Ever since the pandemic began, the world has come to a standstill. But as they say, the show must go on, and that is how the 72nd Annual Emmy Awards happened on Sunday. It was a virtual affair, with celebrities and nominees tuning in from their homes – all dolled up on Zoom. Some even managed to gather together depending on where they were, adhering to COVID guidelines in their city or country.
Nonetheless, it was an exciting night at the Emmys filled with laughs and tears and awkward moments. It was definitely not easy to produce an almost entirely virtual awards show, but the Emmy producers made it seem quite effortless. Jimmy Kimmel delivered a monologue to an empty theatre (and Jason Bateman), while Schitts Creek and Zendaya made history, among other things. Oh, and there was a mini Friends reunion!
Here’s everything that went down at the Emmy awards this year:
A Schitts Sweep
Right off the bat, Schitts Creek made history last night by sweeping all the awards in the Comedy categories, picking up statuettes for every key category including best lead actor, best lead actress, and best comedy. It became the first-ever comedy show to win an award in all four major acting categories in the same year, and it also became the most awarded comedy in a single year, according to Gold Derby.
With Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy winning their #Emmys tonight, that means our little Canadian show is the first comedy OR drama to ~ever~ sweep all four acting categories, and that is absolutely wild 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/fEUnaLoDBr
— Schitt's Creek (@SchittsCreek) September 21, 2020
The show won 7 out of the 8 awards it was nominated for, and the only reason they didn’t win the final one was that it had received two nods in the same category.
Schitt's Creek received eight nominations and seven wins tonight. In case you're wondering, it's 7/8 because two episodes were nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, and they lost to themselves.#Emmys
— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) September 21, 2020
Also, Daniel Levy won an Emmy for writing, directing and acting. The only other person to have achieved this fate is Alan Alda for M*A*S*H, and he won them in different years. Levy just won all of it on the same night. Also, the acceptance speeches by every cast member were so adorable to watch (it’s on YouTube if you’d like to see a deliriously happy cast stumble through their adorable speeches).
I'm a bit late to the #SchittsSweep party, but only one other person has ever won Emmys for acting, writing, and directing the same show, and that was Alan Alda for M*A*S*H (acting 1974, 1982; directing 1977, writing 1979). Dan Levy won them all IN THE SAME NIGHT!
— S.D. Thompson 🏳️⚧️ (@SeanDThompson) September 21, 2020
It was a Schitts sweep indeed – and so well deserved.
Zendaya Makes History
Zendaya won an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series for her absolutely phenomenal role in Euphoria. She beat Emmy favourites Olivia Coleman and Jennifer Aniston to win that category. And she also became the youngest actress at 24 years old to ever win that award.
OUR GIRL DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭https://t.co/KRKe5VL4hh pic.twitter.com/Z34JQtz1lt
— Variety (@Variety) September 21, 2020
https://twitter.com/LUSTFORLlVE/status/1307873511432744960?s=20
Also, she became the second Black actress to ever win an Emmy in that category. The first one was Viola Davis.
There have only been two Black actresses to win the #Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Ever.
Here they are: pic.twitter.com/0jBUeTdgrK
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 21, 2020
A Virtual Show
The Emmys this year went almost completely virtual – a true production feat in its own right. Jimmy Kimmel took on the hosting duties this year and delivered a great monologue to a completely empty theatre filled with cardboard cutouts of the actors. And a very real Jason Bateman. The show had a few actors come in for presenting and comedic bits. And they got frontline workers to be the presenters for some awards too! It was very interesting to see how the producers managed to pull this off during COVID times. You can watch Jimmy’s monologue right here:
A Friends Reunion
Yup, there was a mini Friends reunion at the Emmys this year. During a bit with Jimmy Kimmel and Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox and Lisa Kudrow hopped into the frame with her. When Kimmel asked what the two actors were doing at her house, Aniston quipped, “We have been roommates since 1994!” Oh, and Jason Bateman popped up there too. It’s pretty hilarious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVd5jH1uWRg
Hilarious Awkward Moments
This year, since the Awards went virtual, there were a lot of hilariously awkward moments. Firstly, the presenters who delivered the Emmys to the winners wore tuxedoed hazmat suits. Then, Jimmy Kimmel and Jennifer Aniston started a fire for a skit they were doing, but it went wrong very quickly. No one was harmed, but it was equally hilarious and chaotic.
Also, Ramy Youssef shared how awkward it really is when you lose an Emmy in 2020.
when you lose the emmy pic.twitter.com/ECkbGcoHBA
— ramy youssef (@ramy) September 21, 2020
And Amy Schumer showed us what she would have said in her pre-recorded speech had she won in her category.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFV6aVHph0v/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Like I said, hilariously awkward.
Queen Regina King
HBO’s Watchmen took home the awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress in a limited series for Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Regina King respectively. This makes Regina King a four-time Emmy Award winner, tying the record for most Emmys won by a Black actor with Alfre Woodard. Also, she wore a Breonna Taylor t-shirt to bring awareness her senseless murder and honour her life.
Emmys Set Record for Most Wins by Black Actors
Last night, the Emmys set a record for most wins by Black actors in major categories. Apart from the Watchmen wins I mentioned above, Uzo Aduba won for her role in Mrs. America, and Zendaya for Euphoria. They join Eddie Murphy, Maya Rudolph and Ron Cephas Jones, who won guest acting Emmys on Saturday. The seven Emmy wins by Black actors in the drama, comedy and limited series fields tops the previous high of six, set two years ago.
Among other things, Succession nabbed 4 awards, and Mark Ruffalo won for I Know This Much Is True. It was chaotic and awkward and filled with laughs and fun times. And despite an ongoing pandemic, the Emmys managed to pull off quite an incredible show.
And seeing as how Schitts Creek dominated this year, I guess now we know why Moira Rose’s favourite season is the Awards. Congrats to all the winners!
Featured image: Schitts Creek on Instagram
