The 68^th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held last night and with a good mix of old and new faces in the winner’s circle, a pleasant though sometimes a little too acerbic host and most importantly, actually managing to stick to the three-hour mark, this year’s ceremony may have been one of the best in recent years. No matter what this morning’s ratings will tell you. Here are my picks for some of the best and worst moments from last night’s ceremony.

Best

New Faces – If you’ve been reading my blog from the beginning, you’re probably well aware of my feelings about the Primetime Emmys, particularly my feelings on how it can be incredibly repetitive and predictable with the winners, making for a boring show. And while yes, there were the perennial favorites awarded, last night’s ceremony saw a number of new and exciting faces, all of whom richly deserved their win. I was particularly thrilled for Rami Malek’s Best Actor in a Drama Series win. Again, if you’ve been a regular reader of my blog then you are well aware of my massive love for the show Mr. Robot and particularly its lead actor, Rami Malek. He really has given one of the most riveting and spellbinding performances of the last year and his genuine surprise and humility after winning were incredibly heartwarming to see. I cannot stress it enough – if you haven’t checked out Mr. Robot, do it now.

Speeches – Award show speeches, much like award show banter can often run the gamut of funny, quirky or serious, heartfelt and of course the awkward and uncomfortable. Thankfully, last night’s ceremony little of the awkward and uncomfortable. Naturally, there were a few quirky and funny moments but most speeches stayed within the heartfelt and emotional lane, which made for a much more enjoyable night.

Fashion – Let’s be honest, we all watch award shows for the live and unexpected moments, to see who wins (and who loses) and to see what the stars will wear. Over the years, what the stars wear at an award show has become as important, if not more, as the award itself. And if I’m being honest, I do enjoy the “what in the blue hell was he/she thinking” moments, when a star gets it so wrong. That said, this year’s fashion was for the most part pretty good. I guess if one wants to be critical you can say that most of the women maybe played it a little safe but sometimes safe is best.

Jimmy Kimmel – Admittedly he may not have been everyone’s cup of tea and yes, some of the humor was a bit acerbic and I guess if you’re really sensitive, you might even say mean but all in all, I think Jimmy held his own and did a more than serviceable job. There were a couple of laugh out loud moments, easy going banter with the audience and things were, for the most part, light and pleasant. Yes, some jokes fell flat, others were a little awkward but it’s the rare award show host that hits it completely out of the park for the entire. So cheers to you, Jimmy!

They Said 3 Hours…And Meant It – Let’s face it, most of us tend to ignore the length of time award shows are scheduled for, especially if you’re setting the DVR to record it because honestly, it is the rare award show that sticks to its 2 or 3-hour mark. And that’s not surprising, between the bits with the host, emotional speeches that go on well past the “get off the stage” music starts playing and possible technical glitches that may happen. But as unlikely as it seemed at the start of the night, this year’s Emmys came in at exactly 3 hours and not a moment over. Hey Oscars, take a note.

Tribute To Two Comic Legends – The In Memoriam segment is always emotional and nostalgic, especially when so many of the legends you grew up watching pass away. However, this year’s tribute was particularly difficult as two comic legends passed away. Garry Shandling was best known for his long-running HBO hit show The Larry Sanders Show, a satirical take on late night television. I think one of the most genius qualities about Shandling’s humor was that you could never really tell how much of his performance was truly him and how much was schtick. The other tribute of night was to the late legendary writer and director, Garry Marshall. How do you even begin, to sum up the legacy of Marshall’s work – from Happy Days to Laverne Shirley to Pretty Woman. He brought us such rich and lovable characters that just like him, will live on forever in our hearts.

The Bad

Repeat Winners – As I noted above, while it was great to see some new faces awarded, it would not be the Emmys without some repeat winners. As predictable as it must be to many others, I cannot in all good conscience gripe about Julia Louis-Dreyfuss’ win but by all that’s good, can someone explain to me why Maggie Smith deserved another Emmy for Downtown Abbey? Yes, Dame Maggie is brilliant but come on, Downton Abbey the show hasn’t been Emmy Worthy since maybe the first two seasons. My other “are you kidding me” winner is the love for The Voice. Seriously, I don’t get it. It’s just another run of the mill music competition that was only different than American Idol because of the whole turned chair schtick. There is nothing different or innovate or even that creative about the show. I mean Emmy voters reward a Mark Burnett show and it’s The Voice when Survivor has been and continues to be one of the best reality shows on television since 2000.

The Food Bit – Thanks a lot, Ellen. Since she pulled out the pizza bit at the 2014 Oscar ceremony, every host feels like they need to have their version of their food bit. They really don’t. It’s time to officially retire the whole feeding the audience gag. It’s beyond overplayed at this point.

And there’s Always One – So remember how I stated above that this year’s fashion was for the most part pretty good – well that was mostly true. Because sadly (or well awesome for me) every year there’s always at least one. That one celebrity that makes you wonder, “Does your stylist hate you? Was there no one in your life to tell you the truth?” This year’s honor goes to Anna Chlumsky who apparently decided to rip off her living room curtains and call it a dress. Honorable mention goes to one of my all-time favorites, who never fails to disappoint, i.e. Claire Danes, who apparently took the term “Golden Girl” quite literally last night. See the disasters for yourself.