41 Emmy Awards Jokes: The 2007 “Sopranos’ Blackout, 30 Rock’s Debut & The Rise of Nerd Power” Edition

In 2007, the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards felt like a high-stakes funeral and a chaotic housewarming party all at once. It was the year we said a silent (and very black) goodbye to The Sopranos, while Tina Fey’s 30 Rock officially turned the lights on in the comedy category, and the era of “Prestige Cable” began to face its first real challenger: the rise of the lovable nerds.

The 2007 Emmy Red Carpet Top 10: “Black Gowns, Tracksuits & The Great Fade-out”

1. The Sopranos’ Final Bow: Why did it win Best Drama? Because after that controversial cut-to-black finale, the Academy gave them the trophy just to make sure the show was actually over and Tony wasn’t hiding in the wings.
2. The 30 Rock Launch: Why did it win Best Comedy? For proving that a show about a show that nobody watches is exactly what everyone in Hollywood wants to watch.
3. The James Gandolfini & Edie Falco Snub: Why didn’t they win for the final season? Because the voters decided that “Cut to Black” was a bold artistic choice, but giving them a fifth Emmy each would be “too much closure.”
4. The America Ferrera Coronation: Why did she win for Ugly Betty? For proving that wearing braces and a poncho is the fastest way to make everyone in the front row feel incredibly underdressed.
5. The Ricky Gervais “Stolen” Win: Why was it the joke of the night? Because he wasn’t there to accept his award for Extras, so Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert decided it belonged to them now.
6. The Piven Streak: Why did Jeremy Piven win again? For playing Ari Gold so well that real-life agents started trying to “hug it out” with people they actually hated.
7. The Katherine Heigl Buzz: Why was she the talk of the night? For winning Supporting Actress and then immediately telling everyone that her own Grey’s Anatomy writers didn’t give her enough “Emmy-worthy” material.
8. The Terry O’Quinn “Lost” Win: Why did John Locke finally get a trophy? For proving that if you live on a mysterious island and look intensely at things, the Academy will eventually notice.
9. The Daily Show’s Permanent Seat: Why did it win again? Because Jon Stewart has officially been at the Emmy table longer than most of the nominees have been in show business.
10. The Ryan Seacrest Hosting: Why was he mocked? For trying to host the red carpet, the pre-show, and the ceremony at the same time—making everyone wonder if there were actually five of him.

The Full 2007 Emmy Jokes Archive

11. Worst Dressed (The Bubble Hem Era): Why did everyone look like a fancy lampshade? Because in 2007, if your dress didn’t have enough volume to hide a toddler, it wasn’t fashion.
12. Outstanding Comedy: Why 30 Rock? For teaching us that “working on your night cheese” is a valid career goal.
13. Outstanding Drama: Why The Sopranos? Because you don’t bet against the family, especially when they’re leaving for good.
14. Outstanding Lead Actor (Comedy): Why Ricky Gervais? For being so “extra” that he didn’t even show up to collect the trophy.
15. Outstanding Lead Actress (Comedy): Why America Ferrera? For being the most beautiful “ugly” person in the history of television.
16. Outstanding Lead Actor (Drama): Why James Spader? Because Alan Shore’s ego is now legally large enough to have its own zip code and its own Emmy.
17. Outstanding Lead Actress (Drama): Why Sally Field? For Brothers & Sisters, proving that nobody can have a televised emotional breakdown as gracefully as she can.
18. The Michael Imperioli Snub: Why didn’t he win for the finale? Because even in the Mafia, you sometimes have to wait your turn behind a guy with a flashlight (Lost).
19. The Jaime Pressly Surprise: Why did she win for My Name Is Earl? For proving that a trailer park attitude and a “Joy” name-tag are the ultimate accessories.
20. The Thomas Haden Church Win: Why Broken Trail? Because if you put a cowboy hat on a movie star, the Miniseries category is basically yours.
21. The Helen Mirren Reign: Why did she win for Prime Suspect? Because it’s actually illegal to have an awards show without giving her a trophy.
22. The Kanye West Cameo: Why the jokes? For the sketch where he complained about losing an Emmy, proving that “Kanye-ing” is a cross-platform phenomenon.
23. The Steve Carell “The Office” Sadness: Why another loss? Because Michael Scott losing at the Emmys is just another Tuesday in Scranton.
24. The Rainn Wilson Buzz: Why was Dwight Schrute a target? For proving that beet farming and paper sales are the peak of masculine achievement.
25. The Amazing Race’s 5-Year Plan: Why the fifth win? Because watching people argue about directions in a foreign language is America’s true national pastime.
26. The South Park “Make Love, Not Warcraft”: Why did it win (again)? For finally explaining why the 30-year-olds in the audience were still living in their parents’ basements.
27. The Two and a Half Men Longevity: Why was Jon Cryer still there? For being the only man in history to survive being Charlie Sheen’s fictional brother for four years.
28. The Heroes Hype: Why was everyone talking about “Save the cheerleader, save the world”? Because by the time the ceremony ended, we realized nobody had actually saved the show’s writing.
29. The Scrubs Snub: Why still ignored? For a show that was too “smart-funny” for a room that preferred “lawyer-angry.”
30. The Entourage Bromance: Why the jokes? For proving that four guys from Queens can live a $100 million lifestyle as long as their friend is a movie star.
31. The Stephen Colbert Performance: Why the “Colbert Report” buzz? For his bit about being a “truth-teller,” which was funny because everyone was pretty sure he was serious.
32. The High School Musical 2 Mention: Why the mockery? Because the sequel was watched by more people than the entire Emmy audience, their families, and their pets combined.
33. The Lost Mystery (Continued): Why were they still asking about the polar bear? Because even three seasons in, the bear had more of a character arc than some of the live-action nominees.
34. The Sopranos Blackout Joke: Why? Because everyone spent the first 10 minutes of the ceremony checking their cable connection.
35. The Desperate Housewives Slide: Why the lack of trophies? Because Wisteria Lane was starting to look like a neighborhood you’d actually want to move out of.
36. The Justin Timberlake Win: Why did he win for “Dick in a Box”? For proving that a Saturday Night Live sketch could be more culturally significant than a 10-part miniseries.
37. The Tony Bennett Special: Why 7 Emmys? Because in 2007, “Classy” was still the only thing that could beat “Trendy.”
38. The 30-Second Acceptance Music: Why so loud? Because the show was in a tent in Los Angeles and everyone was worried the air conditioning would fail before the final category.
39. The Ugly Betty Fashion: Why the jokes? For a show that managed to make the fashion industry look as crazy as it actually is.
40. The HBO Transition: Why the panic? Because with The Sopranos gone, the network had to figure out if people would actually watch a show about advertising (Mad Men) or a show about Baltimore (The Wire).
41. The 2007 Final Emmy Vibe: Why the “End of the Beginning”? Because it was the night we said goodbye to the 20th century’s greatest drama and realized that from now on, the nerds were going to run the world.