HacksCast Is Visibly Shocked as They Win Outstanding Comedy Series at Emmys 2024: Comedy 'Speaks Truth to Power'

Mar. 15, 2025

Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs, and Lucia Aniello and the Cast of ‘Hacks’.Photo:ABC

ABC

It’s official!Hackshas taken home the award for outstanding comedy series at the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

Co-creator Paul W. Downs, who accepted the award on Sunday, Sept. 15 alongside theHackscast 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.”

‘Hacks’.Jake Giles Netter/Max

Jake Giles Netter/Max

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.

Smart, 72 — who alsowon an Emmy for outstanding actress in a comedy series— opened up about taking on the role of a comedian in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporterin June.

“When I read the script, I said, ‘This is everything I could possibly want for my next job,’” she shared. “But I needed to be sure that real stand-ups could believe I was a comic. I had never been a comedian, so they were the real litmus test. And I passed, I think!”

The other nominees for outstanding comedy series includedAbbott Elementary,The Bear,Curb Your Enthusiasm,Only Murders in the Building,Palm Royale,Reservation DogsandWhat We Do in the Shadows.

“Abbott Elementary” stars Quinta Brunson as Janine, Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara, Tyler James Williams as Gregory, Janelle James as Ava, Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa, Chris Perfetti as Jacob, William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson.Pamela Littky/Disney

Pamela Littky/Disney

Abbott Elementary— which returns for a fourth season on Oct. 9 —received a total of nine Emmy nominations in 2024, including for Brunson as well as supporting starsJanelle James,Sheryl Lee RalphandTyler James Williams.

From left: Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White Scene in “The Bear”.FX

FX

The Bearchronicles fine dining chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) coming back to his Chicago hometown to transform a local sandwich shop following the unexpected death of his brother (Jon Bernthal).

Before filming the FX series, White, 33, revealed that he and his costarAyo Edebiritrained with professional chefs.

“Before we did the pilot, I went to the Institute of Culinary Education in Pasadena,” White explained in a 2022 interview withW. “That’s where I got to know Ayo — we were getting to know one another while cooking, which was nice, since so much of the way Sydney and Carmy communicate [with] one another is through cooking.”

John P. Johnson/ HBO

He continued, “And so ‘Larry David,’ I bid you farewell. Your misanthropy will not be missed. And for those of you who would like to get in touch with me, you can reach me at Doctors Without Borders."

From left: Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short in “Only Murders in the Building”.Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu

StarringSteve Martin,Martin Short, andSelena Gomez,Only Murders in the Buildingfollows three New Yorkers living on the Upper West Side who share a love of true crime podcasts and end up finding themselves in the middle of (a few) true crimes.

Short, 74, told PEOPLE in May that it isa joy to workwith costars Martin, 79, and Gomez, 32, on the hit Hulu series, which premiered its fourth season on Aug. 27.

“It’s a very, very, very loose, fun-filled set. I think everyone has the same review — that, working on the show, it’s really fun and loose, and that’s kind of the philosophy of Steve, the way he’s always worked, and so is Selena,” Short said. “So everyone works in joy and happiness, because we’re lucky people.”

OnPalm Royale,Kristen Wiigstars as Maxine Simmons, who is trying to gain access to the exclusive Palm Beach high society in 1969 whileCarol Burnetttakes on the role of Norma, who is described as “the grande dame of Palm Beach high society.”

TheSaturday Night Livealum toldEntertainment Tonightthat she was thrilled for the opportunity to work with the comedy legend.

“I literally said today, ‘I still can’t believe that we work together,'” she shared. “I wanna like verify that it’s her. I’m like, ‘It’s Carol, right? Yeah, I mean, it’s Carol.'”

“And for me, just with sketch comedy and everything she did for every person, every woman, she’s such an inspiration,” she added. “It was the crew, everyone. I mean, she’s just a dream.”

From left: Devery Jacobs as Elora Danan, Lane Factor as Cheese, Paulina Alexis as Willie Jack, Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Bear in “Reservation Dogs”.Shane Brown/FX

Shane Brown/FX

Reservation Dogsfollows a group of Indigenous teens in Oklahoma who want to make their way to California — and decide they’ll do anything to get the money, even if they have to steal it.

“It’s about damn time that Indigenous people are represented on this scale,” she shared. “Rarely have we been afforded the opportunity to tell our own stories. It’s so perfect that it’s a comedy because our communities are actually so funny. And nobody in Western culture really thinks that Indigenous people are anything [except] this idea of the stoic Indian who was being shot in old Western films. Or they’ll think of stereotypes like Pocahontas. We haven’t had many opportunities to be three-dimensional.”

From left: Matt Berry as Laszlo, Natasia Demetriou as Nadja, Kayvan Novak as Nandor, Harvey Guillen as Guillermo in “What We Do in the Shadows”.Russ Martin/FX

Russ Martin/FX

The show starsHarvey Guillénas Guillermo de la Cruz,Kayvan Novakas Nandor the Relentless,Matt Berryas Laszlo Cravensworth, Natasia Demetriou as Nadja of Antipaxtos,  Mark Proksch as “energy vampire"Colin Robinsonand Schaal as The Guide, among many recurring and one-off guest stars likeBeanie Feldstein,Nick Kroll,Mark Hamill,Fred Armisen,Doug Jones,Vanessa Bayer,Haley Joel Osment,Sofia Coppola,Patton OswaltandTaika Waititi.

Proksch said at San Diego Comic-Con in July that  the news of the FX show ending after six seasons “didn’t really change the mood too much” when they returned to set.

“We all have a lot of fun on set, and I think like Matt and Paul said it’s a good time,” he explained. “You don’t want to overstay your welcome and you don’t want to become a parody of yourself. And I think six seasons in this day and age is just [phenomenal].”

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SeePEOPLE’s full coverageof the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards as they’re broadcasting live on ABC from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

source: people.com