Stephen Colbert Sets a Trump-Centric Tone

Stephen Colbert has become the late-night ratings king by leaning heavily on Trump jokes, so it was no surprise that he did the same in his first stint as Emmy host. The fizzy opening song-and-dance number, which positioned TV as an escape from the world President Trump has wrought, featured prime-time stars like Anthony Anderson, Allison Janney, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and FX’s animated Archer, a hip-hop interlude by Chance the Rapper and a troupe of tap-dancing female and male “handmaids.”

“The world may be the worst we’ve ever seen,” Mr. Colbert sang. “But it’s never been better on your TV screen.”

The sequence gave way to a monologue that set a Trump-bashing tone for the evening, as Mr. Colbert mocked the president less for his leadership than for being a former reality star who still resented the fact he was never awarded TV’s top prize.

“If he had won an Emmy, I bet he wouldn’t have run for president,” Mr. Colbert said. “So in a way this is all your fault.” —Jeremy Egner