BIG ON CREATVITY & HISTORIC WINS FOR BLACKS 72nd EMMY® AWARDS SHINE (SEE FULL WINNERS LIST)
By Mona Austin
Holding an award show during a pandemic has forced producers to push their creativity to the limit. The creativity at the first virtual Emmys was not missing -- right down to statement making costuming. In the qausi-qairantined arrangement, a limited number of entertainers who were allowed to social distance on the scene were presented their awards by men wearing hazmat tuxedos, a reminder of the times we are living in. It was indeed a statement making show, outside of those presenters wearing masks along with their head coverings to emphasize the need to wear masks. Social justice and voting were topics that repeatedly came in speeches (and attire). Several people acknowledged #BlackLivesMatter Everyone else accepted their prizes at home.
The standout of the night was Canada's Schitt's Creek. They won 7 of 8 the awards for which they were nominated. HBO's "Watchmen" was the program that snagged the most awards, 11. Actor/Director Schitt's actor Daniel Ley won the most awards as an individual, 4.
It was also a night of historic wins for African Americans. Among the 2020 winners were Zendaya (Euphoria) who made history as the youngest winner of Best Actress in a Drama at 24, Regina King (Watchmen), RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race the most awarded host in Emmy history), Maya Rudolph (Big Mouth, Saturday Night Live), and Ron and Jasmine Cephas Jones the first father-daughter duo to win acting prizes in the same year for their efforts on This Is Us and #FreeRayshawn.
Additionally, the Emmys were produced by Reggie Hudlin, formerly of BET. Eddie Murphy took home his first Emmy for his return to hosting SNL. It was Laurence Fishburne (#FreeRayshawn), Uzo Aduba (Mrs. America), and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen) all won their respective categories.
To top off what Anthony Anderson said was “supposed to be the Blackest Emmys ever,” Tyler Perry was the rcipeint of the Governor's Award. In hos snsipring speech Perry, 51 shared a stroy about a quilt his grandmother gave him that he did not appreciate at the time. The self-made media mogul ended saying, " I stand here tonight to say thank you to all of the people who are celebrating and know the value of every patch, and every story, and every color that makes up this quilt that is our business, this quilt that is our lives, this quilt that is America. Because in my grandmother’s quilt, there are no patches that represented Black people on television. But in my quilt, her grandson is being celebrated by the Television Academy."
Blacks won more Emmys at this year's evnt than ever in history.
The lingering image om the In Memoriam segment was the late Chadwick Boseman, a punctuation to the enormoust loss of a Black actor who represented some of the greatest of Black heritage.
The 72nd Emmy® Awards were broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on ABC, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and produced by Done+Dusted, Reginald Hudlin and KIMMELOT. The telecast featured awards in 23 Emmy categories, plus the Governors Award, presented by top talent from some of television’s most acclaimed programs. Presenters and surprise guests included Anthony Anderson, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Ty Burrell, LaVerne Cox, America Ferrera, Morgan Freeman, Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, Ken Jeong, Mindy Kaling, Tatiana Maslany, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bob Newhart, D-Nice, Randall Park, Issa Rae, RuPaul, Jason Sudeikis, Gabrielle Union, Lena Waithe, J.J. Watt and Oprah Winfrey. Singer-songwriter and GRAMMY® -winning artist H.E.R. made her Emmy® debut with a special “In Memoriam” performance. Additionally, Emmys were awarded in 100 other categories at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards over four consecutive nights, Monday, Sept. 14, through Thursday, Sept. 17, with a fifth broadcast ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 19, on FXX.
The Slice has the full list of winners below.
WINNERS OF THE 72ns ANNUAL EMMY AWARDS
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES CATHERINE O'HARA as Moira Rose POP TV Schitt's Creek
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES EUGENE LEVY as Johnny Rose POP TV Schitt's Creek
OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES DANIEL LEVY, Written by POP TV Schitt's Creek Happy Ending
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES ANDREW CIVIDINO, Directed by DANIEL LEVY, Directed by POP TV Schitt's Creek Happy Ending
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES DANIEL LEVY as David Rose POP TV Schitt's Creek
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES ANNIE MURPHY as Alexis Rose POP TV Schitt's Creek
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES SCHITT'S CREEK POP TV Eugene Levy, Executive Producer Daniel Levy, Executive Producer Andrew Barnsley, Executive Producer Fred Levy, Executive Producer David West Read, Executive Producer Ben Feigin, Executive Producer Michael Short, Co-Executive Producer Kurt Smeaton, Co-Executive Producer Kosta Orfanidis, Producer
OUTSTANDING VARIETY TALK SERIES LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER HBO John Oliver, Executive Producer Tim Carvell, Executive Producer Liz Stanton, Executive Producer Jeremy Tchaban, Supervising Producer Christopher Werner, Supervising Producer Laura L. Griffin, Producer Kate Mullaney, Producer Matt Passet, Producer Marian Wang, Producer Charles Wilson, Producer
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE REGINA KING as Angela Abar / Sister Night HBO Watchmen OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MARK RUFFALO as Dominick Birdsey/Thomas Birdsey HBO I Know This Much Is True
OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL DAMON LINDELOF, Written by CORD JEFFERSON, Written by HBO Watchmen This Extraordinary Being
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL MARIA SCHRADER, Directed by NETFLIX Unorthodox
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN II as Cal Abar / Dr. Manhattan HBO Watchmen
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE UZO ADUBA as Shirley Chisholm FX NETWORKS Mrs. America
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES WATCHMEN HBO Damon Lindelof, Executive Producer Tom Spezialy, Executive Producer Nicole Kassell, Executive Producer Stephen Williams, Executive Producer Joseph E. Iberti, Executive Producer Ron Schmidt, Co-Executive Producer Carly Wray, Co-Executive Producer Lila Byock, Supervising Producer Nick Cuse, Supervising Producer Christal Henry, Supervising Producer Karen Wacker, Producer John Blair, Producer
OUTSTANDING COMPETITION PROGRAM RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE VH1 Tim Palazzola, Executive Producer Randy Barbato, Executive Producer Fenton Bailey, Executive Producer Tom Campbell, Executive Producer RuPaul Charles, Executive Producer Steven Corfe, Executive Producer Mandy Salangsang, Executive Producer Michele Mills, Co-Executive Producer Jacqueline Wilson, Co-Executive Producer Lisa Steele, Supervising Producer Adam Bronstein, Supervising Producer Thairin Smothers, Senior Producer John Polly, Producer Michelle Visage, Producer Jen Passovoy, Producer Alicia Gargaro-Magana, Producer
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES JEREMY STRONG as Kendall Roy HBO Succession
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES ZENDAYA as Rue HBO Euphoria
OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES JESSE ARMSTRONG, Written by HBO Succession This Is Not For Tears OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES ANDRIJ PAREKH, Directed by HBO Succession Hunting
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES BILLY CRUDUP as Cory Ellison APPLE TV+ The Morning Show
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES JULIA GARNER as Ruth Langmore NETFLIX Ozark
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES SUCCESSION HBO Jesse Armstrong, Executive Producer Adam McKay, Executive Producer Will Ferrell, Executive Producer Frank Rich, Executive Producer Kevin Messick, Executive Producer Mark Mylod, Executive Producer Jane Tranter, Executive Producer Tony Roche, Executive Producer Scott Ferguson, Executive Producer Jon Brown, Co-Executive Producer Georgia Pritchett, Co-Executive Producer Jonathan Glatzer, Supervising Producer Will Tracy, Producer Dara Schnapper, Producer Gabrielle Mahon, Producer Lucy Prebble, Consulting Producer
