George Lopez, Damon Wayans, Jesse Tyler Ferguson assemble at Emmys 2024

TV dads seemed to be an early recurring theme at the 2024 Emmys Sunday night.

It kicked off with Eugene Levy and his son Dan Levy, who played a TV father-son duo on Schitt’s Creek, hosting the entire ceremony. Eugene even made a joke about how proud he was about being Dan’s father. After a pronounced pause, he added, “…on Schitt’s Creek,” and pointed out how the role won him an Emmy.

Then a trio of TV dads assembled to present the award of Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: George Lopez, Damon Wayans, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

Lopez notably starred as the titular dad on George Lopez, Wayans played Michael Richards on My Wife and Kids, and Ferguson played Mitchell Pritchett on Modern Family — all ABC shows, since the network hosted the telecast for the Emmys. The three actors emerged on stage on a set designed for the quintessential TV dad man cave before they paid tribute to their TV wives.

“I’m so sorry, did you watch my show, or…?” Ferguson, who played a man in a same-sex relationship, joked.

“Yes, all 90 seasons,” Wayans retorted.

They then re-dedicated the segment to their “TV spouses”: Wayans paid tribute to Tisha Campbell-Martin, who played Janet on My Wife and Kids; Lopez shouted out Constance Marie, who played Angie on George Lopez; and Ferguson saluted Eric Stonestreet, who played Cam on Modern Family.

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They then introduced the Lead Actor in a Comedy winner, a category that included Matt Berry for What We Do in the Shadows, Larry David for Curb Your Enthusiasm, Steve Martin and Martin Short for Only Murders in the Building, Jeremy Allen White for The Bear, and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai for Reservoir Dogs. White ultimately walked away with the award.

See the full list of Emmy winners.