Mariska Hargitay Leads a Brisk Yet Celebratory Emmys in a Return to Form: TV Review

Sep 14, 2026 8:59pm PT Mariska Hargitay Leads a Brisk Yet Celebratory Emmys in a Return to Form: TV Review Alison Herman TV Critic aherman2006 Latest After Taylor Frankie Paul’s ‘Bachelorette’ Scandal, ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Just Isn’t Fun Anymore 3 days ago ‘Snowfall’ Spinoff ‘The Drop’ Is an Evocative, If Uneven, Portrait of South L. A. in the Gangsta Rap Era: TV Review 6 days ago Netflix Animated Comedy ‘Dang!’ Is an Enjoyably Chaotic Sibling Hangout: TV Review 7 days ago 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 . 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. Paramount Repeats Demand That States and WGA Post $1.88 Billion Bond Over Warner Bros. Merger Delay, After AGs Argue Company Is Trying to 'Offload Its Responsibility' for Ticking Fees Iowa and Montana Ask Supreme Court to Block ‘Politicized’ Paramount-Warner Bros. Hargitay even got Swift herself to show up for a pre-taped segment, even if the cameo didn’t entirely justify an overlong parody of the pop star’s conspiratorial fanbase. Popular on Variety The Emmys had room to spare because the show had bumped several awards to the earlier ceremony once known as the Creative Arts Emmys, including supporting actor and actress in a limited series. (Winners Linda Cardellini and David Harbour of “DTF St. Louis” still got to appear in the main show as presenters.) The move was controversial — when the Oscars tried something similar a few years ago, demoting most of the technical awards to a pre-show, the time savings weren’t enough to justify the slight and the strategy was swiftly reversed.