Emmy Awards 2020: ‘Schitt’s Creek’ sets record with comedy awards ceremony
LOS ANGELES (AP) – “Schitt’s Creek,” the little Canadian show about a fish-out-of-the-water family, made history at Sunday’s Emmy Awards with a comedy awards sweepstakes, something even big-screen TV fans will love like “Frasier” and “Modern Family” not achieved.
Zendaya, 24, became the youngest leading actress to win for her role as a troubled teenager on Euphoria. She is only the second black actress to win the award after Viola Davis’ groundbreaking 2015 win for How to Get Away With Murder.
“I know this seems like a really strange time to celebrate,” said Zendaya. “But I just want to say that the young people out there have hope. I know our TV show doesn’t always feel like a great example of this, ”but young people out there“ do the work ”.
“Succession,” a family power struggle for a media empire, was named best drama series, and creator Jesse Armstrong took the opportunity to say “un-thank you”, including to President Donald Trump for what Armstrong called his “cummy and” called uncoordinated “response to the pandemic.
Successor star Jeremy Strong won the Drama Actor Trophy for his role as potential heir to the throne.
The virtual ceremony, hosted by hard-working Jimmy Kimmel, went ahead despite producers’ concerns that the plan to remotely connect over 100 nominees could cause disruption.
Although the rise of streaming services like Disney + DIS,
and Apple TV + AAPL,
dominates the television landscape, it was Emmy loyal HBO who stole the show, with winners like “Succession” and “Watchmen” who made up for the now deceased prize giant “Game of Thrones”. ViacomCBS VIAC,
Pop TV and its bizarre comedy also proved unbeatable.
Pop TV’s “Schitt’s Creek” awards included best comedy series and trophies for its stars including Catherine O’Hara and father-son Eugene and Daniel Levy.
“It’s absolutely incredible. I think my dad said it best tonight: it’s a dream you don’t want to wake up from, to be honest. What an absolutely incredible end to our series, ”said Daniel Levy backstage.
The pleasant pansexuality of his character led to storylines that Levy personally referred to as “cathartic”.
In his acceptance speech, he said the sitcom was about “the transformative effects of love and acceptance, and that is something we need now more than ever,” and encouraged people to register and vote towards that goal to reach.
Other winners, including Watchmen star Regina King, said the November 3rd general election was near.
All winners received their awards virtually in the pandemic safe ceremony, including O’Hara, but she wasn’t alone.
“Although these are the strangest days, may you enjoy being holed up in a room or two with your family as I did with my dear Roses,” said O’Hara from Canada, surrounded by a decorated room wearing mask co-stars who play the members of the Rose family.
Levy called it “ironic that the most honest role I’ve ever played would get me an Emmy for a comedy performance. I have to seriously question what I’ve done over the past 50 years.
Moments later, his son won the Comedy Writing Award for the episode “Schitt’s Creek,” then shared a directing award and won the Supporting Actor Comedy Trophy. The supporting actress trophy went to his co-star Annie Murphy.
Daniel Levy thanked his father and O’Hara for an extended “master class” in comedy. The show’s momentum came for its critically acclaimed final season.
Evidence of the coronavirus was a constant part of the ceremony, where key staff – including a teacher and a UPS supplier – presented awards and Jason Sudeikis reportedly received a COVID-19 test on stage.
In a year with a record 35 nominees for blacks, there was a notable lack of diversity in the show’s early stages. When Schitt’s Creek devoured comedy awards, the acclaimed Insecure and its creator Issa Rae went back empty-handed.
This also applied to Ramy Youssef, the star creator of the semi-autobiographical comedy “Ramy” about the love and religious life of a young Muslim American. Youssef tweeted a video of a person wearing a protective suit clutching an Emmy and waving goodbye after Youssef lost the comedy actor category.
There were signs of change at the Drama Awards, presented in the final part of the ceremony, and black actors eventually won nine trophies. But there was a familiar pattern: colored actors did exceptional work in limited series but didn’t find as much opportunity in ongoing shows, with the exception of Zendaya that year.
“Guardian” is a case in point. Infused with racial pain, the graphic novel adaptation was voted Best Limited Edition Series, and King won the lead actress for her work. She was showered with confetti as she accepted in an armchair, wearing a t-shirt that was written in honor of the police victim Breonna Taylor.
“This is so damn weird,” said King, regaining her composure and asking the audience to vote and explaining backstage why she was wearing the message shirt.
“The police have still not been held accountable,” she said. “It only represents decades, hundreds of years of violence against black bodies. Wearing Breonna’s likeness and representing her and her family and the stories we explored, presented and held up a mirror to them at Watchmen felt appropriate to represent Breonna Taylor. “
Her co-star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series. Uzo Aduba won for her portrayal of Shirley Chisholm in “Mrs. America.”
Anthony Anderson, a candidate for “black” came on stage to vigorously publicize his disappointment and said the award should have been “Howard University homecoming black.”
“That’s not what it should have been. … But Black Stories, Black Performances and Black Lives Matter, ”he said and asked Kimmel to scream with him.
Tyler Perry, the actor who became a media mogul and influential promoter of African American talent, accepted the Governors Award.
Supporting actor awards went to Billy Crudup for “The Morning Show” and repeat winner Julia Garner for “Ozark”.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver was again named Best Variety Talk Series, with David Letterman announcing the award after being abandoned by a disgruntled passenger on the side of the road.
Oliver joined the winners and urged Americans to vote, as did Mark Ruffalo, who won the acting trophy for the limited series for “I Know This Much is True”.
Kimmel opened the show with a monologue that seemed defiantly held in front of a packed, cheering theater – until it was found that clips from previous Emmy shows were being played.
“Of course I’m all alone here. Of course we don’t have an audience, ”he said. “This is not a MAGA rally. It’s the Emmys. “
A minor slip affected Emmy’s virtual creative arts for technical and other honors on Saturday when Jason Bateman’s name was announced for a guest acting award owned by Ron Cephas Jones of “This Is Us”.
In the cumulative awards presented on Sunday and creative events, HBO led the way with 30 trophies, followed by Netflix NFLX,
at 21, Pop TV at 10, and Disney + and NBC at eight each.