Does anyone remember when the first season of “Arrested Development” beat out the final season of “Sex and the City” at the Emmys? Or that iconic moment when “Moonlight” won Best Picture over “La La Land” in a historic upset? Awards shows are no strangers to stunning surprises, and this year FX’s “The Bear” joins the ranks of notable upsets, losing the Emmy for Best Comedy Series to HBO/Max’s “Hacks.”

Despite losing in the top category, “The Bear” broke the all-time record for comedy series with 11 wins, a monumental feat made more shocking only by its three losses — each to “Hacks” — in lead actress, screenplay and, of course, the top prize.

I never imagined that a series that would win five Emmys for acting — tied for the most in history with “The Crown,” the drama series that won the top prize in 2020 — would ultimately lose the top prize.

After months of debate over whether “The Bear” even qualifies as a comedy — an issue Emmy hosts Dan and Eugene Levy couldn’t resist joking about — this loss begs the question: Is it time for “The Bear” to move up to the drama categories?

Don’t call it an identity crisis; let’s just look at it for what it is. Let’s answer the fundamental question: Would “The Bear” have had a better chance if it had competed in the drama categories, and possibly competed directly against its network counterpart “Shogun?”

At its core, “The Bear” is a 30-minute show, a format traditionally associated with sitcoms and lighthearted fare. But its raw exploration of fear, grief, and trauma often pushes it closer to the realm of intense drama. And let’s not forget, it’s also in English. So, could it hold its own on the dramatic front? Given the depth of its storytelling, I’d say yes.

Take “Shogun,” a sweeping, visually stunning tale set in feudal Japan. It’s a powerhouse, no doubt, but as we’ve seen with non-English-language shows like “Squid Game,” the most-watched Netflix series of all time, even groundbreaking international hits can struggle to win top prizes. “Squid Game” failed to top the third (and weakest) season of HBO’s “Succession” at the 2022 Emmys, where the show nabbed just four of its 25 nominations. Hollywood’s reluctance to fully embrace non-English-language programming remains a barrier, but that appears to have fallen this year. But let’s face it, the field it beat out wasn’t exactly exciting to most industry members and voters. The Hollywood strikes made it easier for “Shogun” to pivot from narrow to drama. Still, “The Bear,” with its universal themes and English-language format, could have been a more viable contender in that regard.

The distinction between comedy and drama at the Emmys has become increasingly blurred. In 2015, the Television Academy instituted a rule that automatically classified all shows under 30 minutes as comedies, while longer shows were classified as dramas. In 2021, however, it abandoned this rigid classification system, allowing shows to choose their categories regardless of running time.

This shift has opened up a broader conversation about what defines a “comedy” in today’s TV landscape. Shows like “The Bear” and previous nominees like “Barry” and “Orange is the New Black” walk the line between the two genres, blending humor with darker, more dramatic stories.

The question, then, isn’t just whether “The Bear” should compete in drama — it’s whether the lines separating the two categories still make sense. For now, Emmy voters seem to have decided, at least for this year, that “The Bear” doesn’t fit their definition of comedy well enough to beat out a more traditionally structured show like “Hacks.” With just three wins, “Hacks” has the fewest comedy winners since Season 5 of “Modern Family” in 2014, its fifth straight. I guess comedy is funny again.

As we look ahead to the 2025 Emmys, there’s a lot of speculation about where “The Bear” will fit in, especially with mixed reviews already surfacing for its already aired third season. Will it continue to play in the comedy realm, or should it finally embrace its darker, more dramatic identity?

While the loss in the top category may have made headlines, the evening was not without important milestones.

Veteran Puerto Rican actor Liza Colón-Zayas made history as the first Latina to win Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for her moving portrayal of Tina Marrero in “The Bear.” She joins a small but growing group of Latinas nominated in the category, following Sofia Vergara for “Modern Family” and Rosie Perez for “The Flight Attendant.” And judging by what she’s accomplished in Season 3, this may only be her first onstage performance.

Her win was met with enthusiastic support from the Latino community. During Cris Abrego, the first Latino president of the Television Academy, an introduction, actor, producer and comedian John Leguizamo took the opportunity to call out all of the Latino nominees in the room, including Selena Gomez, Nava Mau and Issa López. Leguizamo also used his platform to address the longstanding problem of Latino underrepresentation in Hollywood, saying, “Everybody was playing us except us.” For those advocating for more Latino visibility, it was one of the most powerful moments of the night.

In the drama realm, “Shogun” made Emmy history with 18 wins, cementing its status as the most-awarded series in Emmy history. Hiroyuki Sanada became only the second Asian actor to win the Leading Actor in a Drama award for his portrayal of Lord Yoshii Toranaga, and the first to win two awards in the same year, including the Outstanding Drama Series as a Producer award. His co-star Anna Sawai became the first Asian actor to win the Leading Actress in a Drama award for her heartbreaking performance as Toda Mariko.

Twenty-three years after James Earl Jones made history as the first black actor to win Best Supporting Actor (Limited) for his role in “Heat Wave,” Lamorne Morris became the fifth to take home the award for his role as North Dakota Deputy Sheriff Whitley Farr in “Fargo.”

Meanwhile, in the limited series categories, Richard Gadd swept his three nominations for “Baby Reindeer,” winning for producing, writing and acting. This is the first time someone has won an Emmy for acting for a show he wrote in this category.

FX Networks emerged as the night’s biggest winner, taking home more TV ratings than any other network for the first time in history. Notably, it’s the first time in over 15 years that neither HBO nor Netflix has topped the studio charts.

As an awards analyst, I’m always looking for patterns — some overarching story that ties the night’s winners together. Usually, there’s a simple narrative told by the collective choices of the Television Academy voters. But this year? The message is less overt. Perhaps the biggest lesson from this year’s ceremony is that, despite predictions, the Emmys can still surprise us.

And isn’t that what makes award ceremonies so much fun?