"Succession," "Beef" and "The Bear" met high expectations Monday by dominating the 75th annual Emmy Awards, but the ceremony was at its best when honoring a more distant past.
The evening got off to a shaky start with host Anthony Anderson rolling through some TV theme songs with a less-than-inspiring gospel group. But then the evening turned the nostalgia up to 11, with one glorious cast reunion after another.
There was the cast of "Cheers," huddled once again around that Boston bar. "Martin" veterans reassembled, if only to grouse about how they never got any respect.
Katherine Heigl and Justin Chambers shared the stage with Ellen Pompeo in a tribute to "Grey's Anatomy." Calista Flockhart danced to Barry White in the bathroom with three of her former "Ally McBeal" co-stars. Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers returned to the "All the Family" living room for a tribute to the late Norman Lear.
Standing ovations went to legendary presenters Joan Collins, Carol Burnett and Marla Gibbs. The crowd also rose to their feet for Christina Applegate, who leaned on a cane due to multiple sclerosis.
"I'm going to cry more than I've been crying," she said.
The trips down memory lane were mostly eye candy. Even the banter between Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, revisiting their "SNL Weekend Update," was second-rate. But the mere presence of so many TV favorites was enough to enlighten an otherwise predictable affair.
"Succession" added an exclamation point to its four-year run with six wins, including best drama, best actor (Kieran Culkin), best actress (Sarah Snook) and best supporting acting (Matthew Macfadyen).
Culkin had one of the smartest cracks of the night when he used his time onstage to tell his wife that he wanted more children.
"You said, 'Maybe, if I win,' " he said.
"The Bear," which was being recognized for its rookie season, also had six victories including best comedy.
"Beef" was named best limited or anthology series, with additional honors for leads Ali Wong and Steven Yeun.
It was big night for people of color, with wins also going to Black actors Quinta Brunson ("Abbott Elementary"), Ayo Edibiri ("The Bear") and Niecy Nash-Betts ("Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story"). "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" was named outstanding talk series.
"Everybody having fun at the chocolate Emmys tonight?" Anderson said early in the broadcast. "We are killing it tonight. This is like MLK Day and Juneteenth all rolled into one."
Most winners underplayed their victories. Paul Walter Hauser accepted his acting award for "Black Bird" while chewing on either a snack or a wad of gum. He then tried to make up for bad manners with a bizarre rap.
John Oliver ("Last Week Tonight") and RuPaul ("RuPaul's Drag Race") picked up their hardware like it was old hat — because it was. Both have picked up Emmys for at least five straight years.
At least best supporting actor winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach didn't hold back. When "The Bear" was proclaimed best comedy series, he interrupted castmate Matty Matheson's acceptance speech with a long kiss on the lips.
Viewers were robbed of a possible highlight when "Elton John: Farewell From Dodger Stadium" was named best variety special, meaning that the rocker is now an EGOT winner. But John was not present.
Perhaps the most moving moment of the evening came during the "In Memoriam" segment. Musical artist Charlie Puth, accompanied by The War and Treaty, sang a snippet of the "Friends" theme song right before the late Matthew Perry's image appeared on the screen.
The three-hour ceremony ended with a clip of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.
It was an appropriate coda to an evening of sweet — and bittersweet — memories.
