Emmy Awards 2024 live updates: 'The Bear,' 'Baby Reindeer' win big early

If it happens twice in one year can the Emmys really be called "TV's biggest night?" Oh, whatever, we'll give it to them. They did get all dressed up and fancy.

Even though one Emmy ceremony aired on Fox just eight months ago (because of last year's writers' and actors' strikes), it's already time to honor the best and brightest TV series all over again.

But we're back again and it's a glittering, "The Bear"-filled night, with wins for that FX restaurant-set dramedy, Peacocks reality hit "The Traitors" and Netflix phenomenon "Baby Reindeer" kicking off a great night celebrating TV, where hosts Eugene and Dan Levy actually kept the audience alive and laughing.

We’ll be here all night long to celebrate the highs, mourn the lows and hope the speeches don't go on too long. And nobody sings.

John Oliver wins again, dedicates it to all the good dogs

John Oliver's HBO series "Last Week Tonight" can't stop winning Emmy Awards, so the comedian has had plenty of opportunities to make an acceptance speech. After thanking his staff, his wife and his kids (messing up one of their names), he moved on to thanking the most important being out there: his dog. Getting emotional talking about how his late pup helped him through the pandemic and life, the orchestra started to play him off. So the frequently foul-mouthed Oliver spouted some profanities (and was bleeped by the broadcast). Oliver was able to speak again without play-off music, and say a word for all the good boys and girls out there. It was clearly the most emotional the audience got all night. Because dogs are that good.

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'Murphy Brown' legend Candice Bergen pokes at Republican VP nominee JD Vance

Five-time Emmy winner and star of shows like "Murphy Brown" and movies like "Miss Congeniality," Candice Bergen took to the stage to present the award for outstanding actress in a comedy (to Jean Smart, who won for "Hacks" for the third time), and used her time at the mic for political humor. She mentioned the time Republican Vice President Dan Quayle spoke out against "Murphy" after the unmarried character became pregnant and decided to raise her baby. She then lobbed a loaded joke at current GOP VP nominee JD Vance, without even mentioning his name.

"Today a Republican candidate for vice president would never attack a woman for having kids. So as they say, my work here is done. Meow."

Liza Colón-Zayas makes history with win for 'The Bear,' beats Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett

The TV Academy is saying "yes, chef!" Again. And they probably will keep saying it all night long. Less than a half an hour into the ceremony FX's "comedy" "The Bear" has walked away with three statues, outstanding supporting actor in a comedy for Ebon Moss-Bacharach, outstanding actor in a comedy, Jeremy Allen White and an emotional and historic win for Liza Colón-Zayas in outstanding supporting actress in a comedy. The actress is the first Latina woman to win in this category, a milestone she acknowledged in a short but powerful speech that had her category competitors Streep and Burnett cheering. It was hard not to get emotional too.

Hosts Eugene and Dan Levy 'applaud bad parenting' and smash their Emmy Awards monologue

Father/son duo Eugene and Dan Levy were the first to admit they aren't stand-up comedians when they took to the stage for the opening monologue to Emmys, but that didn't stop them absolutely killing it with their sweet and dry wit. Nobody was offended, there were many genuine laughs in the room and it was all over in a quick seven minutes. That's all we could ever want or need from an opening monologue.

The Levys hit the right balance of light-hearted and biting jokes, and the right people (and corporations) were always the butts of the gags: Each other, the TV Academy and FX's "The Bear" pretending to be a comedy. Eugene promised that he wouldn't make a joke about tense restaurant-set series being nominated as a comedy because, "in the true spirit of 'The Bear,' we will not be making any jokes."

They topped it all off by introducing "stars of 'The Golden Bachelor' Steve Martin and Martin Short," and it set the tone for a great night.

Laverne Cox 'Baby Reindeer' star Nava Mau tear up over making trans history

The Emmy awards hadn't even officially started when the tears started flowing Sunday night. The normally bubbly E! red carpet show host Laverne Cox was brought to tears as she embraced "Baby Reindeer" star Nava Mau, who got similarly emotional. Both actresses have made Emmys history as trans women: Cox, the first trans person to ever earn an acting nomination for Netflix's "Orange is the New Black" in 2014; and Mau, the first trans woman to be nominated for best supporting actress in a limited series for "Baby Reindeer" this year.

"I'm so proud of you,” Cox told Mau, wiping away tears. "Ten years ago, I became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an acting Emmy, and 10 years later, I'm not the last."

The best dressed stars who walked the Emmys red carpet

Before entering Los Angeles' Peacock Theater, TV's A-listers served on the red carpet. They strutted, sashayed and swaggered in gorgeous gowns accessorized with megawatt smiles.

USA TODAY's Erin Jensen has picked the best looks that have sauntered across the red carpet so far, from Selena Gomez to "3 Body Problem" star Eiza González. We love a sparkle!

Who has already won a 2024 Emmy?

Angela Bassett and Jamie Lee Curtis are among the stars who already took home Emmy awards last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys, in which awards are given out in non-televised ceremonies for categories including outstanding guest actor, casting and reality host. Bassett snagged her first Emmy for narrating the National Geographic documentary series "Queens." Curtis won as comedy guest actress ifor a Season 2 episode of FX's "The Bear," also her first Emmy. 

FX’s “Shogun” nabbed 14 Emmys with last weekend's wins. So even before Sunday's main Primetime Emmys, it's already broken the record for most drama wins in a single year, previously held by HBO's “Game of Thrones.” So it will simply break its own record with any more wins tonight.

Who will win the big awards at the 2024 Emmys?

Sunday is set to be a big night for FX. "Shōgun" is favored to win major awards, including outstanding drama series, lead actor and lead actress for stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, respectively. FX's (nominal) comedy "The Bear" is favored in multiple categories including outstanding comedy series and for lead actor (Jeremy Allen White). In the limited series categories, Netflix's phenomenon "Baby Reindeer" is likely to triumph. See our other predictions here.

Who are the 2024 Emmy nominees?

FX's "Shōgun" leads the Emmys field with 25 nominations, followed closely by the same network's restaurant dramedy "The Bear" with 23 nods. Next up is 21 nominations for Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building." HBO's "True Detective: Night Country" rounds out the list with 19 nominations. The 2024 awards will honor series that aired between June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024.

Who is hosting the 2024 Emmys?

Eugene Levy and Dan Levy of "Schitt's Creek" will host this year's awards, making history as the first father-son duo to do so. Will they prove funnier than Anthony Anderson was in January?

“For two Canadians who won our Emmys in a literal quarantine tent, the idea of being asked to host this year in an actual theater was incentive enough,” the duo said in a statement announcing their gig. “We’re thrilled to be able to raise a glass to this extraordinary season of television and can’t wait to spend the evening with you all."

How to watch the 2024 Emmy awards

This year's Emmy Awards are slated to air live on ABC from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles at 8 EDT/5 PDT. The ceremony will be available to stream Monday on Hulu. ABC also airs a red-carpet preshow at 7 EDT/4 PDT.

Contributing: Patrick Ryan, Erin Jensen