The 7 Best Moments from the 78th Annual Emmy Awards

We came for the fash-un. We stayed for the winners. And with so many stacked categories, we had high expectations for the 78th annual Emmy Awards. Lucky for us, the ceremony didn’t disappoint. From Mariska Hargitay's hair that changed style and length over the course of the evening, to an unexpected Taylor Swift cameo, here are the best moments of the night.

During her monologue, Hargitay playfully took a swing at the Big Little Lies actress' heavily-memed ad for AMC.

"Because we need that, all of us." Hargitay said. "That...indescribable feeling that we get when the lights begin to dim. Dazzling images on the silver screen. Sound that I can feel."

"No, Mariska," Kidman cut in. "Come on."

"What?" the host asked.

"That's mine. That's my bit," Kidman replied as the audience laughed. "You can't do that."

Swift, who was nominated for five Emmys for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show, did not attend the awards show. Instead, she was at Arrowhead Stadium watching her husband, Travis Kelce, play in the Kansas City Chiefs' first game of the season against the Denver Broncos. It ended in a 31-10 victory for the Chiefs.

Though she was physically absent from TV's biggest night, Swift shocked and delighted the audience by appearing in a pre-taped sketch with Hargitay, which nodded to the pop star's love of Easter eggs and obsession with Hargitay's long-running show, Law & Order: SVU.

Field, who made history by being the oldest winner in the Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie category for her role in Remarkably Bright Creatures, gave a touching tribute to Dolly Parton. She was joined by Parton's fellow country singer, Reba McEntire, for a special moment to remember her Steel Magnolias co-star.

“If there are truly angels on Earth, we just lost one,” Field said. “She was genuine and humble, supportive and blisteringly funny with a bawdy sense of humor that would send any rude guy looking for a place to hide.”

After losing out on the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy to Matthew Rhys of Widow's Bay, the Only Murders in the Building star was seen theatrically ripping up his speech and throwing it on the ground while Rhys got a standing ovation.

Widow's Bay was a dark horse, becoming the show to win the most Emmys this year—in its first season. Rhys also made some history of his own, as the first person to win two lead acting Emmys in one night. He took home trophies for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. With his 2018 win in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category for The Americans, this makes him the first male actor to sweep all three lead acting categories.

The Emmys host puzzled and delighted viewers as her hair literally changed lengths throughout the evening. She walked the red carpet with a lob that fell just below her collarbones, then eventually appeared with both a bob and blowout on longer tresses that had people guessing all night.

Jean Smart yet again took home the trophy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Las Vegas comic Deborah Vance. With Hacks having released its fifth and final season, Smart is the first woman to win an Emmy for every season of a show. She is preceded only by Bill Cosby, who won for three seasons of I Spy from 1966 to 1968.

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