Emmys 2020: The Best And Worst Moments From ABC's Virtual Ceremony

Not even 15 minutes had passed, and Jennifer Aniston was extinguishing an actual fire on the Staples Center stage. Yep, the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards were weird.

Much like everything else this year, television's biggest night went virtual amid the coronavirus pandemic, leaving us unsure what to expect from this industry-wide Zoom call.

But even though the Emmys' 72nd annual ceremony was often surreal and a bit uncomfortable, the three-hour telecast still managed to create moments both joyful and entertaining. To that end, we've boiled down the evening to 17 moments we're still thinking about, for better or for worse.

On one hand, there was Jason Bateman's delightful assist with host Jimmy Kimmel's monologue, an unexpected shout-out to Gilmore Girls' top tourist stop and the Emmys' appreciation for the pandemic's essential workers, among other highlights. But for every endearing acceptance speech or genuinely funny pre-taped sketch, there were other ideas that totally missed the mark. (Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank on Barry? Fantastic. Anthony Carrigan as a Russian interfering with our upcoming election in a humorless Emmys skit? Oof.)

Cast your vote in our poll below to grade the 2020 Emmys, then scroll down to see our full recap and drop a comment with your thoughts on the show!

The Morning Show star was dressed to the nines — or rather, dressed to be in bed by 9. "We have recycled tuxedo jacket from some award season I can't remember," he told E!'s Brad Goreski, coupled with a pajama shirt "from Target's exclusive Clark Griswold Christmas jammies collection." And he totally pulled it off!

Having been in quarantine for the last six months, we all know the pain of wonky Wi-Fi connections and awkward delays on Zoom calls. But somehow, we were still unprepared for the cringe-inducing pauses in E!'s red carpet interview with Watchmen's Regina King, caused by a delay between the cabler's Los Angeles feed and King's set-up in Santa Fe, N.M. Of course, it wasn't King's fault that she took several seconds to respond to Nina Parker's questions, but their frequently overlapping chatter made the interview a drag to watch.

The Emmys' decision to use old audience footage during Jimmy Kimmel's monologue, followed by the dramatic reveal that Kimmel was, in fact, alone at the Staples Center, initially felt a bit too Twilight Zone-y for our liking. Our thanks to Ozark's Jason Bateman for bringing some deadpan levity to the situation, first by pretending to be a cardboard cutout of himself in the audience, then unveiling an actual cutout of his younger self before departing.

We expected some metaphorical fires to need extinguishing during the Emmys' first-ever virtual ceremony. But literal ones? Not so much. We feel for Jennifer Aniston, though: Just when she thought that whole "60 feet away" bit would be the ghastliest part of her evening, she had to stop the entire Staples Center from going up in flames.

HBO's Barry wasn't eligible for the Emmys this year, but 2019 supporting actor nominee Anthony Carrigan popped up as a postal service worker from St. Petersburg, Russia— err, Florida, who attempted to intercept Kimmel's mail-in ballot ahead of November's presidential election. (There wasn't an audience there to react to the bit, but we imagine it would have been equally mute.)

Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino may have been nominated for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Sunday, but eagle-eyed Gilmore Girls fans likely noticed they were Zooming in from Stars Hollow, Conn. Can you imagine the strict social distancing guidelines that Taylor Doose has in place?

Speaking of incredible backdrops: Marvelous Mrs. Maisel scene-stealer Alex Borstein lost the Emmy, but won the night with her insane Mae West-in-boudoir "set" design.

During his monologue, Kimmel pointed out how "frivolous and unnecessary" an awards show seems during a pandemic, so it was nice to see the show incorporate some real-life heroes — including U.S. history teacher Cindy and UPS delivery driver Tim — into the ceremony by having them present the occasional category.

We pity the poor nurse who had to use a valuable COVID-19 test swab on this completely surreal moment. (We pity Jason Sudeikis' nostrils, too.)

The legendary late-night comedian was on hand (from a dirt road in upstate New York) to present the award for Outstanding Variety Talk Series, and used the opportunity to share some of his Emmy monologue from 24 years ago. Unsurprisingly, cracks at Angela Lansbury and Oliver North's expense didn't pack quite the same punch in 2020, but we appreciated the sound of glass shattering whenever he tossed a joke aside — the same sound effect used for years on the old Late Show.

The only person more excited about Mark Ruffalo's Emmy win than Ruffalo himself? His wife, Sunrise Coigney, who spent Ruffalo's entire acceptance speech cheering, fist-pumping and beaming at her husband after he snagged the Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie award for his work in HBO's I Know This Much Is True. Any way we could bottle Coigney's joy and carry it around for the rest of 2020?

Little Fires Everywhere's Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington got together to watch the Emmys — and to ring in 2021 a few months early. But why? "Because we're ready for this year to be over," Witherspoon said, speaking on behalf of all of us.

In a video package asking some of TV's biggest stars how they've held up during the pandemic, Freddie Highmore pointed out a problem specific to the face of one of primetime's biggest medical dramas. "Most actors have benefited from the fact that we should all now be wearing a mask to go outside, and no one recognizes them at all," he said. "For me, it's the exact opposite. 'Ooh, it's the Good Doctor!'"

As fun as it was to watch Sunday's winners gather with their friends and family in one small webcam frame, we kinda preferred Uzo Aduba's approach: accepting her award for Mrs. America solo, then shouting, "Mom, I won!" into the next room.

No one told us life in 2020 was gonna be this way. (Clap clap clap clap.) But the sight of Friends alumni Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox in quarantine together — with an unexpected drop-in from Jason Bateman — warmed our '90s TV-loving hearts. (Read more on the reunion here.)

We honestly couldn't tell whether the Orange Is the New Black vet was going off book or doing a bit when she first pointed out that she never won an Emmy. "I am living proof of the American dream — that anyone in this country can lose the Emmy four years in the same category, yet somehow end up on this stage presenting an award to someone who probably didn't effing vote for me," she exclaimed. We were so thrown off by ABC's censorship (and the awkward silence that followed it) that we had to rewind just to decipher that her anger was scripted.

Succession's Sarah Snook didn't win the Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Drama, but she joined in the fun when her show won for Outstanding Drama Series, toting a homemade Emmy made from what looked like aluminum foil. Sometimes you have to make your own victories, you know?