John Oliver's 'Last Week Tonight' bags Emmy for Scripted Variety Series after category switch, beats 'Saturday Night Live'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: At the 2024 Emmy Awards, John Oliver's 'Last Week Tonight' emerged victorious in a newly established category of Scripted Variety Series, marking a significant shift for the show.

The change stemmed from a rule adjustment that grouped 'Last Week Tonight' with sketch comedy counterparts like 'Saturday Night Live' (SNL) and 'A Black Lady Sketch Show'. 

According to Hollywood Reporter, this move shifted Oliver's show out of the Talk Show category, which it had dominated for years and a space traditionally occupied by programs like Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show', CBS' 'Late Show With Stephen Colbert', and NBC's 'Late Night With Seth Meyers'.

Despite the category switch, 'Last Week Tonight' secured an Outstanding Series Emmy for the eighth consecutive year.

Host Anthony Anderson's mother jokingly interrupts Jamie Oliver's Emmy acceptance speech

Oliver expressed gratitude to the show's staff and humorously acknowledged their legal team, quipping, "Thank you to HBO, Casey, Nina, and our lawyers who are angry with us all of the time." 

The ceremony featured his playful engagement with the "play-off mama" theme, incorporating names of Liverpool FC players into his acceptance speech until host Anthony Anderson's mother, Doris Bownan, jokingly interrupted to signal the end of his time.

Following Anderson's instructions, the 'Last Week Tonight' concluded with, "Thank you to Jesus and my family." 

Why was 'Last Week Tonight' placed in the scripted variety series category instead of the talk show category? 

According to Television Academy rules, scripted variety series are "programs that are primarily scripted or feature loosely scripted improv and consist of discrete scenes, musical numbers, monologues, comedy stand-ups, sketches, etc."

This distinction sets them apart from the variety talk series, which predominantly feature host-guest interviews. 'Last Week Tonight' also stands out with its weekly airing schedule, distinguishing it from the nightly format of four out of the five variety talk series, excluding 'The Problem With Jon Stewart'.

'Last Week Tonight's' triumph in the new category highlights its adaptability and ongoing brilliance in scripted content, offering a distinctive turn in its Emmy trajectory, while the defeat of 'SNL' concluded its six-year winning streak for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series since 2017.

Among the winning writers were Daniel O’Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Seena Vali, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Tim Carvell, Liz Hynes, Ryan Ken, Mark Kramer, Sofia Manfredi, Taylor Kay Phillips, Chrissy Shackelford, and Oliver.