Creative Arts Emmys Night 1: 'The Studio,' 'The Penguin,' and 'Severance' Shine

The Creative Arts Emmy Awards: A Night of Triumphs and Memorable Moments

The first night of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards illuminated the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles with an array of surprises, laughter, and impressive victories across television’s most celebrated shows. Apple TV+’s The Studio emerged as the top winner of the evening, securing nine awards. HBO Max’s The Penguin closely followed with eight, while Apple’s Severance claimed six. These wins highlighted the creative excellence and technical prowess showcased by these programs.

Among the standout acting moments, Julianne Nicholson received recognition for her work on Hacks, Bryan Cranston was honored for The Studio, Merritt Wever won for Severance, and Shawn Hatosy was celebrated for The Pitt. These performances added to the excitement and energy that defined the event.

On the technical front, The Penguin dominated with multiple awards, including hairstyling, costumes, prosthetic makeup, sound work, and visual effects. Meanwhile, Andor proved equally strong in creative categories, winning for costumes, production design, picture editing, and visual effects. Rebel Ridge was named best TV movie, and Arcane took home the award for Outstanding Animation. Netflix’s Love, Death + Robots also made a significant impact with four wins in juried categories for animation design and style.

Maya Rudolph opened the ceremony with a lively introduction, emphasizing the importance of the Creative Arts Emmys. She remarked, “This is the real Emmys. This is the Emmys for the people who make all the magic happen … this is a room full of talented baddies.” Her energetic presence set the tone for the night.

Despite the celebratory atmosphere, some moments were less than smooth. One of the funniest highlights occurred when Bridgerton won for Outstanding Costumes, and designer John Walter Glaser struggled to keep his pants up during his acceptance speech. In the comedy section, Desi Lydic from The Daily Show admitted she had to watch “too much Fox News” for her role and humorously thanked “the Deep State” for her Emmy win. Additionally, Hacks writer Robby Hoffman sparked conversation by vaping before presenting the cinematography award.

The Studio demonstrated its versatility, earning awards in casting, production design, editing, sound work, and music supervision. The Penguin excelled in both technical craft and original music, while Severance stood out with wins in sound mixing, title design, cinematography, and music composition.

The Creative Arts Emmys will continue with another 49 awards being presented on Sunday. While the ceremony isn’t live, fans can catch the event on FXX on Saturday, September 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, just one night before the Primetime Emmys. For those who prefer streaming, Hulu will have the event available until October 7.

In summary, The Studio led the night with nine wins, followed by The Penguin with eight and Severance with six. Andor, Arcane, and Love, Death + Robots each earned four awards, while The Boys and Bridgerton took home three each. The Pitt and Adolescence secured two awards, and Rebel Ridge was honored as the best TV movie.

Award Winners Highlights

• Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Julianne Nicholson, Hacks
• Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic): The Penguin (Martha Melendez, Kim Collea, Maria Maio)
• Prosthetic Makeup: The Penguin (Michael Fontaine, Michael Marino, Crystal Jurado, Diana Choi, Claire Flewin, Jerry Constantine, Yoichi Art Sakamoto, Bobby Diehl)
• Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Makeup (Non-Prosthetic): House of the Dragon (Amanda Knight, Sara Kramer, Harriet Thompson, Bonny Monger, Helen Currie, Natalie Wickens, Vickie Ellis)
• Period Costumes: Bridgerton (John Glaser, Amanda McLaughlan, Dougie Hawkes, George Sayer, Anthony Brookman)
• Contemporary Costumes for a Series: The Studio (Kameron Lennox, Betsy Glick, Tyler Kinney)
• Contemporary Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: The Penguin (Helen Huang, Kate Smith, Austin Wittick, Rebecca Freund, Esther J. Han)
• Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes: Andor (Michael Wilkinson, Kate O’Farrell, Richard Davies, Paula Fajardo)

Technical and Creative Categories

• Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Hairstyling: Bridgerton (Erika Ökvist, Farida Ghwedar, Grace Gorman, Laura Sim, Emma Rigby, Hannah Forbes)
• Contemporary Hairstyling: The Penguin (Brian Badie, Jenn Vasilopoulos, Mariko Miyagi)
• Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More): Severance (David Schlesinger, Chris Shriver, Ann Bartek, David Schlesinger)
• Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour): The Studio (Julie Berghoff, Brian Grego, Claire Kaufman)
• Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More): Andor (Luke Hull, Toby Britton, Rebecca Alleway)

Casting and Stunt Categories

• Casting for a Drama Series: The Pitt (Cathy Sandrich Gelfond, Erica Berger)
• Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Bryan Cranston, The Studio
• Casting for a Comedy Series: The Studio (Melissa Kostenbauder, Francine Maisler)
• Stunt Coordination for Comedy Programming: The Righteous Gemstones (Cory DeMeyers)
• Stunt Coordination for Drama Programming: The Boys (John Koyama)

Animation and Music

• Animated Program: Arcane
• Character Voice-Over Performance: Julie Andrews, Bridgerton
• Individual Achievement in Animation (juried): Arcane (background design, color), Love, Death + Robots (production design, character animation, character design)
• Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score): Severance (Theodore Shapiro)
• Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score): The Penguin (Mick Giacchion)

Cinematography and Sound

• Cinematography for a Series (Half-Hour): The Studio (Adam Newport-Berra)
• Cinematography for a Series (One Hour): Severance (Jessica Lee Gagné)
• Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series: The Last of Us (Michael J. Benavente, Chris Terhune, Joe Schiff, Christopher Battaglia, Mitchel Lestner, Jacob Flack, Odin Benitez, James Miller, Randy Wilson, Justin Helle, Ron Mellegers, Maarten Hofmeijer, Stefan Fraticelli, Brandon Bak, Jason Charbonneau)
• Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: The Penguin (Andy Kris, Rich Bologna, Christof Gebert, Julien Pirrie)

Additional Awards

• Television Movie: Rebel Ridge
• Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series: Desi Lydic, The Daily Show
• Original Main Title Theme Music: The White Lotus (Cristobal Tapia de Veer)
• Music Supervision: The Studio (Gabe Hilfer)