The best and worst moments from the 2022 Emmy Awards

Awards shows, we love them! In theory. But watching them can cause emotional whiplash, as the ceremony bounces from heartwarming speeches and surprise wins to awkward comedy bits and cringe-worthy teleprompter gaffes. Here's how the 74th annual Emmy Awards gave us all the feels — good and bad.

BEST: Sheryl Lee Ralph takes the win, and takes us to church

It was a moment 45 years in the making. After spending decades building an impressive stage and screen career (facing racism and disrespect along the way), the Abbott Elementary star took home an Emmy for her impeccable performance as the no-nonsense Barbara Howard. After belting out a few verses of  Dianne Reeves' "Endangered Species" — those pipes, baby! — Ralph took us to church with an acceptance speech that had us feeling the spirit: "To anyone who has ever, ever had a dream and thought your dream wasn't, wouldn't, couldn't come true, I am here to tell you this is what believing looks like." Amen!

WORST: Stop trying to make Club Emmys happen

It's never going to happen! Look, nothing against DJ Zedd, who seems like a nice young man. But the now-standard practice of having an in-house DJ playing hype tracks like "Whoomp! (There It Is)" as presenters walk on stage adds a try-hard layer of superfluity to an already crowded setup. (Why stop with a host when you can have an announcer and a DJ, too?)  Emmy producers, remember: There's an orchestra on site! Let them do the transition tunes.

BEST: Jennifer Coolidge busts a move (and stands her ground)

"This is a once in a lifetime moment!" Jennifer Coolidge had just won her first-ever Emmy (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for The White Lotus) and she wasn't about to let the overeager producers play her off the stage without a fight. When the DJ fired up "Hit the Road, Jack," Coolidge — riding high on her victory and a very powerful lavender bath before the show — busted out her best moves as the crowd cheered. This leads us to our next moment...

WORST: Let the winners speak, dang it!

Awards show producers have a lot to cram into three hours, but this year it felt like the Emmys overlords decided to save time by chopping down the winners' already-brief speeches. Adding those "[Winner Name  Here] would like to say..." graphics at the bottom of the screen was perhaps intended to cut down on the litany of agent and publicist thank-yous, which is fine. But even so, the winners barely had time to experience a few seconds of their big moment before the orchestra interrupted with the melancholy strains of "Time to Say Goodbye."

BEST: Lizzo continues the reality revolution

In 2018, RuPaul's Drag Race took home its first win for Outstanding Competition Program, marking a huge shift in representation for a category that had long been dominated by mainstream offerings like The Amazing Race and The Voice. Tonight, Mama Ru passed the torch to Lizzo, the host and executive producer of Amazon Prime's bodacious dance competition, Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. "When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media," said a jubilant Lizzo in her speech. "Fat like me, Black like me, beautiful like me." Yes! It's about damn time.

Worst: Meet the new winners, same as the old winners

Look, we love Jason Sudeikis. And Zendaya. And Julia Garner. But did voters miss Bill Hader baring his soul — and calling customer support for a bomb-detonation app — on Barry? Did they skip the episode of Yellowjackets where Melanie Lynskey's Shauna absolutely dismantles her snotty teen daughter with a devastating monologue? Did they see any Kim Wexler scene in any episode of Better Call Saul this season? All the repeat winners wouldn't be such a bummer if voters spread the love to buzzy new hits like Severance and Yellowjackets. (Both were shut out.) Of course, for every person grousing about these repeat wins, there are no doubt plenty celebrating them as well. (Hooray Jean Smart! Yes, we're contradicting ourselves!) P.S. Rhea Seehorn will be eligible again next year, voters — so you still have time to make this right.

BEST: Welcome back to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger

That sound you heard at around the two-hour mark was legions of All That fans squealing at the sight of Kenan Thompson reunited with his Good Burger buddy, Kel Mitchell. Though the moment was fleeting, Thompson's boisterous "OH MY GOD!" and his hint at a Good Burger sequel will have us smiling for days to come.

WORST: Jimmy Kimmel lies down on the job

There's committing to a bit… and then there's pulling a Kanye West. First, co-presenter Will Arnett dragged Jimmy Kimmel on stage to present Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. "Jimmy couldn't be here tonight," he deadpanned, noting that the host started downing skinny margaritas after losing in the Outstanding Variety Talk Series category to Last Week Tonight. Okay, solid enough gag. But when Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson took the stage after winning the Emmy, Kimmel just laid at her feet… for the entire speech. Sorry Jimmy, but being on stage when someone gets an Emmy doesn't count as a win for you.

BEST: Lee Jung-jae's historic win

Succession may have nabbed the Outstanding Drama Series win, but Squid Game's wildly endearing star Lee Jung-jae beat out two Roy men (Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox) to become the first foreign-language actor to win in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama category. The Netflix phenomenon took home six Emmys overall, including Outstanding Directing for Hwang Dong-hyuk. Surviving Squid Game: 45.6 billion Won. Making Emmys history: Priceless.

WORST: No <em>SNL</em> bits? What's up with that?

The All That reunion was great, but how is it humanly possible that producers had Kenan Thompson in the room with so many of his former SNL costars (Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, Amy Poehler, and Pete Davidson) and they couldn't work in a bit with even one of Thompson's recurring characters? We're willing to bet that a cold open featuring Diondre Cole hosting an Emmys-themed episode of What's Up With That? — complete with Hader as Lindsey Buckingham and Jason Sudeikis doing the running man — would have gone over a lot better than that oddly flat medley of remixed theme songs.

Related content:

• Emmy Awards 2022: See the complete list of winners

• Stars hit the red carpet at the 2022 Emmy Awards

• Emmy winners get assist from pre-submitted thank-yous during speeches