2024 Emmy co-host Eugene Levy summed it up in his opening monologue: “I know some of you might expect us to make a joke about whether The bear is really a comedy,” said Levy. “But in the true spirit of The bear … we will not joke.”

If there was a story surrounding this year’s Emmys, it was this: Why is The bear– a show about a tormented Chicago chef dealing with the trauma of his brother’s suicide while trying to run a stressful restaurant staffed by people who are all struggling with their own issues – and competing in the comedy category? Everyone seems to agree: The bear is good television and should win several Emmy Awards. (Well, almost all of them.) Everyone also seems to agree: It is strange that The bear is classified as a comedy.

And at the 2024 Emmys, monologue joke or not, The bear more or less conquered the comedy category. Not only that – it broke his own Emmys record for most wins by a comedy in a single season.

At the time of writing, the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series has not yet been awarded, so there is still a chance for a comeback Palm Royale upset. But until tonight: Christopher Storer won Best Directing in a Comedy Series. Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays the snarky Cousin Richie, won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Liza Colón-Zayas won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – which is fitting, since Tina’s “Yeah, Jeff” instead of “Boss” is the funniest and perhaps only joke in the series. Jeremy Allen White, the one with the eternally contrite look, won Best Actor in a Comedy Series, beating out Steve Martin and Martin Short. Only murders in the building and Larry David for the final season of Curb your enthusiasmwhich is funny because it’s basically something that would happen to TV Larry. (Ayo Edebiri was beaten in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series by Jean Smart for Hackingwho then gave an acceptance speech in the style of Deborah Vance; while the award for best writer of a comedy series also went to Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky for Hacking.)

In the non-televised part of this year’s awards ceremony The bear Additional awards were given to Jamie Lee Curtis for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Jon Bernthal for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Sound Editing, Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series, Outstanding Camera Work for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour), Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour), and Animation, and Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series.

The perceived comedy miscategorization might feel especially acute because tonight’s show marks the second time the Emmys have aired in a year – the 2023 ceremony was postponed until this January due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. So this is the second time in a calendar year that The bear won in the comedy category in seasons one and two. If you compare the heavy tone of the show with the last comedy winners –Ted Lasso, Flea bag, Veep, Modern Family, there is a noticeable change in tone.

Why is The bear classified as a comedy? Simple: FX decided to submit it as a comedy, and there is nothing stopping it. In 2015, given the dominance of the dramedy, the Emmys tried to split the categories by time. Anything 30 minutes or less was automatically a comedy, while anything longer had to be considered a drama. This affected shows like Orange is the new blackwhich ultimately had to compete as a drama rather than a comedy, but that imperfect rule was thrown in the trash in 2021.

The third season of The bearwhich aired last June, deviates even further from anything that could be called a comedy – here at GQwe even called it a “horror story from restaurant life.” Without rules or guard rails, The bear rethink their confusing categorization? Or will they continue to try to convince the world that it is a comedy? (Sad) Please don’t, boss.