The Creative Arts Emmy Awards unfolded over two nights at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, celebrating the artistic and technical achievements across a wide range of television programming. The event, which took place September 6-7, honored scripted, unscripted, and variety shows, setting the stage for the highly anticipated Primetime Emmy Awards.
Night One Highlights: Apple TV+ and “The Studio” Shine
Apple TV+ emerged as a dominant force on the first night, with two of its flagship shows leading the pack. “The Studio” secured a remarkable nine awards, positioning itself within striking distance of the all-time record for a comedy series. Another Apple TV+ drama, “Severance,” garnered six awards.
Other notable programs recognized included “The Penguin” (HBO Max) with eight awards, “Andor,” “Arcane,” and “Love Death + Robots,” each claiming four awards, and “Bridgerton” and “The Boys,” both earning three awards.
Guest Acting Awards: Surprises and Celebrations
The guest acting categories provided some of the most memorable moments of the evening:
-
Best Drama Guest Actor: Shawn Hatosy from “The Pitt” took home his first Emmy win after his first-ever nomination. The award was presented by Ron Howard, an Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy winner. Hatosy triumphed over a competitive field, including Giancarlo Esposito (“The Boys”), Scott Glenn (“The White Lotus”), Forest Whitaker (“Andor”), and Joe Pantoliano and Jeffrey Wright (both from “The Last of Us”).
-
Best Drama Guest Actress: Merritt Wever from “Severance” won her third career Emmy, adding to her previous wins for “Godless” and “Nurse Jackie.” Jamie Lee Curtis, an Oscar and Emmy winner, presented the award. Wever’s fellow nominees from “Severance,” Jane Alexander and Gwendoline Christie, were also in contention, along with Cherry Jones (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), and Kaitlyn Dever and Catherine O’Hara (both from “The Last of Us”).
-
Best Comedy Guest Actor: Bryan Cranston of “The Studio” earned his seventh career Emmy. He previously won four times as the lead actor in “Breaking Bad” and twice as a producer for the same series. Gwendoline Christie presented the award. Cranston bested last year’s winner, Jon Bernthal (“The Bear”), and his “The Studio” co-stars Dave Franco, Ron Howard, Anthony Mackie, and Martin Scorsese.
-
Best Comedy Guest Actress: Julianne Nicholson from “Hacks” received the first award of the night, presented by Maya Rudolph. This marked Nicholson’s second career victory, following her win for “Mare of Easttown” in 2021. She won against Olivia Colman and Jamie Lee Curtis (both from “The Bear”), Cynthia Erivo (“Poker Face”), Robby Hoffman (“Hacks”), and Zoë Kravitz (“The Studio”).
Key Creative Arts Emmy Awards Winners
The Creative Arts Emmy Awards recognized excellence across a spectrum of categories. Here’s a breakdown of some of the notable winners:
Acting:
- Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series: Desi Lydic, “The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains”
Animation:
- Animated Program: “Arcane”
- Individual Achievement in Animation: “Arcane” (“Dirt Under Your Nails” & “The Message Hidden Within the Pattern”), “Love, Death + Robots” (“400 Boys” x2 & “How Zeke Got Religion” x2)
Casting:
- Comedy Series: “The Studio”
- Drama Series: “The Pitt”
- Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: “Adolescence”
Costumes:
- Contemporary Costumes for a Series: “The Studio”
- Contemporary Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: “The Penguin”
- Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes: “Andor”
- Period Costumes: “Bridgerton”
Cinematography:
- Series (Half-Hour): “The Studio”
- Series (One Hour): “Severance”
- Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: “Adolescence”
Directing:
N/A at this time
Editing:
- Multi-Camera Comedy Series: “Frasier” (“My Brilliant Sister”)
- Single Camera Comedy Series: “The Studio” (“The Promotion”)
- Drama Series: “Andor” (“Who Are You?”)
- Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” (“Blame It on the Rain”)
Hairstyling:
- Contemporary Hairstyling: “The Penguin”
- Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Hairstyling: “Bridgerton”
Makeup:
- Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic): “The Penguin”
- Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Makeup (Non-Prosthetic): “House of the Dragon”
- Prosthetic Makeup: “The Penguin”
Music:
- Main Title Theme Music: “The White Lotus”
- Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score): “Severance”
- Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score): “The Penguin”
- Music Supervision: “The Studio”
- Original Music and Lyrics: “The Boys” (“Let’s Put the Christ Back in Christmas”)
Production Design:
- Narrative Program (Half-Hour): “The Studio”
- Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More): “Severance”
- Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More): “Andor”
Sound:
- Sound Editing for an Animated Program: “Arcane”
- Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour): “The Studio”
- Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour): “The Last of Us”
- Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special: “The Penguin”
- Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour): “The Studio”
- Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour): “Severance”
- Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: “The Penguin”
Stunts:
- Stunt Coordination for Comedy Programming: “The Righteous Gemstones”
- Stunt Coordination for Drama Programming: “The Boys”
- Stunt Performance: “The Boys”
Visual Effects:
- Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie: “Andor”
- Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode: “The Penguin” (“Bliss”)
Other:
- TV Movie: “Rebel Ridge”
- Character Voice-Over Performance: Julie Andrews, “Bridgerton”
- Motion Design: Octopus!
- Title Design: “Severance”
Looking Ahead to the Primetime Emmys
With the Creative Arts Emmy Awards concluded, anticipation is building for the Primetime Emmy Awards, which will be broadcast on CBS and Paramount+. “Severance” leads all series with 27 nominations, followed by “The Studio” with 23 and “The Penguin” with 24. The awards season promises to be fiercely competitive as the television industry’s best vie for top honors.
