Emmys opening skit has Nate Bargatze foretell the future of television

The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards took place on Sunday, with host Nate Bargatze kicking off the ceremony with a hilarious television-themed variation on his popular “Washington’s Dream” Saturday Night Live skit.

Playing the all-electronic television’s inventor Philo T. Fansworth, Bargatze rallied his disheartened assistants Mikey Day, Bowen Yang, and James Austin Johnson with bold visions of what TV would offer in the future. This included channels for every culture, like Telmundo for Spanish speakers, BET for Black viewers, and even a television network for white people: CBS. 

“And will there be a network for Asian people, sir?” asked Yang.

“What’s that? You asked about streaming?” said Bargatze, launching into an explanation of how streaming companies will make their own shows about real murderers.

“Who would watch shows about murderers for entertainment?” asked Day.

“Your wife, my wife, everyone’s wife,” Bargatze replied. “And that is why we will pay the streaming subscription fees.”

“Ah, I see,” said Yang. “With streaming the viewer pays a fee, so there are no ads.”

“If only it were so simple,” Bargatze responded.