Ebon Moss-Bacharach and Taylor Zakhar Perez’s Awkward Whisky Segment Is an Emmy First

Producers of the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards looked to the past during Sunday night’s telecast with onstage reunions featuring stars of beloved shows The West Wing and Happy Days and grouped segments that paid tribute to archetypes like TV moms, dads, doctors and even villains.

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Per online chatter, some moments played better than others while the one that inspired the most head-scratching came as The Bear’s newly-minted Emmy winner Ebon Moss-Bacharach bellied up to the bar with Taylor Zakhar Perez. The two, teaming up to present outstanding writing for a limited or anthology series, started their outing at a backstage bar with one option on the shelves: Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

“Bartender, let me ask you: What goes best with a burger?” Moss-Bacharach asks a man behind the bar before surveying the scene and telling the star of Red, White and Royal Blue , “This is, you know, the best seat in the house. It’s quiet, you got a great view.” Plus, he says that he checked and it’s “OK to have a drink and present — responsibly.” Cue the bartender who then pours up two glasses of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. “That was fun,” Moss-Bacharach quips as they head to center stage to which Zakhar Perez responds: “We should do it again sometime.”

Oh, somebody will very soon. Network TV ratings are on a downward trajectory and awards show telecasts are not immune to the trend. As a result, production budgets are tighter, forcing producers to get creative in their efforts to help offset costs.

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March’s Academy Awards telecast featured a branded integration with Don Julio that saw host Jimmy Kimmel and his trusty sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, pass out mini bottles of Don Julio 1942, the ultra premium tequila. “I think we should do a toast,” said Rodriguez as he handed out the custom bottles to a group that included Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. Don Julio’s partner company, Diageo, has been a longtime partner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the tequila was also served at the official post-show afterparty.

Same at the Emmys. Johnnie Walker was available all night inside the TV Academy’s Governors Gala at the L.A. Convention Center where Moss-Bacharach made the rounds toting his new golden accessory. The veteran actor helped curate recipes for the event with culinary producer Courtney Storer that were then paired with custom cocktails by mixologist Charles Joy.

At a major occasion like the Emmys, it’s also far from a surprise to see brand activations at nearly every access point from the red carpet through to the afterparties. Even Jimmy Kimmel got in on the Johnnie Walker action last night, see below. If the branded segment trend is here to stay, somebody alert The New York Times , which did not mince words with its take on what went down last night. “Promotions masquerading as legitimate material is a scourge to any medium,” wrote Margaret Lyons. “Shoehorning an ad into the Emmys themselves is disgraceful.” Ouch.

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