# The Emmys ran short, so two pals vamped

> An awards show with time to burn at the end is a rare problem, and the 78th Emmys handed it to the two guys least likely to panic.
- Title: The Emmys ran short, so two pals vamped | Shortify
- Summary: An awards show with time to burn at the end is a rare problem, and the 78th Emmys handed it to the two guys least likely to panic. When a telecast needs…
- Keywords: emmys, awards shows, television, live tv, hosting, ran, short, two, pals, vamped, The Hollywood Reporter
- Source: The Hollywood Reporter — https://hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/2026-emmys-critics-analysis-michael-j-fox-mariska-hargitay-1236701868
- Author: Daniel Fienberg
- Published: 2026-09-15T06:49:08+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: emmys, awards shows, television, live tv, hosting
## Hargitay hosts the 78th
Mariska Hargitay fronted the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, a telecast that lurched through its running order and ended in an unusual bind.
## Short, not long
Heading into the final category, the show had time to spare instead of time to cut. As the critic dryly notes, that never happens.

> this is a thing that has never happened before, so it's a strange hypothetical
## The closers were a gift
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson were the night's last presenters, which turned a producer's nightmare into a blessing.
## Pals, possible siblings
Years of friendship and collaboration gave the two an easy chemistry, plus a willingness to look silly that most stars do not have.

> The longtime pals, collaborators and possible siblings have an undeniable rapport and a total lack of shame.
## Told to go vamp
Point them at a live camera with no script and they can babble for five or ten minutes without flinching. That is a real skill.

> Go out there and vamp
## No regrets by morning
The other half of the skill is amnesia. Neither one is likely to wake up replaying what he said, which is exactly why it works.

> there's almost no risk that they're going to wake up in the morning and feel any regrets
## Key takeaway

When a telecast needs someone to fill dead air on live TV, pick presenters with rapport and no shame, not a script.