It was all about nostalgia while honoring the best of television at the 2023 Emmys.
To celebrate the 75th annual awards show, the Monday, January 15, ceremony featured iconic cast reunions and recreations of classic moments from a dozen beloved shows throughout the decades. All in the Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Ally McBeal, Cheers and Martin alums were just a few groups that received the special treatment. The former castmates appeared on stage together at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on sets meant to mimic those from their iconic shows.
“The core of it is really celebrating television and to honor the shows of yesterday while we honor the shows of today,” Dionne Harmon, an Emmys executive producer, told the Associated Press earlier this month of the choice behind the reunions.
While some casts performed bits, others found different ways to honor their respective series — and shows long past. Natasha Lyonne and Tracee Ellis Ross, for example, joined forces to recreate a famous I Love Lucy scene, while one show left producers having to think outside the box.
Although American Horror Story was set to reunite Murder House stars Dylan McDermott and Connie Britton, the latter was reportedly unable to attend the event at the last minute due to travel issues.
A representative for Britton told Entertainment Weekly on Monday that the actress needed to travel back early to New York for production on the TV miniseries Zero Day due to the forecasted snowstorm reported to hit the East Coast.
Instead, McDermott gave recognition to series creator Ryan Murphy and his anthology series solo, while a mysterious Rubber Man — a figure featured on Murder House and portrayed by Evan Peters — crept around in the background. “Is it me, or does this place seem … haunted? It’s almost, like, somebody’s watching me,” McDermott quipped as he prepared to present the nominees for Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.
However, once the masked man unzipped the top of his full-body lycra suit, it was revealed to be none other than Emmys host Anthony Anderson. “It’s hard to breathe in these kinds of things. I don’t know how that dude did it in Pulp Fiction,” Anderson joked. “Wait, am I sweating back there? You know Dylan, I thought my butt was bigger till I put on this thing.”
Keep scrolling for all the cast reunions at the 2023 Emmy Awards:
‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Ellen Pompeo, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. met up at a Grey Sloan Hospital set one more time to present the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie to Blackbird’s Paul Walter Hauser. While on stage, the cast lamented over the two decades the medical drama has remained on the air.
Heigl left the series after season 6 and Chambers denatured during season 16. Pompeo, meanwhile, was one of the longest-standing actors on the series, starring from 2005 until her exit as a full-time cast member in February 2023. (She remains an executive producer, narrates each episode and makes guest appearances.)
Despite the “changes” the show has seen, all five actors joined hands as they agreed the fanbase is what keeps Grey’s going strong for nearly 20 years.
‘Saturday Night Live’
SNL alums Tina Fey and Amy Poehler appeared at their iconic “Weekend Update” news desk to present the award for Outstanding Live Variety Special to Elton John. (The twosome made history in 2004 when they became the first two women to co-anchor the “Weekend Update” news desk.)
“We’ve reached the stage in life when we’ll only present awards sitting down,” Fey joked of the bit, before she and Poehler took some good-natured cracks at the nominees.
‘All in the Family’
Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers, who played married couple Gloria and Michael on the 1970s sitcom, appeared on a set decorated to look just like the Bunker family home. The pair were there to honor legendary television producer Norman Lear, who died in December 2023 at the age of 101, prior to the ceremony’s “In Memoriam” segment.
“Sally and I were part of a unique television family: not just the Bunkers, but Norman Lear’s extended family,” Reiner said. “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.”
Struthers added, “Tonight, as we remember the legends of our industry we lost this past year, we celebrate their lives and legacy and the joy they brought to us. So to all of the members of all of our television families who have passed on.”
