Jason Sudeikis, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series winnerJean Smart, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series winnerJosh O'Connor, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winnerOlivia Colman, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series winnerEwan McGregor, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie winnerKate Winslet, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie winnerBrett Goldstein, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series winnerHannah Waddingham, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series winnerTobias Menzies, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series winnerGillian Anderson, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winnerEvan Peters, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie winnerJulianne Nicholson, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie winner
The winners were announced on September 19, following the Creative Arts Emmys on September 11 and 12.[9]The Crown and The Queen's Gambit led all series with 11 wins each.[10] The two shows gave Netflix its first series wins after 30 previous nominations for comedy, drama, and limited series dating back to 2013.[11]The Crown won all seven drama categories at the main ceremony, becoming the first show to sweep the major drama categories.[12] It also became just the third show to complete a sweep of the major categories, following Angels in America as a limited series in 2004 and Schitt's Creek as a comedy in 2020.[13][14]The Queen's Gambit became the first web series to win Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.[15] Netflix led all platforms with 44 wins, marking the first time it won more awards than any other network or platform[11][16][17] and tying the record set by CBS in 1974 for the most wins by a network in a year.[18] The fourth season of The Handmaid's Tale was nominated for 21 awards but did not win any, breaking Mad Men's record of 17 nomination losses in 2012 for the largest "shutout" in Emmys history.[19]
For individual achievements, RuPaul became the most-awarded black individual in Emmys history with his win as a producer of RuPaul's Drag Race for Outstanding Competition Program.[20]Michaela Coel became the first black woman to win for limited series writing for I May Destroy You.[21]Jean Smart became the second woman to win Emmys for lead, supporting, and guest acting in comedies, after Betty White.[22] Directing wins for Lucia Aniello and Jessica Hobbs marked the first time women won Emmys for comedy and drama directing in the same year.[23]
While a record was set for diverse nominations and the ceremony featured many presenters of color,[24][25] white individuals won all 12 major acting trophies. This led to the hashtag #EmmysSoWhite trending on Twitter, echoing #OscarsSoWhite from the 87th Academy Awards in 2015.[26][27] For comparison, the previous year saw four black winners in the acting categories.[28] In total, only three individuals of color spoke when accepting awards – RuPaul, Coel, and Debbie Allen – though there were other winners of color on producing and writing teams.[24] The Creative Arts Emmys were more diverse, with three of the four guest acting winners being black and many people of color winning in technical categories, though those awards are considered less notable.[29][30]
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).[31][32][a] For simplicity, producers who received nominations for program awards, as well as nominated writers for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, have been omitted.
The Governors Award was presented to Debbie Allen "in recognition of her numerous contributions to the television medium through multiple creative forms and her philanthropic endeavors around the world".[35][36]
Nominations and wins by program
For the purposes of the lists below, "major" constitutes the categories listed above (program, acting, directing, and writing), while "total" includes the categories presented at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
In an interview with Variety, Hudlin and Stewart explained that they aimed to make the ceremony a "celebration" after the events of the previous year. They also sought to create a "party environment" for the audience and viewers at home.[75] Cedric voiced similar thoughts, remarking that "television got us through this last year" and seeking to honor that.[76] The usual theater seating was not included; instead, nominees were seated at tables with food and drink available.[77] According to Hudlin, he and Stewart had wanted to try such a setup for a while, and the ceremony offered a great opportunity for them to try it.[75] For nominees who could not attend in person for logistical reasons or due to health concerns, remote sites were set up; for instance, the cast and crew members of The Crown attended together from a remote site in London.[78]
Effects of COVID-19 pandemic
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the previous ceremony had been held as a virtual event with no in-person festivities. Jimmy Kimmel hosted the ceremony from Staples Center with no audience, while all nominees appeared remotely via video link.[79][80] Initially, the Television Academy planned to return to a modified in-person ceremony at the Microsoft Theater. However, due to concerns over SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant and increasing infections in California, it was announced on August 10 that the Primetime Emmy Awards and Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards would be relocated to another L.A. Live venue, the indoor-outdoor Event Deck, and have a further reduction in attendance.[81] The Event Deck had been used before as the site for the ceremony's Governors Ball afterparty,[82] which was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.[83] Attendees were asked to wear masks when not on camera and during commercial breaks.[78]
When announcing the move to the Event Deck, the Television Academy explained that the change would allow the ceremony to "utilize an indoor/outdoor setting and more socially-distanced audience seating".[84] However, presenter Seth Rogen criticized the tent-based setup during the ceremony, remarking, "What are we doing? They said this was outdoors. It is not. They lied to us".[85] The comments, which were delivered off-script and partially tongue-in-cheek, led to criticism of the event on social media and reportedly frustrated producers Stewart and Hudlin. Cedric and Watts explained later in the ceremony the procedures that had been put in place to ensure a safe event.[86][87] The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also clarified that the ceremony was fully compliant with COVID-19 regulations for film, television, and music productions, which included proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the event.[88]
Category and rule changes
In December 2020, the Television Academy announced several rule changes for the 2021 ceremony, including merging the Outstanding Variety Talk Series and Outstanding Variety Sketch Series categories after previously splitting them in 2015.[89] However, this decision was reversed in February 2021.[90] Another rule change clarified that anthology series would compete in the limited series categories, which were renamed accordingly.[89] In June, it was announced that acting nominees and winners could request that the gender-neutral term "performer" be used instead of "actor" or "actress" on their certificates and statuettes.[91]
The broadcast generally received mixed to negative reviews.[95][96] Mike Hale of The New York Times remarked that the ceremony had "a certain level of spirit in the room — you got the feeling people were having a good time... But it was an insular jollity, one that didn't really come through the screen". He also criticized the scripted portions and noted that the best parts were "more off the cuff".[97]IndieWire's Ben Travers noted that the awards were "a traditional telecast" befitting CBS's light, safe programming and found that it lacked a "special sauce ... to distinguish it for anything good". He praised the stars of the evening but found the comedy and presentation poor, and he found the lack of diversity among the winners disappointing.[98]Entertainment Weekly's Kristen Baldwin found that most of the jokes "didn't just fall flat — they cratered",[99] while Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone called it "one long coffin flop" that "decided to remind everyone what sucked about [award ceremonies]".[100]
Some critics reviewed the broadcast more positively. Sonia Saraiya of Vanity Fair remarked that she generally enjoyed the ceremony and called it "a suave, sleek event", though she added that the lack of diversity among winners despite the diverse nominees and attendees "suggested that the Television Academy wants to be something different, but is still figuring out how".[101] Robert Lloyd from the Los Angeles Times found the ceremony "fun, if nerve-racking" given the apparent disregard for COVID-19 protocols, singling out the pacing and energy for praise; he also applauded the diversity of the presenters.[102] Several moments also received praise even from negative reviews, such as Michaela Coel's acceptance speech and Conan O'Brien "injecting a little anarchy into the proceedings" from the audience.[99][100]
The ceremony was viewed by 7.83 million people in the United States, representing a 23% increase over the previous year's ceremony, which was the least-viewed in Emmys history. It also achieved a 1.81 rating among adults ages 18–49, up from the previous year's 1.3 rating. The ratings figures only include those who watched the telecast on CBS, and not those who streamed it on Paramount+.[103] Viewership numbers were the best since the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2018,[104] and the ceremony snapped a six-year streak of record-low viewership.[1] Several publications remarked that the improved ratings were likely due to strong NFL broadcasts leading into the program.[105][106]
In addition to the In Memoriam segment, several individuals were recognized elsewhere during the ceremony. Cedric the Entertainer opened the ceremony with a tribute to Markie with a television-themed version of the song "Just a Friend".[109] Michael K. Williams, who had been considered a frontrunner for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, was recognized by presenter Kerry Washington when she presented the category.[110][111]Jean Smart recognized Gilliland, her late husband, during her acceptance speech, while Lorne Michaels and John Oliver paid tribute to Macdonald during their speeches.[107]
Notes
^The outlets listed for each program are the U.S. broadcasters or streaming services identified in the nominations, which for some international productions are different than the broadcaster(s) that originally commissioned the program.
^Williams died between the end of Emmy voting and the ceremony.[33][34]
^ abcdParent company WarnerMedia combined HBO and HBO Max as a single platform for the purposes of counting nominations.[11]
^France, Lisa Respers (September 20, 2021). "#EmmysSoWhite ... again". CNN. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
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