Emmy acting categories, adding to its record haul during the night
As Jimmy Kimmel took to the stage of a nearly empty Staples Center to host the 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, he could not have known that the 2020 show was about to make history – and not just for the obvious reasons of being held six months in to the coronavirus pandemic.
During the next hour, a little comedy from Canada called Schitt’s Creek went on to do what no other comedy or drama has ever done before, completely sweeping all of the categories it was nominated in. including all four acting trophies.
Catherine O’Hara, Annie Murphy and father and son team Dan and Eugene Levy lead the cast and crew in a series of euphoric remote celebrations from Toronto as each new winner was announced, culminating with the prize for Outstanding Comedy Series.
You couldn’t have written a more fairy-tale ending for a show that ended with its sixth season, one for which there is already clamoring for a movie about the Rose family.
It was Kimmel’s third time as host and during his opening monologue he thanked television for being everybody’s best and most dependable friend during the pandemic. Intercut were reaction shots of star-studded crowds from previous award shows, including the Oscars that he had also hosted– until one of them showed him in the crowd– and then he was revealed to be by himself with a faux house made of cardboard cutouts of nominees.
The real Jason Bateman was among them before he too went home to appear on one of more than 100 remote cameras set up around the globe. But Kimmel wasn’t alone for long. Jennifer Aniston soon made an appearance to help with the first award in an envelope disinfection bit that could’ve flamed out of control as she doused a trashcan fire that flared up for a second time.
The three-hour show broadcast on ABC reflected a year of turmoil including the upcoming election, the recent death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Black Lives Matter movement, which has triggered renewed calls for greater inclusion and representation in Hollywood and other industries.
Emmy winners Regina King and Uzo Adubo carried that message visually during their acceptance speeches, each wearing T-shirts with Breonna Taylor’s name.
A number of the awards were presented by essential workers including a UPS driver, a farmer, a pair of doctors and a nurse. Other presenters included Jason Sudeikis, who took a COVID-19 test on stage, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sterling K Brown and Zendaya.
The 24-year-old actress, who stars in HBO’s Euphoria, later made history as the youngest recipient of the lead actress in a drama trophy.
Despite Netflix’s lead in total nominations which include those in the Creative Arts Emmys that were handed out in several ceremonies last week, HBO resumed its historic place as the dominant force at the Emmys.
They obviously did not take into account the highly-regarded Watchmen which came into the night with a record number of nominations and unsurprisingly, was awarded outstanding limited series.
Even more importantly than the accolades heaped upon it for Ms. King, Damon Lindelof and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was the fact that it brought to light an incredibly ugly chapter of American history, the 1921 Tulsa race riots against Black people that killed at least 36 people, injured hundreds and destroyed Black-owned businesses in a district of the Oklahoma city known as Black Wall Street.
Lindelof wore a T-shirt saying “Remember Tulsa ’21.”
Another somber part of the evening as always was the In Memoriam segment which began with Regis Philbin and ended with Chadwick Boseman as Grammy-winner H.E.R. performed a rendition of ” Nothing Compares to U.” In between was recognition of other luminaries lost including Kirk Douglas, Diahann Carol, Carl Reiner, Jerry Stiller, Diana Rigg, Fred Willard, Naya Rivera, Buck Henry and Brian Dennehy.
There are always complaints about those left off but the Emmys do maintain an extensive “in memoriam” tribute on their website.
Here’s the list of winners from the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards:
Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession — winner
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Julia Garner, Ozark — winner
Thandie Newton, Westworld
Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve
Sarah Snook, Succession
Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show — winner
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Mark Duplass, The Morning Show
Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul
Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale
Jeffrey Wright, Westworld
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Andrij Parekh, Succession — winner
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Jesse Armstrong, Succession — winner
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria — winner
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession — winner
Outstanding Competition Program
The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race — winner
Top Chef
The Voice
Outstanding Limited Series
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen — winner
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America — winner
Toni Collette, Unbelievable
Margo Martindale, Mrs. America
Jean Smart, Watchmen
Holland Taylor, Hollywood
Tracey Ullman, Mrs. America
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Watchmen —
winner
Jovan Adepo, Watchmen
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend
Louis Gossett Jr., Watchmen
Dylan McDermott, Hollywood
Jim Parsons, Hollywood
Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie
Maria Schrader, Unorthodox — winner
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Movie
Damon Lindelof, Cord Jefferson, Watchmen — winner
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True — winner
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen — winner
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver — winner
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Outstanding Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
The Good Place
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek — winner
What We Do In the Shadows
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs.
Maisel
D’Arcy Carden, The Good Place
Betty Gilpin, GLOW
Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek — winner
Yvonne Orji, Insecure
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Mahershala Ali, Ramy
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Sterling K. Brown, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
William Jackson Harper, The Good Place
Daniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek — winner
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Daniel Levy and Andrew Cividino, Schitt’s Creek — winner
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Daniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek — winner
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek — winner
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek — winner
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
