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Alison Herman
TV Critic
aherman2006 See All
Courtesy of NBC Last year, the Emmys bet on an unorthodox host in Nate Bargatze and the result was an unmitigated disaster. This year, the Emmys bet on an unorthodox host and were rewarded with an effusive, yet efficient tribute to television at its best.
Watching “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star — and “My Mom Jayne” director, and Broadway leading lady and New York Knicks superfan — Mariska Hargitay emcee the Emmy awards’ 78th ceremony, I thought often of stand-up comedian Nikki Glaser. After Jo Koy’s abysmal, contemptuous turn leading the Golden Globes, Glaser rescued the broadcast, raised her own profile and ultimately became a repeat host by embracing enthusiasm. And while Bargatze’s Emmys performance last year wasn’t quite as infamous as Koy’s, a countdown clock preemptively chiding honorees for enjoying their moment a little too much showed a similar lack of regard for the evening’s ostensible purpose. Hargitay went in the other direction, throwing herself into multiple musical numbers and generally showing herself to be a fan of television as well as one of its most visible ambassadors. The approach paid off.
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