There have been years when the Primetime Emmys telecast has been full of surprise winners, but until the very last minute, this ceremony was not one of them. As the pundits predicted, “Shōgun” was pretty much number one, and both set records for the most-awarded shows of all time for a drama and a comedy, respectively. As hosts Eugene and Dan Levy also noted in their opening panel, “Shōgun” actually set its record at the Creative Arts Emmys with 14 wins, and only managed to extend that record with four wins on Sunday. And “The Bear” set its record despite providing the only true surprise of the night, losing Best Comedy to “Hacks”!

Meanwhile, the Emmys have also seen some unexpected awards – in one case, one even went to, yes, “the bear”. Here they are.

A comedy won best comedy against “The Bear”

Given the seven Emmys that “The Bear” won at the Creative Emmy Awards in early September, it would have been a smart — or even foolish — bet that the FX series would win best comedy for the second year in a row. Instead, in one of the biggest Emmy upsets in recent history, “Hacks” won in that category.

A major factor in the vote may have been that “Hacks” regularly makes its audience laugh, while “The Bear,” despite its many praiseworthy qualities, considers laughter a rare and expensive condiment. It also probably didn’t help that Season 2 debuted in June 2023, nearly 14 months before voting began, meaning the far less well-received Season 3, which premiered in June 2024, was even fresher in voters’ minds. Season 3 of “Hacks,” meanwhile, was arguably the strongest yet.

The upset was perhaps predictable when “Bulletproof” — the season three finale of “Hacks” — beat “Fishes,” the critically acclaimed season two episode of “The Bear” about the worst Christmas dinner ever. But given the success of “The Bear” and the popularity of the episode “Fishes” in the film world, it seemed a sure thing to win in the comedy screenplay category (as it did in season one). But “Bulletproof,” written by “Hacks” creators Jen Statsky, Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs, ended up winning — possibly because it shows the range of Max comedy, from a hilarious scene on an airplane to the twist in the finale in which Ava (Hannah Einbinder) blackmails Deborah (Jean Smart) to get the job she wants. (“Fishes” did not go home empty-handed, however: “The Bear” creator Christopher Storer later won the Emmy for directing the comedy at the ceremony.)

Still, it’s a huge surprise that “Hacks” triumphed over “The Bear” in the top category. Someone better check out Carmy!

Deputy Witt Far defeats Iron Man!

Lamorne Morris seemed genuinely surprised to win for his role in the final season of Noah Hawley’s Fargo, and so were we: delighted. Morris, best known as a comedic actor, shone in his role as a serious cop who forms an unlikely bond with kidnapped housewife Dot Lyon (Juno Temple) – first she saves his life, then he saves hers. That’s great! Morris brought depth and heart to the role of Witt Farr, and now he’s been rewarded for it. And this category was hotly contested, too, with recent Oscar winner and gigantic movie star Robert Downey Jr. the favorite for his multiple roles in the HBO miniseries The Sympathizer.

Liza Colón-Zayas from “The Bear” convinces Hannah Einbinder and Meryl Streep

While the male nominees from “The Bear” – Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach – were considered sure winners from the start, hardly any experts had the women from FX’s restaurant, er, comedy cinema on their side. While Ayo Edebiri could not quite compete with the superiority of “Hacks” superstar Jean Smart in the main category, the experienced actress Liza Colón-Zayas thrilled the audience with her unexpected victory over the favorite Hannah Einbinder from “Hacks”, not to mention the national stars Meryl Streep (“Only Murders in the Building”) and Carol Burnett (“Palm Royale”).

“The Traitors” bans “RuPaul’s Drag Race” from the reality competition category

For five of the last six years, only “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” could loosen the grip that “RuPaul’s Drag Race” had on the reality competition category — until this year, when Season 2 of the delicious Peacock series “The Traitors” managed to snatch “Drag Race” away. The victory was already foreshadowed last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys, when “The Traitors” host Alan Cumming — who wows audiences in every episode and also delivers tartan — won the award for host of a reality competition, ending RuPaul Charles’ eight-year winning streak for “Drag Race.”

Season 2 of “The Traitors” — which premiered on Peacock in January and aired weekly, gaining momentum along the way — was simply undeniable. The show had everything, from the meme-inspiring charm of Bravo star Phaedra Parks (“Oh God, sweet baby Jesus, not Ekin-Su”) to the squint of “Survivor” villain Parvati Swallow to the surprise winners in the finale, “The Traitors” became a phenomenon this year.

The year Lizzo won the Big Grrrls competition was a fluke, and it’s unlikely that show will ever return. But The Traitors will remain as an annual event, giving Drag Race its only serious challenger in years. (Puts opera glasses over eyes): We can’t wait to see how this turns out.

Cowardly network manager (Billy Crudup) defeats unscrupulous warlord (Tadanobu Asano)

Although “Shōgun” was an unstoppable force on Sunday night, one of the show’s best performances — Tadanobu Asano as the morally bankrupt, charming Yabushige — was overlooked in the best supporting actor category. Instead, Billy Crudup of “The Morning Show” won for his hilariously over-the-top portrayal of network executive Cory Ellison in the show’s third season. (Typical Cory quote: “Alex Levy is Lazarus, and that makes me Jesus. Except I’m in more houses seven days a week.”)

It was Crudup’s second Emmy for his portrayal of Cory, having won for the series’ first season in 2020. (Crudup was also nominated in season 2, but lost to Matthew Macfadyen of “Succession,” the first of his two Emmys.)

“Slow Horses” overtakes “Shōgun” in writing

Of the many stunning qualities of “Shōgun,” perhaps the most impressive is its writing: first written in English, then translated into Japanese in an extremely complicated, multi-layered process. Perhaps this cinematic game of telephone seemed too diffuse for some voters to appreciate, or perhaps more voters were simply charmed by Apple TV+’s puzzle-box spy drama. Whatever the reason, “Slow Horses” creator Will Smith’s (not that one) victory over “Shōgun” writers Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks and Caillin Puente was a surprise. The moment delivered this great line from Smith: “First, relax. Despite my name, I come in peace.”

“Last Week Tonight” and “The Daily Show” are unstoppable

Since 2003, only three shows have won in the Variety Series or Variety Talk Series category: “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” (and once the version hosted by Trevor Noah), “The Daily Show” spin-off “The Colbert Report” and “The Daily Show” spiritual spin-off “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.” That’s all!

At the previous Emmys, the TV Academy moved “Last Week Tonight” to the newly christened Variety Scripted Series category because “Last Week Tonight” is not technically a talk show, and it competed there against “Saturday Night Live,” which had dominated the newly abolished Variety Sketch Series category. At the 2022-2023 Emmys — which had at least the semblance of competition with the addition of the final season of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” — “Last Week Tonight” emerged as the winner. History repeated itself at the 2022-2023 Emmys, even after one of the stronger seasons of “Saturday Night Live” in recent memory.

Meanwhile, “The Daily Show” (now hosted by five people, including Stewart) won again in the Variety Talk category, beating out long-overdue nominees such as “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Given the current television landscape, this may be an insoluble problem, but there has to be a better way than forcing two particular shows into a catch-all category while another show steamrolls the competition at all costs. And there has to be a better way.