Here’s Everything You Might Have Missed At The 30th SAG Awards

Right off the heels of the Primetime Emmy Awards, the SAG Awards did a good job of (subtly) reuniting casts of modern classic TV shows and films, like Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum from “The Fly” and Emily Blunt, Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep from “The Devil Wears Prada," plus the casts of “Breaking Bad” and “Modern Family.” I have nothing else to say here except that I always enjoy watching TV and movie lovers taking time out to appreciate the shows and films yesteryear. — Candice

Agree. I really loved seeing the reunions. I think it’s the perfect way for these awards shows to entice viewers with a bit of nostalgia. — Erin

Yes, more of this, please. Hope this year’s Oscars also follow suit. — Marina

“Killers of the Flower Moon” star Lily Gladstone, who continues to give the classiest awards speeches, is one of the only winners tonight to directly shout out the strikes. "I'm so proud that we've gotten here in solidarity with all of our other unions,” she said. Worth noting that on the day the biggest movie of her career opened, she was on the picket line.

Kenneth Branagh also gave a really nice mention of the strike and SAG-AFTRA’s big contract wins in his speech on behalf of the cast of “Oppenheimer.” He notes that it’s “a full-circle moment” — the cast left the premiere of the film on July 13 to join the strike just as it was beginning. — Marina

I may have gotten a little teary at the “Succession” cast doing a group hug after their win. As Alan Ruck said in his speech on behalf of that glorious cast, it’s their “last hurrah.” Gonna miss those Roys and their hangers-on.

I also really appreciated Ruck shouting out the show’s casting director, Francine Maisler. She’s the reason that brilliant ensemble exists in the first place, and it’s a reminder that none of these great shows and movies exist without casting directors, who often go unsung (case in point — the Oscars recently announced the creation of a casting Oscar after years of advocacy from casting directors). — Marina

As soon as they gathered up for that group hug, I shed one little tear. We’ll miss you, Roys! I also chuckled hearing Alan Ruck refer to Sarah Snook as “Snooky.” — Erin

LOL, Marina, I think you and I started typing at the same time. I’m shocked Sarah Snook didn’t take this win for Best Female Actor in a Drama Series. I thought Elizabeth Debicki was probably the best casting of that season of “The Crown,” but that’s not saying much. I was mostly bored by the season. — Erin

Agreed on Elizabeth Debicki on “The Crown” (for anyone who doesn’t watch, she plays Princess Diana in the final two seasons). I enjoy her performance, but this is a surprise.

It’s strange that “Succession” has been underperforming tonight. SAG-AFTRA is a huge union, so maybe a lot more members than we think just didn’t watch it? — Marina

I keep thinking about that. Like, when I prepped the post for this, I was like, "'Succession' is gonna dominate!" I’m not too mad at the surprises, though. Or maybe just folks want to see some variety? Like, we’re not the only ones who want this, maybe? — Candice

I really didn’t expect to crack up during this “Modern Family” reunion, but it definitely reminded me of how great that show was at its peak. They were ripping on how it was great to be on a long-running sitcom. And Ed O’Neill quips, without missing a beat, “happened twice for me.” That has been the funniest line of the night. I absolutely love “Married … With Children.” I’m probably overdue for a rewatch of that one. — Erin

Like a lot of people, I soured on “Modern Family” in its later seasons, but this was a nice reminder of the show’s peak.

I cackled at Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s joke about the Tonys being the last award in “EGOT,” and then said he was “kidding,” to the cast of “The Gilded Age,” which contains multiple Tony winners. — Marina

I have never seen a single episode of “Modern Family” (it’s been on my list to watch for a long while), but I am always here for Ed O’Neill, aka Al Bundy. — Candice

Those first few seasons were so funny. But like Marina says, it definitely falls off. — Erin

In lieu of commercials, between the awards, Netflix has been airing Tan France interviewing some of the winners backstage. So far, every interview has been cringey. Tan, for the love of God, please don’t ask Ayo Edebiri to comment on people’s bodies. Ayo, to her credit, was like: “Uhhh, not going there.” This may be the one time I’d rather watch a commercial. — Marina

Listen, the pre-show was damn near unwatchable because he was just being a big fan on the red carpet. I was cringing the whole time. — Erin

I’m so happy for Pedro Pascal for winning Best Male Actor in a Drama for his role in HBO’s “The Last Of Us.” Apparently, he’s been in the Screen Actors Guild for 25 years now. What a win. Kieran Culkin had been dominating in this category and I’m so glad to see Pascal get some love tonight. — Erin

Erin, you took the words right out of my mouth! I totally was going to say, WAY TO SHAKE THINGS UP, SAG! I love him on this show. Happy to see him win. I love “Succession,” and will continue to love Kieran Culkin and Matthew Macfadyen on “Succession,” and that does not take away from the fact that Pascal is so good on “The Last Of Us” and really helps make the show. Happy for him. Happy that this ceremony has decided not to put us all to sleep and actually give us a surprise for a change. Here for all of this. — Candice

“I’m a little drunk.” Naturally, he probably thought Kieran Culkin was going to win, so he thought he could get away with just drinking freely, lol. But this is why surprises are good! You get the winners’ unfiltered and off-the-cuff reactions. That speech was so glorious. As if we could not love Pedro Pascal more. — Marina

As demonstrated by Jeremy Allen White just now, I really enjoy that SAG Award winners often get a little more personal about acting in their speeches, thanking their cast mates, remembering their acting beginnings and seeming genuinely touched to receive this award from their peers. — Marina

“No, no. That wasn’t a question.” “By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me.” Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway quoting Miranda Priestly at Meryl Streep? Groundbreaking. I adore it. — Marina

I feel like I’ve seen this movie a zillion times and I never get enough of it. Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway for the win, always. — Erin

I’m sorry but I’m going to be thinking about Idris Elba’s intro for the rest of the night and nothing else. I’m about to thirst over him as much as Tan France was thirsting over literally everyone he interviewed during the red carpet pre-show. This is just... perfect. He mentioned the SAG strike and everything in his intro, my husband!!!!! — Erin

He’s really killing this intro. Excellent De Niro impression, and a funny bit about whether people can swear on this show, now that it’s on Netflix and not airing on a network. He riffed on “not going full ‘Succession’ in terms of the swearing level, but maybe “Ted Lasso” would be fine. He also recommended just saying what you think would be appropriate in front of Oprah, and then they of course cut to Oprah, and he said: “F**k, that was Oprah!” 10/10, no notes. — Marina

In a weird moment, the Netflix pre-show just announced the night’s first winners: the awards for the two stunt ensemble categories, which went to “The Last of Us” and “Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.” They’ve often not shown these two categories on the main telecast, which is disappointing because these stunt performers are so crucial to their respective shows and films. And it’s especially weird to shoehorn them into the red carpet pre-show. — Marina

I’m glad you said this, because I was like, well, why are they announcing this now? We saw Elaine Welteroth with a SAG ambassador (who was really hot, by the way) announce it in the middle of the pre-show. I feel similarly during the Grammys when it seems like SO MANY awards are not announced on the show. Give some of these folks some time to shine and be appreciated publicly! (But also find a way to not make the awards show a zillion hours long.) — Erin

Hello on yet another awards night. The Oscars are two weeks from tomorrow. I don’t know about you, but I’ve reached awards season fatigue. Get it over with already. I much preferred when the Oscars were historically in February. That said, here we are at an awards show that does actually tend to have some overlap with the Oscars, so a lot of eyes will be on what happens tonight. I expect on the supporting side, Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”) will keep racking up awards, cementing themselves as Oscar frontrunners.

The two lead acting awards are actually quite competitive and tough to call, which is kind of exciting for late in the season. For Outstanding Male Actor, it’s going to be a photo finish between Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”) and Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”). And for Outstanding Female Actor, it seems similarly close between Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) and Emma Stone (“Poor Things”). And I genuinely don’t know what film’s cast will win Best Ensemble. This award sometimes overlaps with what eventually wins Best Picture at the Oscars, so certainly, “Oppenheimer” is a strong possibility (and that is a pretty impressive cast). But I like when SAG goes their own way, so it would be fun to see a surprise here.

Over on the TV side, expect “Succession,” “Beef,” and “The Bear” to dominate, as they have done time and time again (and deservedly so). Even though we have seen them so many times over the years, and the show ended almost a year ago, I will admit that I’m actually kind of sad that this will likely be the last time we see the “Succession” cast together for the time being.

Erin and Candice, what are you thinking going into tonight? Anything you’re excited about, or are you also feeling a general sense of awards season fatigue? — Marina

I am so tired of awards season, too. I also am personally very aggravated that the SAG Awards are on Netflix because for some reason it is not connecting on my Chromecast in my living room, so I’m having to cover this from my bedroom, while watching on my Firestick. Obviously, that is a personal problem. I finally watched “Oppenheimer” the other day so I feel very caught up at this point ahead of the Oscars. What I’m really hoping for is a shakeup with who wins a few awards tonight. I know it’s not likely, but I need some excitement. Keep us on our toes, SAG! — Erin

I, too, am annoyed that this is on Netflix and that it’s on a Saturday night.
That aside, I, as always, want the surprises — the people and work that hasn’t been “predicted” from the major pundits. For one thing, that makes great TV. Another thing is, it shares the wealth a little. Like, I would love to see Sandra Hüller win for “Anatomy of a Fall,” or Danielle Brooks for “The Color Purple.” Like, something to keep us invested and allow this to not just be another repeat of what we’ve seen at other awards. That is boring to me — not to mention very obviously rigged. We’ll probably see this more at tomorrow’s Independent Spirit Awards, but there’s no reason why that shouldn’t happen here.

On the TV side, I imagine “Succession” and “Beef” will sweep most of everything. But I’m always here for a “surprise” win for, say, Ebon Moss-Bachrach for his performance on “The Bear” or something. Like, I get it, this is an industry that loves to congratulate itself. But, a little variety, PLEASE. — Candice