Last night saw the first major awards show since the pandemic began, and I was excited to get it in whatever format they could manage. Thus, I watched an (almost) totally virtual Emmy Awards, or as I’ve seen it so cleverly referenced, the “Pandemmys.” The show opened with host Jimmy Kimmel seemingly talking to a full house of actors and guest alike. I’m not going to lie, this fooled me for the first minute. I thought to myself, “well, maybe they worked something out and had everyone quarantine for two weeks,” even though I’d heard nothing of the sort mentioned in the last several months since the virtual show was announced. Then I noticed people in the crowd who weren’t nominated, or actors from shows who were no longer on the air. Then we saw Jimmy Kimmel himself in the crowd.
That’s when the ruse was truly broken and Kimmel quipped, “of course I’m here alone, this isn’t a MAGA rally.” I try and keep politics out of these posts, but that made me laugh pretty good. I hope you did, too. Anyways, Jason Bateman was there in the audience by himself in an amongst several celebrity cardboard cutouts. Realizing he’d have to laugh at Kimmel’s jokes, he promptly left. Then Kimmel made his way to a smaller room with probably the largest Zoom call taking place, where you could see all of the nominees in varying degrees of dress and rooms, and it looked fun! I was excited to see the show get underway to see how it would pan out. Of course the first thing they do is bring out Jennifer Aniston physically to present an award! This happened with at least a half dozen more celebrities throughout the night, although I’m sure proper protocols were followed. Other than some famous people presenting the awards, we also had a handful of essential workers getting their time in the sun. I will admit that it was a little strange hearing a doctor talk about her struggle with the virus in New York back when everything started and then pivot into announcing the nominees for Supporting Actress in a Drama. Oh, well. That’s showbusiness, I guess.
All in all, I did a decent job of predicting the winners in all of the main acting categories of the night, but that doesn’t mean the evening didn’t go down without any surprises (to me, at least). Not all too shocking was seeing Schitt’s Creek sweep every category they were up for that night! The cherry on top was seeing Annie Murphy taking home the Supporting trophy, as I wasn’t totally convinced the Television Academy would give her her due. But when the show just kept winning for everything else, it would have seemed cruel for her not to join the others. I know there will be a large group out there bummed by the complete shut out of The Good Place, but when a show as good as Schitt’s Creek gets ignored for six solid years, you really should have seen it coming.
Other shocks of the night came in the form of Zendaya winning Best Actress in a Drama Series. Honestly, I thought she had no shot only because it seemed like a shock to most of the world that she even got nominated in the first place! Plus, she was up against the likes of the always favorite Olivia Coleman, a strong turn from Laura Linney, and the constantly buzzed about Jennifer Aniston. Zendaya herself was also shocked, and her reaction was truly priceless. The other crazy upset for me was seeing Billy Crudup take the win for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series from three well-deserving Succession actors! I thought Kiernan Culkin was a sure thing, but having three powerhouses from the same show in one category probably watered down their chances. Not that I’m upset with Billy Crudup’s win. Having just finished the show last week, he was one of my favorite characters!
Aside from my shock was also the shock of some of the actors who won. Uzo Aduba took the cake for her win in Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie – she was so surprised she yelled immediately “Mama, I won!” and I’m almost positive I heard a voice off camera shout back ,”what?!” I love it. Equally as shocked was Mark Ruffalo winning for the same category in the actor’s slot. Hand to mouth, there was screaming all around him. I felt for Paul Mescal because I really thought he deserved it, but my love for Mark Ruffalo means I’m not all that disappointed. Both Julia Garner and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II seemed struck by speechlessness when they won, too. It’s so funny seeing these nominees react to what they thought was going to happen verses them winning. Humbleness at its finest. Perhaps the most humble and adorable was Jeremy Strong besting his Succession co-star Brian Cox for Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He had the most shy smile followed directly by a hand to the mouth in shock was so fun to witness.
Overall, I thought it was a valiant first effort into a large-scale awards show that miraculously had no technical difficulties (that I was aware of, at least). Jimmy did a fine job hosting and razzing guests per his normal bit, and the celebrities looked like they enjoyed themselves even though they didn’t get wined and dined on this year. I especially loved the little gatherings that some casts and crews had, like Little Fires Everywhere and Schitt’s Creek. Either way, the night was a win for me. Something close to normal in this time of abnormal. Check here for the full list of winners!