The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, which are technically the 2023 Emmys tha got postponed to January 2024, celebrated its 75th year by featuring a number of classic television show cast reunions. Last year’s Emmy Awards were originally supposed to air in September 2023 but were pushed back due to the coinciding dual WGA and SAG strikes to January 2024, which explains why some series from 2022 were still eligible for awards consideration. Among the big winners were HBO’s Succession and the FX series The Bear which both took home 6 Emmys and the Netflix limited series Beef which took home 5.
The 75th Primetime Emmys, which aired exclusively on FOX, featured several tributes to classic television shows outside of its cast reunions. Some of these include an I Love Lucy scene reenactment with Natasha Lyonne and Tracee Ellis Ross as well as appearances from two legendary and groundbreaking talk show hosts, Carol Burnett and Arsenio Hall, who reflected on their unlikely paths to becoming household names across America. The Emmy Awards also paid tribute to 75 years of television by acknowledging several unforgettable moments, as well as Martin Luther King Day by closing the event with footage of his famous “I Have A Dream” speech.
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8 The Sopranos
1999 – 2007
Lorraine Bracco and Michael Imperioli of The Sopranos kicked off the night of television show reunions at the 75th Primetime Emmys. The former cast members appeared together in a recreated set of the famous therapist’s office from the series, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. A photo of James Gandolfini as the series protagonist Tony Soprano was placed on the table of the set as well. During their time on stage, Bracco and Imperioli expressed their gratitude for having been in what many consider to be on of the greatest, if not the greatest, television drama series ever made.
7 Martin
1992 – 1997
Several key cast members of the hit 1990s sitcom Martin, including Tisha Campbell-Martin, Tichina Arnold, Carl Anthony Payne II, and Martin Lawrence reunited at the 75th Primetime Emmys. Together, the Martin cast members reminisced on their successful 134 episodes over the course of five seasons and great television ratings while joking that they should have earned an Emmy despite never being nominated. Host Anthony Anderson intervened to tell them that they would not be getting an Emmy before Martin Lawrence presented the nominees for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The award went to Jeremy Allen White for The Bear.
6 Cheers
1982 – 1993
Several major cast members of Cheers reunited onstage at the 75th Primetime Emmys including Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, and George Wendt. The celebrated series still holds the all-time record for most nominations for a Comedy Series at 117, winning 28 of them. Ted Danson went on to present the nominees for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series before Kelsey Grammer and Rhea Perlman announced the nominees for Outstanding Writing In a Comedy Series. Both of these esteemed Emmy Awards were ultimately given to writer/director Christopher Storer for his exceptional work on The Bear.
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5 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
2005 –
While the leading cast members of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia didn’t really have a reunion since they all continue to work on the show to this day, they appeared for the first time together at the 75th Primetime Emmys. It’s Always Sunny, starring Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito, is the longest-running TV sitcom of all time. The cast did a comedic bit similar to Martin’s cast, complaining that they’ve never been nominated once over their 16 seasons and counting. They presented the nominees for Outstanding Talk Series, which was awarded to The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
4 Grey’s Anatomy
2005 –
One of the highlights of the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards was the reunion of several key Grey’s Anatomy cast members, Justin Chambers, Katherine Heigl, Ellen Pompeo, James Pickens Jr., and Chandra Wilson. While Grey’s Anatomy continues to air new episodes and will premiere its 20th season in March 2024, Heigl, who was once a major face of the celebrated series, has not appeared in an episode since 2010. The Grey’s Anatomy cast members presented the nominees for Best Supporting Actor in A Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, which went to Paul Walter Hauser for Black Bird.
3 SNL Weekend Update
1975 –
Saturday Night Live has continued to air its celebrated Weekend Update segment since Chevy Chase was the anchor in its first season in 1975. However, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reunited to deliver a special version of Weekend Update as they presented the nominees for Outstanding Live Variety Special. Fey and Poehler hosted the Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live from 2004 to 2006 before Fey left the show for her comedy series 30 Rock. The Emmy for Outstanding Live Variety Special was awarded to Elton John for his Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium, earning him his acclaimed EGOT.
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2 All In The Family
1971 – 1979
Two cast members from the classic television sitcom All in the Family, Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers, reunited on stage in a recreated set of the Bunker family’s famous living room. During its 9-season run that spanned 207 episodes, All in the Family earned 22 Emmy Awards. Reiner and Struthers made a heartfelt tribute on the Emmys stage to All in the Family creator Norman Lear, who passed away in 2023. The former All in the Family cast members also presented the “In Memorium” segment of the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards accompanied by a live performance of Charlie Puth’s “See You Again”.
1 Ally McBeal
1997 – 2002
The final television reunion of the night was for the legal dramedy series Ally McBeal, featuring appearances from original cast members Greg Germann, Calista Flockhart, Gil Bellows, and Peter MacNicol. They reenacted a famous dance scene from the unisex bathroom in the series, which had originally featured Robert Downey Jr. as Larry Paul. Gil Bellows went on to reflect on the impact of Ally McBeal on the stage of the 75th Primetime Emmys Awards before presenting the nominees for Lead Actor in a Drama Series, which was awarded to Kieran Culkin for Succession.
Emmy Awards
The Emmy Awards is an annual award show celebrating the best of American and international television. A famous celebrity hosts the event each year, with the 2024 show being hosted by Anthony Anderson in Los Angeles, CA. The Emmys will air on January 15, 2024 on FOX.
- Dates
- January 15, 2024
- Location
- Los Angeles, CA
- Network
- FOX
