But the real problem was simply a preponderance of bad ideas and feeble writing, typified by a recurring series of skits featuring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen as bored and clueless Emmys “experts” that set back the alt-comedy cause by decades. (And whose idea was it to have an animated Rick from “Rick and Morty” ask, “How do you think ‘Atlanta’’s doing?” at a point long after “Atlanta” had lost in five of its six categories?)

The show’s producer, Lorne Michaels, won an award for “Saturday Night Live” and ended his acceptance speech with a dig at those who have predicted the demise of the broadcast networks, still the home of the major awards shows. “Here we are,” he said, accepting one of the broadcast networks’ only two awards, the other going to the director of the Oscars. The networks may have been the one significant group to do worse on the night than people of color.

Mr. Che and his fellow host (and “Saturday Night Live” partner), Colin Jost, followed the opening number with a duologue that cemented the night’s rushed, flat-footed, uninspired feeling. Focused mostly on diversity and on already tired jokes about the threat of Netflix, it conspicuously skirted the #MeToo movement and the Hollywood power figures who have been brought down by accusations of sexual harassment, beyond a veiled reference to the work of the investigative reporter Ronan Farrow. It was hard to imagine past hosts like Stephen Colbert or Jimmy Kimmel failing to take a more direct shot at the recently ousted CBS president Leslie Moonves.

Glenn Weiss, the winner for direction of a special for the Oscars telecast, did his best to liven things up by using his acceptance to propose to his girlfriend, Jan Svendsen, who cooperated by coming to the podium and tearfully accepting. (Mr. Weiss doubled down on the personal-business trend the “Harry Potter” director John Tiffany started at the Tony Awards, when he led the audience in singing “Happy Birthday” to his boyfriend.)

[Read about what happened at the Emmys and see the winners list.]

A couple of tweaks to the usual award show format jointly contributed to the broadcast’s anemic feel. Separating the awards by category — so that all the comedy, limited-series and drama awards, except for outstanding series, were presented in succession — robbed the evening of some of its texture and suspense. The “Mrs. Maisel” sweep was apparent within the show’s opening half-hour, making the show’s outstanding comedy award a few hours later an anticlimax.