Slept through the Emmys? No worries; TV editor Amy Brown is here to fill you in.
The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards just happened, highlighting one of the biggest nights for television. I stayed awake to catch most of the ceremony but couldn’t quite make it past 3am… I tried! Regardless, here is my slightly sleep deprived account of last night’s ceremony.
The awards I was most looking forward to this year were mostly in the Comedy section of the show. I had my eye out for a favourite of mine, Barry, the dark comedy series about a hitman-turned wannabe actor starring Bill Hader. I fell in love with the show after the first episode and after wide recognition at last year’s Emmys, I was hoping to see even more hype. As I expected, Bill Hader snatched Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for the second year in a row. It was beyond deserved for his performance and dedication to the show. Hader was also nominated for his writing and directing on an episode of season two. He didn’t secure those too, but I felt that his directing talents should have absolutely been rewarded. This is definitely what comes next for Bill and his incredible skill sets. His co-stars also received nominations and I would have loved to see Anthony Carrigan win Best Supporting, but there’s always next year. If you haven’t yet, watch Barry! It’s only getting better.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s comedy Fleabag swept a considerable amount of the comedy awards which was absolutely well deserved. The show secured four Emmys including Outstanding Comedy Series and Waller-Bridge winning Lead Actress. Bill Hader and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, after winning, presented an award together which was a highlight for me… they need to collaborate on something ASAP.
I had my eye on Killing Eve this year with both leads nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Jodie Comer who portrays Villanelle on the show took home the award, a celebration of her multifaceted talents at playing the Russian assassin. Her surprised reaction and hug with co-star Sandra Oh was a lovely moment. The show lost out on Outstanding Drama Series to Game of Thrones which received mixed critical responses. I’m still on team Killing Eve.
Billy Porter secured the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work in Pose. His work in the show never falters and he absolutely deserves the recognition and exposure. Last night was a great night all round for queer TV as Rupaul's Drag Race snatched the win for Outstanding Reality Competition Series for the second year running.
Overall, the 2019 Emmys was a decent success. This has been an amazing year for TV so far, let’s hope it only gets better! Time to catch up on some lost sleep.