HBO and its Watchmen and Succession series dominated the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night (September 20), with the series taking four awards each - including best drama series and best limited series, respectively – on the night.
HBO itself won 11 awards on the night, for a total of 30 awards including its previously presented Creative Arts Emmys, beating all streaming and cable rivals. The premium cable network’s big Emmy competitor Netflix won two awards on the night, for a total of 21 overall. Netflix had started out with a record 160 Emmy nominations and HBO 107.
Besides being named best limited series, Watchmen earned Emmys for Regina King (as lead actress in a limited series or movie), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (as supporting actor) and Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson (as writers). In addition to its seven Creative Arts Emmys, Watchmen ended the evening with a total of 11 wins.
As well as taking best drama series, Succession earned Emmys for British series creator Jessie Armstrong (in the writing for a drama series category), co-star Jeremy Strong (drama series lead actor) and Andrij Parekh (drama series directing). After previously winning three Creative Arts Emmys, Succession came away with seven wins in total.
Pop TV’s Canadian sleeper hit Schitt’s Creek, which just ended its six-season run, dominated in the Emmy comedy categories, winning best series, male and female lead and supporting actor nods and directing and writing awards.
The only major surprise of the evening came when actor-singer Zendaya won the Emmy for lead actress in a drama series for Euphoria, beating out favourites Jennifer Aniston (for The Morning Show) and Laura Linney (for Ozark).
International winners other than Jessie Armstrong were in short supply this year, with German filmmaker Maria Schrader winning for directing limited series Unorthodox but Irish actor Paul Mescal, from Normal People, and Scotland’s Brian Cox, from Succession, missing out in their categories.
This year’s Primtime Emmy ceremony – or “the pand-Emmys” as host Jimmy Kimmel described them – were awarded during a virtual ceremony, with Kimmel working from Los Angeles’ Staple Center arena, joined only by a socially distanced crew, a DJ and a handful of stars recruited to read out nominees and winners.
Nominees and winners were seen in live feeds from more than 100 locations around the world, with the show managing to avoid any visible technological problems.
There was little in the way of controversy, though several winners urged viewers to vote in the upcoming US presidential election and Regina King nodded to the death over the weekend of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
References to recent racial injustice debates included a couple of mentions of police brutality, several taped segments featuring minority talents, a Breonna Taylor T-shirt and a moving speech from film and TV mogul Tyler Perry, recipient Television Academy’s Governors Award.
The ceremony’s sharpest words came from Jesse Armstrong. In accepting the best drama series for Succession, Armstrong said he wanted to give ‘un-thank yous’ to the Covid-19 virus, to “President Trump for his crummy and un-coordinated response,” to “[UK Prime Minister] Boris Johnson for doing the same for my country,” and to “all the nationalist and quasi-nationalist governments in the world who are exactly the opposite of what we need right now.”
Key winners in bold below.
DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul (AMC)
The Crown (Netflix)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Killing Eve (BBC America/AMC)
The Mandalorian (Disney Plus)
Ozark (Netflix)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Succession (HBO)
COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Dead to Me (Netflix)
The Good Place (NBC)
Insecure (HBO)
The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime Video)
Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV/Netflix)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
LIMITED SERIES
Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
Mrs. America (Hulu)
Unbelievable (Netflix)
Unorthodox (Netflix)
Watchmen (HBO)
TELEVISION MOVIE
American Son (Netflix)
Bad Education (HBO)
Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones (Netflix)
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (Netflix)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend (Netflix)
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)
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)
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)
Issa Rae (Insecure)
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish)
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)
Ramy Youssef (Ramy)
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Cate Blanchett (Mrs. America)
Shira Haas (Unorthodox)
Regina King (Watchmen)
Octavia Spencer (Self Made)
Kerry Washington (Little Fires Everywhere)
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)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Laura Dern (Big Little Lies)
Meryl Streep (Big Little Lies)
Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown)
Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve)
Julia Garner (Ozark)
Sarah Snook (Succession)
Thandie Newton (Westworld)
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul)
Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
Mark Duplass (The Morning Show)
Nicholas Braun (Succession)
Kieran Culkin (Succession)
Matthew Macfadyen (Succession)
Jeffrey Wright (Westworld)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Betty Gilpin (Glow)
D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place)
Yvonne Orji (Insecure)
Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live)
Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek)
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
William Jackson Harper (The Good Place)
Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method)
Sterling K. Brown (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Mahershala Ali (Ramy)
Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live)
Daniel Levy (Schitt’s Creek)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Holland Taylor (Hollywood)
Uzo Aduba (Mrs. America)
Margo Martindale (Mrs. America)
Tracey Ullman (Mrs. America)
Toni Collette (Unbelievable)
Jean Smart (Watchmen)
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Dylan McDermott (Hollywood)
Jim Parsons (Hollywood)
Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen)
Jovan Adepo (Watchmen)
Louis Gossett Jr. (Watchmen)
DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Benjamin Caron, The Crown, ‘Aberfan’ (Netflix)
Jessica Hobbs, The Crown, ’Cri de Coeur’ (Netflix)
Lesli Linka Glatte, Homeland, ’Prisoners Of War’ (Showtime)
Mimi Leder, The Morning Show, ‘The Interview’ (Apple TV+)
Alik Sakharov, Ozark, ’Fire Pink’ (Netflix)
Ben Semanoff, Ozark, ’Su Casa Es Mi Casa (Netflix)
Andrij Parekh, Succession, ’Hunting’ (HBO)
Mark Mylod, Succession, ’This Is Not For Tears’ (HB0)
DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Matt Shakman, The Great, ’The Great’ (pilot, Hulu)
Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, ’It’s Comedy Or Cabbage’ (Amazon Studios)
Daniel Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, ’Marvelous Radio’ (Amazon Studios)
Gail Mancuso, Modern Family, ’Finale Part 2’ (ABC)
Ramy Youssef, Ramy, ’Miakhalifa.mov’ (Hulu)
Andrew Cividino, Daniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek, ’Happy Ending (Pop TV/Netflix)
James Burrows, Will & Grace, ’We Love Lucy’ (NBC)
DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
Lynn Shelton, Little Fires Everywhere, ’Find A Way, (Hulu)
Lenny Abrahamson, Normal People, ’Episode 5’ (Hulu)
Maria Schrader, Unorthodox (Netflix)
Nicole Kassell, Watchmen, ’It’s Summer And We’re Running Out Of Ice’ (HBO)
Steph Green, Watchmen, ’Little Fear Of Lightning’ (HBO)
Stephen Williams, Watchmen, ’This Extraordinary Being’ (HBO)
WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Thomas Schnauz, Better Call Saul, ’Bad Choice Road’ (AMC)
Gordon Smith, Better Call Saul, ’Bagman’ (AMC)
Peter Morgan, The Crown, ’Aberfan’ (Netflix)
Chris Mundy, Ozark, ’All In’ (Netflix)
John Shiban, Ozark, ’Boss Fight’ (Netflix)
Miki Johnson, Ozark, ’Fire Pink’ (Netflix)
Jesse Armstrong, Succession, ’This Is Not For Tears’ (HBO)
WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Michael Schur, The Good Place, ’Whenever You’re Ready’ ( NBC)
Tony McNamara, The Great, ’The Great’ (Hulu)
Daniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek, Happy Ending, (Pop TV/Netflix)
David West Read, Schitt’s Creek, ’The Presidential Suite’ (Netflix)
Sam Johnson, Chris Marcil, What We Do In The Shadows, ’Collaboration’ (FX Networks)
Paul Simms, What We Do In The Shadows, ’Ghosts’, (FX Networks)
Stefani Robinson, What We Do In The Shadows, ’On The Run’, (FX Networks)
WRITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
Tanya Barfield, Mrs. America, ’Shirley’ (FX Networks
Sally Rooney, Alice Birch, Normal People, ’Episode 3’ (Hulu)
Susannah Grant, Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman, Unbelievable, ’Episode 1’ (Netflix)
Anna Winger, Unorthodox, ’Part 1’ (Netflix)
Damon Lindelof, Cord Jefferson, Watchmen, ’This Extraordinary Being’ (HBO)
DOCUMENTARY OR NON-FICTION SPECIAL
The Apollo (HBO)
Beastie Boys Story (Apple TV+)
Becoming (Netflix)
The Great Hack • Netflix
Laurel Canyon: A Place In Time • EPIX
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