emmy after five nominations with no victories in the 1990s for “ER.”

‘Adolescence’ triumphs

The six wins for Netflix’s acclaimed “Adolescence,” the story of a 13-year-old in Britain accused of a killing, included best actor for co-creator Stephen Graham, and best supporting actor for 15-year-old Owen Cooper, who became the youngest Emmy winner in over 40 years.

Cooper said in his acceptance that he was “nothing three years ago.”

“It’s just so surreal,” Cooper said. “Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple of years back, I didn’t expect to be even in the United States, never mind here. So I think tonight proves that if you, if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life.”

Best supporting actress went to Erin Doherty, who played a therapist opposite Cooper in a riveting episode that like all four “Adolescence” episodes was filmed in a single shot.

Graham also won for writing.

Cristin Milioti won best actress in a limited series for “The Penguin.” It was the first win of the night for the HBO series from the Batman universe after it won eight at the Creative Arts ceremony.

Britt Lower and Tramell Tillman each won their first Emmy for “Severance,” the Apple TV+ Orwellian workplace satire that is considered the favorite for best drama. Lower won best actress in a drama, and Tillman won best supporting actor in a drama.

“My first acting coach was tough, y’all,” Tillman, wearing an all-white tuxedo, said from the stage. “But all great mothers are.”

He looked out to his mother in the audience and told her, “You were there for me where no one else was, and no one else would show up.”

His win had been widely expected, but Lower’s was a surprise in a category where Kathy Bates was considered a heavy favorite, for “Matlock.”

Jean Smart won best actress in a comedy for “Hacks” for the fourth time, at 73, extending her own record for the oldest woman ever to win the category.

Every acting winner other than Smart was a first timer.

A night of surprise winners

Smart’s castmate and constant scene partner, Hannah Einbinder, who had also been nominated for all four seasons but unlike Smart had never won, took best supporting actress in a comedy.

She said she had become committed to a bit where “it was cooler to lose.”

“But this is cool too!” she shouted, then ended her speech by cursing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and saying “Free Palestine!”

Katherine LaNasa won best supporting actress in a drama for “The Pitt,” a surprise in a category where most expected one of the three nominees from “The White Lotus” to win.

“I am so proud and honored,” LaNasa, looking emotional and shocked, said.

In perhaps the biggest upset in a night full of them, Jeff Hiller won best supporting actor in a comedy for “Somebody Somewhere,” over Ike Barinholtz of “The Studio” and others.

How the 2025 Emmys opened

Stephen Colbert was the first person to take the stage to present the award during the CBS telecast at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles despite the recent controversial cancellation of his show by the network. He was greeted by a rousing and lengthy standing ovation.

“While I have your attention, is anyone hiring?” Colbert said.

In an unusual show order, host Nate Bargatze delivered his opening monologue only after the first award was handed out.

The show opened with a sketch where “Saturday Night Live” stars Mikey Day, Bowen Yang and James Austin Johnson joined Bargatze, who played television inventor Philo T. Farnsworth opining on what the future of TV will be like.

Bargatze-as-Farnsworth mentions that there will be a Black Entertainment Television. When asked if there will be a network for white people, he replied, “Why, CBS of course.”

Nate Bargatze, the host of this year’s Emmy Awards, kicked off the ceremony Sunday with a string of jokes poking fun at the television industry.

“We create a world where the finest artists craft stories of staggering beauty that millions of people will watch on their phones while they’re sitting on the toilet,” Bargatze said.

Bargatze, a 46-year-old stand-up comic from Tennessee known for his friendly style, was not a typical host. The gig left some wondering how Bargatze would approach it.

Bargatze joked that the 77th award ceremony is “not a big one, like 75 or 80, but it’s the one that gave me.”

“A lot of people are wondering, like, why am I hosting?” Bargatze said. “I’m a stand-up comedian. I’ve not had a ton of success in Hollywood, but let me tell you, boy, is it going good everywhere else.”

During the opening sketch, which played out much like Bargatze’s popular “SNL” skits where he played George Washington, Bargatze-as-Farnsworth laid out what the future of television would look like. The Learning Channel, he joked, would be where “hoarders, people who eat couch cushions, Dr. Pimple Popper,” would dominate.

Bargatze went on to mention that there would be Black Entertainment Television. When asked if there would be a network for white people, he replied, “Why, CBS of course.”

Bargatze said streaming will be “a new way for companies to lose money.” Streaming services, he said, will create their own stars, who will be “real-life murderers, mostly.”

Yang’s character assumed “the viewer pays the fee, so there are no ads,” to which Bargatze joked, “if only it were that simple.” When Johnson said that is unfair to the consumer, prompting Bargatze to chastise him, “We don’t say that out loud. Get out. Go sit in the back with the people who are probably going to lose anyway.”

The Emmys don’t have a routine host, unlike other major awards shows like the Oscars, which has Conan O’Brien returning in 2026 and Nikki Glaser returning to host the Golden Globes. The last four Emmys have been hosted by Eugene and Dan Levy, Anthony Anderson, Kenan Thompson, and Cedric the Entertainer.

“My parts will be dumb and silly,” Bargatze told “Entertainment Tonight” on the red carpet ahead of the show.

Bargatze, who wrapped up three shows in Denver on Saturday and Friday ahead of the award ceremony, has emerged as one of the most popular stand-up comedians today. He sold more than 1.2 million tickets in 2024, according to Pollstar, and has released three Netflix specials, including December’s “Your Friend, Nate Bargatze” and has hosted “Saturday Night Live.”

Bargatze also dreamed up a creative way to ensure winners keep their acceptance speeches under the 45 second limit. The comedian pledged to donate $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs. He said he would deduct $1,000 for every second a winner goes over the allotted time and will add the same amount for every second under.

Seth Rogen’s acceptance speech for the first category, lead actor in a comedy series, was under the allotted time, which bumped the donation to $106,000.

“Don’t go crazy though, cause like, I am paying for this,” Bargatze said.

By the end of the show’s first hour, the total had plummeted to $74,000. By the time the show was nearly over, with only a couple of awards left, the tally was negative-$60,000.

After “The Pitt” was announced as the night’s drama winner, Bargatze had one last announcement about the donations: CBS was donating $100,000 to the organization, and he would give it $250,000.

Here’s a list of winners at Sunday’s Emmys:

Drama series

“The Pitt”

Actor in a drama series

Noah Wyle, “The Pitt”

Actress in a drama series

Britt Lower, “Severance”

Supporting actor in a drama series

Tramell Tillman, “Severance”

Supporting actress in

a drama series

Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt”

Directing for a drama series

Adam Randall, “Slow Horses''

Writing for a drama series

Dan Gilroy, “Andor''

Comedy series

“The Studio”

Actor in a comedy series

Seth Rogen, “The Studio”

Actress in a comedy series

Jean Smart, “Hacks”

Supporting actress in a comedy series

Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”

Supporting actor in a comedy series

Jeff Hiller, “Somebody Somewhere”

Directing for a comedy series

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, “The Studio”

Writing for a comedy series

Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez, “The Studio”

Limited series, anthology series, or movie

“Adolescence”

Actor in a limited series, anthology series, or movie

Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”

Actress in a limited series, anthology series, or movie

Cristin Milioti, “The Penguin”

Supporting actor in a limited series, anthology serie,s or movie

Owen Cooper, “Adolescence”

Supporting actress in a limited series, anthology series or movie

Erin Doherty, “Adolescence”

Directing for a limited series, anthology series or movie

Philip Barantini, “Adolescence”

Writing for a limited series, anthology series or movie

Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”

Variety special

“SNL 50: The Anniversary Special”

Scripted variety series

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”

Writing for a variety of series