Nostalgia is the theme of the Emmys 2024 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, and the most celebrated night in television -- hosted by "Schitt's Creek" and real-life father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy -- had Ron Howard and Henry Winkler walk down memory lane over their 1974 sitcom "Happy Days" in honor of the show's 50th anniversary.
Howard, 70, and Winkler, 78, took fans back in time as they reunited on a recreated set of the series' famed Arnold's Drive-In and chatted around the jukebox just like their characters did five decades ago.
Winker didn't dress like Fonzi. He opted for a black tuxedo and silver tie instead of the leather jacket, which became so legendary that it was obtained by the Smithsonian Institution.
Howard wore a black tux and matching bow tie for the iconic reunion.
Winkler kicked it off by paying homage to his co-star for winning the Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special, "Jim Henson."
Winkler and Howard then started to joke about their Emmy appearance, playfully taking jabs at the TV Academy because "there was no music" or "theme song" when they hit the stage.
"Candice Bergen got a theme song," Howard teased, referring to the "Murphy Brown" actress' appearance at tonight's award show. "Of course she would get one," a sour Winkler responded.
That's when Winkler channeled Fonzi, hitting the jukebox to play their iconic theme song.
"Happy Days" followed the Milwaukee-based Cunningham family -- including father Howard (Tom Bosley), mother Marion (Marion Ross), son Richie (Howard) and daughter Joanie (Erin Moran) -- and was set in the 1950s and 1960s.
Richie's friend group -- Potsie (Anson Williams) and Ralph (Don Most) -- was also highlighted, but the standout star was Winkler's character, Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli.
"Fonzie" was the leather jacket-wearing bad boy around town, who dropped out of high school, loved fixing cars, riding motorcycles and dating girls. Winkler had notable one-liners and sayings -- like his catchphrase, "Ayyyy!" -- that stood the test of time.
The show aired on ABC on January 15, 1974. It spanned 11 seasons, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes before concluding on July 19, 1984.
Bosley was battling lung cancer when he died in 2010 at 83. After his role in "Happy Days," he starred in a slew of projects, like "Murder, She Wrote," "Joanie Loves Chachi," and "The Back-up Plan" with Jennifer Lopez.
Three decades after the show ended, the cast reunited in 2004 for the "Happy Days 30th Anniversary Reunion" at the rebuilt set of the iconic drive-in Arnold's. The two-hour ABC special aired on Feb. 3, 2005.
In February, Howard supported Winkler at an event for his memoir Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond in Sydney, Australia, after realizing they were both Down Under.
"When I touched base with Henry, I discovered he was making an appearance here in support of his excellent best-selling memoir #BeingHenry: The Fonz...and Beyond. Fantastic! We connected backstage and I watched him give a great speech to a huge crowd. What a blast!" he wrote, including a smiling selfie of the two.
Winkler reposted the picture on X, formerly Twitter, and said, "LIFE! As the WORLD turns @RealRonHoward came to my book event in Sydney Australia. SO exciting for everyone !!!!"
The Television Academy chairman Cris Abrego and president and CEO Maury McIntyre promised the Sunday's 76th Emmy Awards would be all about nostalgia, and they delivered!
The Emmys 2024 red carpet was flooded with past TV icons, including Candice Bergen ("Murphy Brown"), Meredith Baxter ("Family Ties"), Zach Braff ("Scrubs"), Don Johnson ("Miami Vice"), Dick Van Dyke and more.
"The response to January was incredible, and we felt like people really connected to the nostalgia," said Dionne Harmon, who executive produces for Jesse Collins Entertainment along with Collins and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay told Variety ahead of the show.
"So, we wanted to figure out a way to bring that nostalgia to the show on Sunday without doing the exact same thing. We really focused on television shows that everyone loved in January and Sunday, we're going to focus on the characters, individual characters from all kinds of shows."
This is the second ceremony this year, as the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards happened in January after being pushed due to the writers and actors strike.
