We know it sounds crazy, but the 2023 Emmys, airing on Fox on January 15, mark the first opportunity the FX series The Bear has had to win any Emmy Awards. A surprise success when it premiered in June of 2022, the Christopher Storer–created series earned Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and SAG awards for star Jeremy Allen White in early 2023. But thanks to the quirks of Emmy eligibility, it wasn’t even nominated for TV’s highest honor until July of 2023, after its second season had premiered. And when the Emmys were rescheduled for January due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, it meant that a year and a half would transpire between The Bear’s premiere and its Emmy moment.

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But hey, look: We made it! Ayo Edebiri kicked off the broadcast with a win for best supporting actress in a comedy, following up her recent Golden Globe and Critics Choice victories. Not long after, she was followed by her costar Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who won for best supporting actor in a comedy. He was nominated against formidable competition, including the Barry duo of Henry Winkler and Anthony Carrigan and the Ted Lasso duo of Phil Dunster and reigning champ Brett Goldstein. But Cousin Richie is an unforgettable part of the Bear experience, and voters could be forgiven for thinking of Moss-Bachrach’s standout season two episode, “Forks,” even if they were technically voting for season one.

And they made it a trio when White accepted his own Emmy, days after his Golden Globe and Critics Choice wins. All three actors gave heartfelt speeches that, if anything, were too short. But hey, there’s always next year, and they’re already heavy favorites for repeat wins.

Creator Storer wasn’t present for the show, but he took home two major wins in a row, for writing (for the episode “System”) and directing (for the episode “Review”). Moss-Bachrach confirmed backstage that Storer was absent due to testing positive for COVID.

With all those wins in place, a best-comedy-series victory somewhat inevitably came close behind. Yes, that makes for a virtual sweep in the comedy categories, save for best actress, where The Bear was not nominated. But given how many people have spent the last year saying “Yes, chef!” and learning to make their own giardiniera, it’s surely a well-earned series of victories.