Los Angeles, September 16
'Hacks' emerged as the surprise winner for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
The show was nominated alongside Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Only Murders in the Building, Palm Royale, Reservation Dogs, and What We Do in the Shadows.
Hacks, which premiered its first season in 2021, chronicles the complex relationship between comedian Deborah (Jean Smart) and comedy writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder), who come from two very different generations, as per People.
Co-creator Paul W. Downs, who accepted the award on Sunday, Sept. 15 alongside the Hacks cast on the Emmys stage, said, "I have no thoughts in my brain. Thank you so much to the academy, let's brace ourselves, I might get emotional. I have to say that we are so lucky to live our dream and make television and we couldn't do it without our Hacks family. all of our writers, all of our cast, all of our crew who make our dreams come true, literally."
"When we pitched this show about two women, one of whom was over 60, we didn't know if we would sell it," he continued, "About 20% of our population is over 60, and only 3% of those characters [are] on television. I would like to see more of them because while I'm a great, young supporting actor, I really want to be a good, old lead."
Writer and director Lucia Aniello added, "Comedy is so important, obviously, to us, and we really feel like it can bridge divides. When you laugh with someone, you have something in common with them. So please, support comedy, it speaks truth to power. It really does, so support your local comedian."
She concluded by saying, "We have to go because we start shooting the next season in five days."
The award ceremony was hosted by father-son duo Eugene Levy and Dan Levy. . This event marked the second Primetime Emmy ceremony of 2024, following the rescheduled 75th edition, which was postponed from September 2023 to January 15, 2024, due to the 2023 Hollywood labour disputes.
In India, the ceremony was broadcasted live on Lionsgate Play.