Some could (and will) make the
argument that this year's Emmys were less diverse than they have been over the
past three years. In the larger, societal sense, they are correct. There were
fewer African American and minority winners than there were as recently as last
year. (Though that is a matter of which Emmys you watched. In the Creative Arts
Emmys, all four guest actor winners were actors of color. Several black men
prevailed, such as W. Kamau Bell and RuPaul prevailed in information
categories. And of course, John Legend became one of three EGOT winners when Jesus Christ Superstar took Best Live
Production.)
In a larger, and perhaps more
important sense, last night Emmys were more diverse than they've been in a very
long time. By using diverse in the sense that the same people didn't win as
they have done so often over the past decade, this year's Emmys were a roaring
success. None of the winners in the acting categories for either Best Drama or
Best Comedy had won the previous year. Of course, Peter Dinklage got his third
Emmy in seven tries for Game of Thrones, but
they've been spread out over the course of eight years that it could be argued
that their was some variety. This was particularly true for the Comedy awards,
where the Emmys have been prone to repetition for much of the past decade. Of
course, Veep was ineligible and Modern Family was shut out, but that,
too, is a sign the Emmys are beginning to evolve.
I was mostly overjoyed by the
winners in the Best Comedy category. Marvelous
Mrs. Maisel's wins were among the
most deserved the Emmys has had in quite sometime, particularly for that
incredible force Amy Sherman-Palladino, who picked up three "Reparation
Emmys' (as Michael Che called them in a particular fun sequence). Rachel
Brosnahan's win was the least surprising of the night, and still the most
satisfying. And I was so glad to see Alex Borstein prevail for her fine work as
Susie, the deadpan and dour manager, and her speech was totally worth it.
The Best Drama awards were, if
anything, more delightful for me then the comedy awards. When The Americans took the Best Writing
award for their series finale and Matthew Rhys finally won for Best Actor, I
practically jumped five feet in the air, I was so overjoyed. These were among
the most deserved honors for a series that was long overdue. I was a little
dismayed that Keri Russell was passed over for Best Actress, but considering
that Claire Foy was nearly as exceptional as she was, and that, like Russell,
this was her last chance for this role, I was pretty satisfied. And I was glad
to see Thandie Newton triumph for her complicated work on Westworld. She's a formidable actress and nearly as fascinating to
watch as Maeve is. (And to be honest when Elisabeth Moss and Samara Wiley came
out to present, I thought that meant the fix was in for Handmaid's Tale. )
Even the Limited Series awards offered some genuinely pleasing
moments. Though I never gave Godless the
attention I should have, I was delighted to see Merritt Wever and Jeff Daniels
prevail for their work. They are fine actors.
I've become one of Regina King's biggest fans, and the fact that she won
for a series that was given no chance shows her real strength as an actress. Gianni Versace's wins were definitely
deserved, particularly Darren Criss'.
Now, some will complain that, given
all of the problems that have plagued Hollywood
the last year, the Emmys weren't as socially or politically relevant. Given
that so many awards shows over the past couple of years have been assailed for
being too political, that's hardly
the worst offense. And frankly, I'd rather have my award shows be entertaining
that social. And in that sense, the Emmys were enjoyable to watch in a way they
usually weren't. Of course, the entire world will probably never stop talking
about the fricking marriage proposal that took place right in the middle - and
they say that award shows can't be spontaneous anymore! - but the Emmys
actually seemed to be more aware than they were in awhile. For the first time
that I can remember in the twenty years I've been watching the Emmys, the Emmys
treated the nominees like they mattered, showing segments of their acting or
writing to show us just what so many viewers had watched. The presenters simply
came out to give the award. There was still some banter and byplay, but
frankly, this is a model I'd rather the Oscars try and follow. Let us see what every voter did. It might help
us appreciate it more.
And as for the future of
television, well, despite the jokes about it, there are some interesting signs.
The HBO/Netflix dogfight ended in a tie when Game of Thrones took its third Best Drama. But in a larger sense, Amazon
was a big winner, taking eight Emmys for The
Marvelous Mrs Maisel. And FX, though it didn't have nearly as good a night
as I hoped, still had a very strong showing. Even battered down NBC did pretty
well with so many wins for Jesus Christ
Superstar and Saturday Night Live. (Keenan Thompson did win, by the way,
for Best Music and Lyrics for 'Come Back, Barack.) I still think TV's in good
shape, and the Emmys continues to come closer to making the right choices. The signs that they were reaching new heights
after a long period of staleness are turning out to be true. And that's
diversity in a sense as well.
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