Tricks caused a major upset in the final category of the 2024 Emmys.

The Max series won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for its third season, marking its third win of the ceremony. Also nominated in the category were The Bear, Abbott Elementary School, Curb your enthusiasm, Only murders in the building, Palm Royale, Reservation Dogs And What we do in the shadows.

In her acceptance speech for the award, series co-creator Lucia Aniello emphasized the value of comedy. “Comedy is so important, that goes without saying, but we really feel like it can bridge the gap,” she said. “When you laugh with someone, you have something in common with them. So support comedy. It speaks truth to power. It really does, so support your local comedian.”

Co-star and co-creator Paul W. Downs also addressed the audience, noting that the team didn’t know if the series would sell initially since it featured two female characters, one of which — stand-up comedy legend Deborah Vance, played by Jean Smart — was over 60.

“About 20 percent of our population is over 60, and there are only 3 percent of those characters on television,” Downs said. “I’d like to see more of that, because even though I’m a great young supporting actor, I really want to be a good old leading man.”

Tricks also won Best Actress in a Comedy Series for Smart and Best Screenplay in a Comedy Series for Aniello, Downs and Jen Statsky. Trickswhich also stars Hannah Einbinder, received 16 nominations for the 2024 Emmys.

The show’s win in the Best Comedy Series category was seen as a surprise, with many pundits expecting the FX/Hulu series to The Bear tops the category for the second year in a row. The BearThe comedy category wins have sparked a debate over whether the show is too dramatic to be considered a comedy.

Eugene Levy, who co-hosted the ceremony with his son Dan Levy of the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, joked about the discourse surrounding whether The Bear should indeed be considered a comedy.

“I know some of you might be expecting us to be joking about whether The Bear is really a comedy,” Eugene Levy told the audience during the co-hosts’ monologue. “But in the true spirit of The Bear“We’re not going to make any jokes.”

During the ceremony, Einbinder’s mother said, Saturday Night Live Alumnus Laraine Newman posted messages on social media criticizing The Bear for the comedy nomination. Newman wrote: “Every time I think of The Bear “Now that I’m in the comedy category for the Emmys, I feel an ulcer forming.”