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Never count out Deborah Vance. In a stunning upset, the Max original comedy Hacks<\/em><\/a> beat out heavy favorite and reigning champion The Bear<\/em> to win the outstanding-comedy trophy at the Emmys 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI have no thoughts in my brain,\u201d said Hacks<\/em> cocreator Paul W. Downs<\/strong> when accepting the award. The visibly shocked Downs went on to thank his cast and crew before shouting out the importance of having elder representation onscreen. \u201cAbout 20% of our population is over 60\u2026and they\u2019re only 3% of our characters on television,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m a great young supporting actor, [but] I really want to be a good old lead.\u201d<\/p>\n With The Bear<\/em> coming off six Primetime Emmy wins for its first season<\/a>, including outstanding comedy series; lead actor for Jeremy Allen White;<\/strong> supporting actor for Ebon Moss-Bachrach;<\/strong> and supporting actress for Ayo Edebiri<\/strong><\/a>, season two of the show seemed almost insurmountable heading into Sunday\u2019s Emmys. However, soft reviews for The Bear<\/em>\u2019s third season<\/a>\u2014which came out less than two months before the Television Academy began final voting for The Bear<\/em>\u2019s second installment\u2014coupled with raves for Hacks<\/em>\u2019 third season<\/a>\u2014which found Jean Smart<\/strong>\u2019s aging comedian, Deborah Vance, recommitting to her dream of hosting a late-night television program\u2014proved to be too much for The Bear<\/em> to handle.<\/p>\n This was the first time Hacks<\/em> and The Bear<\/em> faced off at the Emmys, and the showdown initially seemed to be a blowout, with White and Moss-Bachrach repeating wins in the lead-actor and supporting-actor comedy categories. The Bear<\/em> seemed even more unstoppable when Liza<\/strong> Col\u00f3n-Zayas<\/strong><\/a> took home her first Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series, beating out stiff competition from acting legends like Meryl Streep,<\/strong> Carol Burnett,<\/strong> and Hacks<\/em>\u2019 own Hannah<\/strong> Einbinder.<\/strong><\/p>\n But when Smart won her third Emmy for lead actress, besting The Bear<\/em>\u2019s Edebiri\u2014who made the move from supporting actress to lead actress between seasons one and two\u2014it was clear that the race was still on. An outstanding-writing-for-a comedy-series win for Hacks<\/em> star and cocreator Downs and his wife, cocreator Lucia Aniello,<\/strong> plus an outstanding-directing win for Bear<\/em> creator Christopher Storer<\/strong>\u2014honored for his work on the seminal Christmas episode \u201cFishes\u201d\u2014made clear that it was a coin toss as to who would prevail in the biggest comedy race of the night.<\/p>\n In the end, the dishes Carmy and Sydney served up were no match for the comedic stylings of Vance and Ava. While accepting the best-comedy trophy, Aniello highlighted the importance of comedy and teased that a fourth season of Hacks<\/em> was imminent. \u201cIt can bridge divides. When you laugh with someone, you have something in common with them\u2026. It speaks truth to power. It really does. So support your local comedian,\u201d said Aniello. \u201cWe have to go, because we start shooting the next season in five days.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n