TV’s most anticipated night, the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, unfolded with comedian Nate Bargatze at the helm, live from the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony, broadcasting on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, celebrated outstanding achievements in television, with Apple TV+ emerging as a significant contender. Its Hollywood satire series, “The Studio,” and the intricate workplace drama, “Severance,” were prominent frontrunners, having already secured multiple accolades at the preceding Creative Arts Emmy awards.

Ahead of the main ceremony, “The Studio” had amassed nine wins in comedy categories, while “Severance” collected six trophies in drama, positioning both series as leaders in their respective fields. In the fiercely contested Outstanding Drama Series category, “Severance” competed against a strong lineup including Disney+’s “Andor,” Netflix’s “The Diplomat,” HBO’s “The Last of Us,” “White Lotus,” and “The Pitt,” Hulu’s “Paradise,” and Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses.” For Outstanding Comedy Series, “The Studio” faced off against ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” FX’s “The Bear” and “What We Do in the Shadows,” HBO Max’s “Hacks,” Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building,” Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This,” and Apple TV+’s “Shrinking.”

The Limited or Anthology Series categories also saw intense competition. HBO Max’s “The Penguin,” a gritty spinoff from “The Batman” universe, had already garnered eight wins from the Creative Arts awards. It contended with Netflix’s “Adolescence,” “Black Mirror,” and “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” Apple TV+’s “Presumed Innocent,” and FX’s “Dying for Sex.” Additionally, NBC and Peacock’s “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” received significant recognition at the Creative Arts Emmys, securing seven awards in the variety special categories.

The awards ceremony recognized a wide array of talent across various categories. Nominees for Lead Actor in a Drama Series included Sterling K. Brown for “Paradise,” Gary Oldman for “Slow Horses,” Pedro Pascal for “The Last of Us,” Adam Scott for “Severance,” and Noah Wyle for “The Pitt.” Lead Actress in a Drama Series saw nominations for Kathy Bates in “Matlock,” Sharon Horgan in “Bad Sisters,” Britt Lower in “Severance,” Bella Ramsey in “The Last of Us,” and Keri Russell in “The Diplomat.”

In comedy, Lead Actor nominees were Adam Brody for “Nobody Wants This,” Seth Rogen for “The Studio,” Jason Segel for “Shrinking,” Martin Short for “Only Murders in the Building,” and Jeremy Allen White for “The Bear.” Lead Actress in a Comedy Series featured Uzo Aduba for “The Residence,” Kristen Bell for “Nobody Wants This,” Quinta Brunson for “Abbott Elementary,” Ayo Edebiri for “The Bear,” and Jean Smart for “Hacks.”

Limited or Anthology Series acting nominations included Colin Farrell for “The Penguin,” Stephen Graham for “Adolescence,” Jake Gyllenhaal for “Presumed Innocent,” Brian Tyree Henry for “Dope Thief,” and Cooper Koch for “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” for Lead Actor. Lead Actress nominees were Cate Blanchett for “Disclaimer,” Meghann Fahy for “Sirens,” Rashida Jones for “Black Mirror,” Cristin Milioti for “The Penguin,” and Michelle Williams for “Dying for Sex.”

Supporting roles were also highly celebrated. In Drama, Supporting Actor nominees included Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman, and John Turturro for “Severance,” Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, and Sam Rockwell for “The White Lotus,” and James Marsden for “Paradise.” Supporting Actress in a Drama Series saw nominations for Patricia Arquette for “Severance,” Carrie Coon, Katherine LaNasa, Julianne Nicholson, Parker Posey, Natasha Rothwell, and Aimee Lou Wood, all for “The White Lotus.”

Comedy’s Supporting Actor nominees included Ike Barinholtz for “The Studio,” Colman Domingo for “The Four Seasons,” Harrison Ford and Michael Urie for “Shrinking,” Jeff Hiller for “Somebody Somewhere,” Ebon Moss-Bachrach for “The Bear,” and Bowen Yang for “Saturday Night Live.” Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series featured Liza Colon-Zayas for “The Bear,” Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart for “Hacks,” Kathryn Hahn and Catherine O’Hara for “The Studio,” Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph for “Abbott Elementary,” and Jessica Williams for “Shrinking.”

For Limited or Anthology Series, Supporting Actor nominees included Javier Bardem for “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” Bill Camp and Peter Sarsgaard for “Presumed Innocent,” Owen Cooper and Ashley Walters for “Adolescence,” and Rob Delaney for “Dying For Sex.” Supporting Actress nominees were Erin Doherty, Christine Tremarco, and Ruth Negga for “Adolescence,” Chloe Sevigny for “Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story,” and Jenny Slate for “Dying for Sex.”

Other categories honored during the event included Reality Competition Program, with nominees like “The Amazing Race,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Survivor,” “Top Chef,” and “The Traitors.” Scripted Variety Series nominees were “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” and “Saturday Night Live.” Outstanding Talk Series recognized “The Daily Show,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” Variety Special (Live) nominees included The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé Bowl, The Oscars, “SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” and “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert.”

Throughout the broadcast, a notable commercial debuted that captured viewers' attention. Anna Gunn reprised her iconic role as Skyler White from “Breaking Bad” in a 46-second spot for the beverage brand Popwell. Roaming through the familiar New Mexico home from the show, Gunn’s character grabs a can of Popwell’s prebiotic sodas from the fridge. She wryly states, “Trust me, cooking leads to bad things,” a nod to Walter White’s secret life as a drug kingpin. However, in this context, Skyler is critiquing other sodas that “cook the flavor out of their ingredients.” She emphasizes that Popwell is “cold crafted,” made with vitamins and prebiotics. With a menacing deadpan, she urges viewers, “So break from those other sodas, and their cooks. Say their name…Popwell!” This directly references Walter White’s infamous “Say my name” line from “Breaking Bad” Season 5, Episode 7, where he asserts his dominance by demanding rivals acknowledge him as “Heisenberg.” Gunn commented to Variety that there’s “something so refreshing about a brand that’s doing something different,” appreciating that Popwell “keeps it cool – literally!”