TV Review: The 61st Primetime Emmys
Below are a selection of reviews of the 61st Primetime Emmys, which aired Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
“…The Emmys were a fast-moving, streamlined show, which made sense: the television academy was not leaving anything to chance. Mr. Harris was genial and efficient as host…And the show was funnier than usual, despite its overall antiseptic feeling. You just had to wait for the good bits. The jokey montages of writing and directing nominees were amusing.” — Mike Hale, The New York Times
“Yet as good as Harris was, he has to share credit for the show’s improvement with executive producer Don Mischer, who ingeniously restructured the show by grouping the awards by genre. It made the show seem speedier, more sensible, and — because it spread major awards throughout the evening — far more interesting.” — Robert Bianco, USA Today
“In fact, the whole montage notion was a good one - and so was the idea of subdividing the night into five separate segments…That made the whole show feel less like one long marathon march and more like what Mischer envisioned, which is top-40 radio.” — David Hinckley, NY Daily News
“From the moment he [Neil Patrick Harris] walked onstage, itself a richer and more evocative setting than last year’s bleak theater-in-the-round, you knew you were in good hands.” — Mary McNamara, LA Times
“The star of How I Met Your Mother did a standout job — starting with the hilarious opening number, during which he showed his musical talent, and continuing with his mock outrage over losing to Jon Cryer. Harris was affable, charming and simultaneously self-deprecating and comically self-aggrandizing. — Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
Factjunkie commented:
Wow John... dude if you are trying to hide that secret crush you have on the mailman, you are failing. It's okay, we all know already.
Now for a review from a non-homophobic, non-award show fan. I watched the show last night because of Neil Patrick Harris. I am a big fan of Barney Stinson (his character on HIMYM). With that being said I was expecting to just laugh at him and then flick back to the game during the awards themselves, but I found that I was actually watching the awards. Okay,I admit having 63 people on stage to accept an award for a 23 minute show was annoying, but overall the show was really good. The politics were minimal (I can't take rich people whinning about how hard life is) and the host didn't try to make the whole show about himself.
Can't promise I will watch again next year, that is unless Harris returns. That would be awesome.
John P commented:
I wonder how the critiques can be positive. Mr. Harris can not sing well, bombed on many of his jokes, is not that likeable as an entertainer and the show dragged. Guess I am not a fan of gay comedians.