Monday marked the 70th Annual Primetime Emmys on NBC, hosted by Colin Jost and Michael Che, who rose to fame as the hosts of the Weekend Update segment on “Saturday Night Live.”
Che and Jost were bland as hosts. Although their monologue was well-delivered, their overall presence was lackluster at best. However, Che’s piece that revolved around giving reparation to the Emmys in an attempt to rectify Hollywood’s oversight of black actors and actresses was one of the best of the night.
Television legend Betty White was honored during the ceremony for her 70 years in the industry. One of the best moments of the night came from the recipient of the Outstanding Direction for a Variety Special, Glenn Weiss, who proposed to his girlfriend Jan Svendsen during his acceptance speech. Another great moment was the appearance of Teddy Perkins from “Atlanta,” who was spotted in the audience.
Starting off with Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, Alex Borstein won for her portrayal of Susie Myerson on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Harry Winkler won his first Emmy for his supporting role in “Barry” on HBO. Jeff Daniels and Merritt Wever both won for Supporting Actor and Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, respectively, for “Godless” on Netflix. Thandie Newton of “Westworld” won her first Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. Peter Dinklage won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal on HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”
The Lead Actor categories had some of the most beloved actors in television and Hollywood. Darren Criss in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” and Regina King in “Seven Seconds” won for a Limited Series or Movie. In comedy, Bill Hader won for his show “Barry” on HBO and Rachel Brosnahan won for her part as Midge Maisel in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Amazon Prime. In Drama, Claire Foy won for her final portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in “The Crown.” Matthew Rhys won for his role in “The Americans” on FX.
The biggest winners of the night were HBO and Netflix who won 23 Emmys apiece. This includes the Creative Emmys that each network won the week before. “Game of Thrones” won nine of the 23 Emmys, including Outstanding Drama for the third year in row.
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” won for Outstanding Variety Talk series. Netflix went home with the award for Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series for “Black Mirror” as well as Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special for John Mulaney’s “Kid Gorgeous.”
Netflix’s big budget period piece, “The Crown,” took home the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. FX won a total of 12, even though FX’s main contender “Atlanta” was not a recipient of any awards. It was FX’s critical darling “The Americans” that managed to snatch two of the 12 Emmys received in its final season run. Amazon took home eight Emmys for the period comedy piece “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” in which Amy Sherman-Palladino made history by becoming the first woman to win both Writing and Directing in Comedy in the same year.
For the Emmys celebrating 70 years, the ceremony lacked enthusiasm, whether that be from the audience or from the fact that Jost and Che were not as charming and upbeat as hosts from previous years. Overall, the Emmys did go out to a group of deserving individuals in the industry. It is a shame the ceremony just did not reflect it.
