The 2024 Emmys Reunited The Casts Of The Sopranos, Cheers, Martin, Ally McBeal, & More
The 75th Primetime Emmys was a somewhat predictable affair, with "Succession," "The Bear" and "Beef" winning nearly everything, but there was one creative choice that made it stand clearly above the Emmys of the past few years. The theme this time around was honoring the most beloved shows in TV history, which made for a far more interesting transition between awards than the usual random comedy schticks.
This year included the reunion of Jon Cryer and Holland Taylor from "Two and a Half Men," a speech from Arsenio Hall of "The Arsenio Hall Show," and another speech by Carol Burnett from "The Carol Burnett Show." We got an extended homage to "The Twilight Zone," as well as references to "Taxi," "Dynasty," and "Mad Men." There were also cast reunions for ongoing shows like "Grey's Anatomy" and "Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Considering how long they've been going on and the impact they've had on the TV landscape, it's safe to say these two have earned the shoutouts they received.
We were also given a montage of iconic TV moments over the decades, from shows like "I Love Lucy" to "Ellen," "The Simpsons," "Breaking Bad," "Maude," and "M*A*S*H," as well as real-life events like 9/11 and a speech from Martin Luther King Jr. Near the end of the event aired the usual In Memoriam segment, this time played to a slowed-down rendition of "Friends" theme song in honor of the late Matthew Perry.
These were hardly the only shows the event paid tribute to, of course. Here are some of the most delightful cast reunions the 2023 Emmys gave us:
The Sopranos
It's been 25 years since "The Sopranos" first aired, and as host Anthony Anderson pointed out, TV today would not be the same without it. It didn't just help bring about the age of the anti-hero prestige drama; it also led to a TV landscape of far more psychological, introspective shows. "The moment Tony Soprano walked into this [office], doing the unthinkable, sharing his feelings with Dr. Melfi, television history was about to be made," Anderson said to start the reunion off.
In addition to displaying a photo of the late great James Gandolfini, who passed away in 2013 at 51 years old, the show brought together Michael Imperioli (who played troubled young mobster Christopher Moltisanti) and Lorraine Bracco (who played the patient, thoughtful Dr. Melfi). Imperioli is still familiar to modern viewers thanks to his recent hit role on "The White Lotus," but for many viewers this is the first time we've seen Bracco in a while.
"2024 marks the 25th anniversary of this series that Loraine and I were so fortune to be a part of," Imperioli said. Bracco then continued, "Speaking for Michael, myself and the entire cast and crew, it was an honor working with 'Sopranos' creator David Chase and of course, the great James Gandolfini." It was a touching tribute to a TV series that, as Anderson noted, had gone on to be nominated for 111 Emmys over its run, winning 21 of them total. The two actors were presenting the award for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, which went to Jennifer Coolidge for her performance in "The White Lotus."
Saturday Night Live and Cheers
It's wild to think that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were co-anchors together on "Weekend Update" for only two seasons, because they're still a beloved, well-known comedy duo today. The Emmys brought us back to 2005-era "Saturday Night Live," letting the two comedians present the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Elton John's "Farewell From Dodger Stadium"), doing so in their traditional "Update" comedic style. At one point, Poehler jokes that the Tony Awards are "celebrating the best in musicals that were based on movies which will probably be movies again," only for Tina (who's Broadway adaptation of "Mean Girls" has now been adapted into a movie) to butt in and clarify that this is totally okay.
We also got a lovely "Cheers" reunion, with Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger and George Wendt all showing up on stage to present the award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, as well as for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. (The winner of both was Christopher Storer for "The Bear.") Rhea Perlman in particular got a lot of focus this year; when her husband Danny DeVito showed up in the "Always Sunny" reunion, DeVito happily mentioned that Perlman's won way more Emmys than him. (She won four times for "Cheers," and DeVito's won one for "Taxi.")
Martin, Ally McBeal, All In the Family
Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Carl Anthony Payne II, and Tichina Arnold all showed up on a replica of the set of the '90s sitcom "Martin" to present the nominees for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. (The winner was Jeremy Allen White from "The Bear.") After some in-character banter and bickering, they got in a fun jab at the Emmys for never nominating their show. "We should've won an Emmy during our run," Campbell said.
Another prominent '90s sitcom cast to reunite was "Ally McBeal." The cast didn't just show up in a replica of the set, they also got to dance! Sure, there was no creepy dancing baby this time around, but we can't have everything. They didn't stick around for long, but it's still nice having Calista Flockhart, Greg Germann, Pete MacNicol and Gil Bellows back on screen together once again. Flockhart stayed on stage after the dance number to present the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series, which went to "Succession" actor Kieran Culkin.
One of the latest reunions of the event was Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers for their '70s sitcom "All in the Family." The much-beloved show went on for nine seasons, and was created and written by the late Norman Lear, who passed in December 2023. "Over the decades, Norman brought us together and he created groundbreaking television shows that depicted real people who made us laugh, made us think, made us feel," Reiner said. He praised Norman for his massive impact on the TV landscape and American culture as a whole.
Community, I Love Lucy, Game of Thrones
We also enjoyed a smaller cast reunion between Joel McHale and Ken Jeong from "Community," who bickered much like their characters would as fellow cast member Donald Glover (Troy Barnes) laughed in the audience. We didn't get any updates about the upcoming "Community" movie, but we at least got to learn exactly why Jeong left his medical career to pursue acting: Turns out, he killed a guy! (They were kidding of course. At least, we hope they were.) Jeong also threw in a dig at Jo Koy's much-maligned hosting gig at the recent at the Golden Globes, defending his supposed medical malpractice by saying, "I only had the gig for 10 days at that point, so give me a break!"
"Game of Thrones" also received a major shoutout, if not an official reunion. Anthony Anderson pointed out the show's impressive 159 nominations over its run, and Peter Dinklage came in to announce the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, which went to "Succession." Dinklage began his announcement by quoting his infamous "story" monologue in the "Game of Thrones" finale. Was it an intentional dig at the former show, or a genuine show of support for the nominated "GOT" spinoff "House of the Dragon"? It's hard to tell.
One of the last sketches was an homage to "I Love Lucy," with Natasha Lyonne and Tracee Ellis Ross recreating that famous chocolate factory scene. (Ross played Lucy and Natasha played Ethel.) It's a perfect sketch for the end of an Emmys that showed plenty of love towards television's long, varied history. If you've been watching TV at all throughout the past seventy-five years, there was undoubtedly something in this latest Emmys for you to enjoy.