Apple TV+, Netflix, HBO Max Make Emmy History With Wins

When Apple TV+ first debuted in November 2019, executives hoped its big, star-studded drama The Morning Show would shower the streamer with accolades during the 2020 Emmy ceremony. That didn’t happen (only Billy Crudup won for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series)—but a year later, Apple TV+ finally had its big Emmys moment. Ted Lasso, the feel-good comedy starring Jason Sudeikis as the titular well-meaning and occasionally clueless soccer coach, won four trophies at the 73rd Emmy Awards Sunday night, including for outstanding comedy series, marking the fledgling streamer's first Emmy series win. But Apple TV+ wasn't the only streamer making Emmy history at Sunday night's ceremony, which was held in person in a somewhat scaled-down affair outdoors on the Event Deck at L.A. Live in accordance with Covid-19 safety guidelines. Netflix led all outlets with 44 total Emmys, 10 of which were awarded during the telecast, including its first wins for outstanding drama series (The Crown, which won 11 Emmys in all) and outstanding limited or anthology series (The Queen's Gambit, which also won 11 total). And HBO Max received its first-ever Emmys with three trophies for comedy Hacks, including Jean Smart's win for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series. Of Netflix's 10 wins during Sunday's ceremony, seven of them were for The Crown, which in addition to its series award swept the acting and supporting categories. Olivia Colman won outstanding lead actress for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in the drama, and Josh O’Connor was named outstanding lead actor for his portrayal of Prince Charles. Gillian Anderson and Tobias Menzies each took home awards for their supporting performances. The show’s creator, writer and showrunner Peter Morgan won for best writing in a drama series, and Jessica Hobbs was awarded for outstanding direction. The show’s cast and crew accepted their awards from a small London-based dinner and gala livestreamed into the telecast, save for Menzies, who was unable to attend. The Queen’s Gambit received two wins during the primetime ceremony, including Scott Frank's directing trophy—but Frank’s lengthy acceptance speech, which thrice went over the send-off music cues from Emmy producers, may be remembered infamously among watchers. Ewan McGregor also collected a win for best actor in the Netflix miniseries Halston. Other big Emmy winners It was also a big night for HBO/HBO Max, which went into the ceremony with the most nominations of any network or service. By the end of the night, the outlets took home nine awards in total, including three awards for the HBO Max original comedy Hacks, a breakout for the streamer’s growing line-up of originals. (Overall, HBO/HBO Max won 19 Emmys this year, No. 2 behind Netflix.) In addition to Smart's win, Hacks was awarded in the writing and directing comedy series categories. The HBO miniseries Mare of Easttown dominated in the miniseries acting awards: Kate Winslet, for her lead performance as the titular Mare, took home outstanding actress, and Julianne Nicholson and Evan Peters each won awards for their supporting performances in the series. HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver received two Emmys, including a sixth consecutive win for outstanding variety talk series and an outstanding writing in a variety series award. Michaela Coel was also awarded for outstanding writing in her miniseries I May Destroy You, becoming the first-ever Black woman to win in the category; she dedicated the award to survivors of sexual assault in a stirring acceptance speech. In addition to Ted Lasso's outstanding comedy series victory, the Apple TV+ show also won all three of the acting categories in which it was nominated, including Sudeikis for best actor in a comedy series, Hannah Waddingham for supporting actress and Brett Goldstein for supporting actor. (The show won three additional Emmys at the Creative Arts Emmys, giving Apple TV+ 10 trophies overall, fourth among all outlets and more than any broadcast network.) Hamilton, which Disney released on Disney+ last year during the early months of the pandemic, won for outstanding prerecorded variety special, marking one win for the streaming service. Despite its muted presence Sunday night, Disney+ brought home 13 Creative Arts Emmys, bringing its total count in the Emmys cycle to 14, third among all outlets. Not all of the major streamers had reason to celebrate on Sunday night: Amazon Prime Video and Hulu were completely shut out. ViacomCBS, which aired the awards ceremony on CBS and streamed it on Paramount+, counted two wins during the night, although neither were for shows airing on those two platforms. Instead, VH1’s RuPaul’s Drag Race once again won for outstanding competition program, making RuPaul the most-awarded person of color in Emmy history with 11 total wins. And Stephen Colbert’s 2020 Election Night special, which aired on Showtime, took home the Emmy for outstanding live variety special. This year continues to be a reminder of the dominance of streaming in the cultural cache that the Emmys and other industry awards generally represent. Of the 27 awards given out in the three-hour-plus broadcast, 70% of them went to two streaming services, and if someone were to have subscriptions to HBO Max, Netflix and Apple TV+, they would be able to watch all but four of the programs awarded. Almost all of the top streaming services also bought advertising inventory during the Emmy telecast, including Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, HBO Max, Disney+ and Netflix, while CBS ran promos for streaming sibling Paramount+. In a trend that is becoming less astonishing each year, there was only one award tonight that went to broadcast television: NBC’s Saturday Night Live won for variety series. Just as the Emmys may not be a big night onstage for broadcast television, it also is unlikely that the ceremony—hosted by Cedric the Entertainer—will be a ratings success. Last year's show fell to record lows, drawing just 6.1 million total viewers and a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49. Ted Lasso’s Debut Season Wins 3 TCA Awards, Including Program of the Year

Streaming & OTT

Apple TV+, Netflix, HBO Max Make Emmy History as Streamers Dominate

Ted Lasso, The Crown, The Queen’s Gambit among top winners

Kelsey Sutton

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Kelsey Sutton