The 67th Annual Emmy Awards aired Sunday night, giving TV fans everywhere something to cheer and jeer over. Whether you’re a binging Netflix watcher or an avid television buff, the Emmys brought triumph in both network shows as well as streaming programs.
Perhaps one of the most noteworthy wins for streaming production was the Amazon series “Transparent,” a dramedy about a transgender woman coming out to her children. The show took home five Emmys Sunday night, including Jeffrey Tambor winning outstanding lead actor in a comedy series. Joining in the royalties, Uzo Aduba also won for the second year in a row for her performance on the hit Netflix series “Orange is the New Black.” Both of these streaming services made waves at the Emmys, giving broadcasting networks healthy competition.
I think what everybody could breathe a sigh of relief over was the fact that another show finally ousted “Modern Family” for best comedy series. If they had won again this year, it would have been the sixth time in a row. Let’s be honest, five times was enough. Though it was nominated again, the satirical comedy “Veep” ultimately took home the Emmy. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, lead actress in the show, also won outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, beating out Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”).
As television fans in general, we can’t help but wince when nominees who have been on the ballot well over a couple of times still can’t make that victorious win. For Amy Poehler, we all felt that crushing blow when she lost her category for the whopping sixth time in a row. What’s even worse is that this year marked the end of the “Parks and Recreation” series, so who knows if she’ll ever get the opportunity again?
The big winners of the night included Jon Hamm winning outstanding lead actor in a drama series, as well as Viola Davis winning for lead actress in a drama series.
The long overdue win for Hamm’s performance in “Mad Men” certainly gave fans of the show, including me, something to cheer about after eight years of waiting for recognition. The series finale aired this past summer, so I can’t help but suggest that the win for Hamm was distributed because the Academy saw this as their last opportunity to give praise to the actor since waiting another eight years didn’t seem to be an option.
The most talked event about of the night was arguably the triumph of Viola Davis. She won for her outstanding performance in the ABC show “How to Get Away With Murder,” giving aspiring black actresses everywhere something to rejoice over. Sunday night made Davis the first African American woman to win in her category. Keep in mind that this is the 67th Emmy Awards. It took 67 years for a woman of color to accomplish this. The feat was not lost on the actress when she accepted her award, saying, “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.”
Her entire speech and the commentary on the lack of diversity in Hollywood was, in a word, epic. There’s something refreshing about looking beyond the glamour of the celebrities and getting to the grit of what it means to be an actor in the business. It’s always nice to get a dose of reality from time to time and Davis definitely opened our eyes.
