It’s time for Late Night With Seth Meyers to win an Emmy already

Frustratingly, the Television Academy often nominates and awards only a few chosen dramas and comedies (whether or not they’re well-deserved) instead of widening its scope to honor the best of TV. This applies to talk shows, too. To be fair, the number of late-night submissions is far, far lower in comparison to other categories. In 2024, only 14 shows were eligible for Outstanding Talk Series, with a total of four getting nominated. Despite the small pool, repeat winners tend to take home the trophy. (We’re looking at you, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver).  

However, thanks to a change in the Emmys voting rules last year, HBO’s acclaimed late-night series has moved to a different category: Outstanding Scripted Variety Series. After winning seven years in a row in the formerly titled Variety Talk Series, and besting its network-TV competitors, Last Week now has to primarily duke it out with Saturday Night Live. Oliver’s program doesn’t have sketches, but it is scripted and drops weekly unlike those that air multiple times a week with a format featuring celebrity interviews and various other segments. And as Last Week Tonight and SNL go head to head, it’s high time for Late Night With Seth Meyers to swoop in and claim the Talk Series trophy. 

Meyers took over Late Night a decade ago, and this year his show nabbed a nomination alongside Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and CBS’s The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. But this marks only the third time Late Night earned a Best Series nod. (The show has scored writing and direction nominations in the past.) It hasn’t won yet, and that’s a damn shame.   

The show is consistently relatively bright while covering bleak topics. There’s no better way to consume the usually horrific daily news than taking it in through Meyers’ critical yet wisecracking eyes—even if you have to wait until 12:37 a.m. (or catch a YouTube video) to do so. He followed in the footsteps of fellow Late Night hosts David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, and Jimmy Fallon and has carved out his own space. Meyers is equal parts charming and self-deprecating, having further refined his hosting duties since being plucked from SNL’s “Weekend Update” for the gig. He doles out similar wry humor here with a personable energy, making Late Night feel more intimate than it did before. Whether dressed in a formal suit or, as seen since the pandemic, more casual (read: relatable) outfits, he’s having a blast talking to his guests (without incessantly interrupting them with laughter, it must be noted), as evidenced by his day-drinking bits. 

His show’s breakout segment, “A Closer Look,” is a perfect encapsulation of the incisive, detailed, timely, and hilarious abilities of his Late Night team beyond the opening monologue. A huge part of that credit goes to a talented group behind the camera, which includes Sal Gentile, Mike Shoemaker, and Jeff Wright. No late-night talk show finds its groove without such writers sculpting the punchlines. In the case of this NBC show, the scribes aren’t just fostered; they’re given the limelight. Look no further than Amber Ruffin, whose segments like “Amber Says What” and “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell,” the latter put together with co-writer Jenny Hagel, gained enough popularity for her own three-season Peacock series, The Amber Ruffin Show. It’s a lovely way to toast the people who help make the show tick, much in the tradition of Conan and Letterman. (Now if only NBC would get Late Night’s literal band back together.)  

Late Night has certainly found its groove since the post-lockdown in 2020, which allowed Meyers and his crew to update their approach to a long-established format. It’s no wonder it nabbed its first Emmy nod in 2022 for Variety Talk Series. The Academy has ways to go to recognize diverse contenders, but among the current crop of four nominees alone, TDS won in 2023 (and 10 times in the past with Jon Stewart as host) and  The Colbert Report came out on top twice before he took over The Late Show. It’s time to shake things up. Late Night With Seth Meyers feels the most current of this bunch—and it more than deserves that closer look from voters.