I’m not generally a fan of Hollywood familial dynasties (no one bloodline should have all that power!), but Eugene and Dan Levy are the rare exception. As it turns out, the same Levy x Levy intergenerational witticisms that made their show Schitt’s Creek appointment television translate almost perfectly to award-show hosting, as we found out on Sunday when the father and son took the stage at the 2024 Emmy Awards.
It’s been a rough few years for the art of award-show patter; Jo Koy didn’t exactly nail it at this year’s Golden Globes, and Jimmy Kimmel…well, he’s consistent, but how many times can anyone host the Oscars before their schtick starts to feel a little stale? There are definitely celebrity parent-child pairs I don’t feel enough genuine affection for to be amused by them roasting each other at the Emmys, but the Levys combined solid jokes (I’ll always laugh at an boomers-don’t-know-how-to-work-their-iPhones-and-their-gay-children-are-annoyed-by-it bit, and I particularly liked the Levys’ riff on the “plus” in Hulu+ making the streaming service a part of the LGBTQ+ community) with the vibe that they actually, you know, like each other a little bit.
We have a long award-show season ahead of us, especially those of us who are contractually obligated to watch said award shows for work (although who am I kidding? I’d fully be watching them anyway), so it’s nice to see what could be a formulaic evening of boring puns and dated topical references helmed by performers who know how to entertain a crowd under pressure without resorting to the easiest possible pop-cultural gags simply because the lights are bright and Nicole Kidman is in the audience. I, personally, would welcome the opportunity to get mildly sick of Eugene and Dan Levy as award-show hosts—come on, Emmys, give us a chance!