“The People v. O.J. Simpson”, which earned the second-highest number of nominations, converted five to trophies Sunday.
Advertisement
One of them, Sara Paulson, won for outstanding lead actress in a limited series.
Rami Malek won outstanding lead actor in a drama series for his role in Mr Robot, while Tatiana Maslany from Orphan Black won outstanding leading actress. With its 38 wins the highly successful HBO series broke a 12 year record for most Emmy wins by a series which had been held by “Fraiser” with 35 Emmys. As it turns out, she won for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series for her role in Downtown Abbey, and Kimmel stepped in to claim her award. “‘Veep’ has torn down the wall between comedy and politics”. Kimmel made several pointed attacks against Trump, as well as producer Mark Burnett, who helped make Trump into a reality TV star with the Apprentice franchise. “Our show started out as a political satire, but it now feels like a sobering documentary”, she said, drawing laughs from the crowd before concluding on a serious note about the death of her father on Friday.
LIMITED SERIES: “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”, FX.
“Good one, Jason Bourne”, retorted Kimmel. “We’re not mailing this to her. Maggie if you want this, it will be in the lost and found”, Kimmel said, walking off stage with her award.
Perhaps Kimmel’s most well-crafted remark, which sparked a roar of approval from the audience as much for its pithiness as its wit: The much-honored Amazon transgender series “Transparent”, he said, “was born a drama, but it identifies as a comedy”.
“Holy crap!”Veep showrunner David Mandel said when he took the stage, before joking, “I have a 9:30 a.m. library shift at my son’s school tomorrow morning if anyone is willing to trade with me at home or you just email me”.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus picked up her fifth consecutive win as best actress in a comedy for “Veep”.
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES: “Game of Thrones”, HBO.
Sterling K. Brown brought in the retelling of the O.J. Simpson trial’s second award of the night, for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.
Taraji P. Henson presented the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama to Ben Mendelsohn for the Netflix series “Bloodline”, which the streaming service recently announced would not be continuing after its third season.
The blood-spattered, sex-filled saga about noble families vying for control of the Iron Throne took home the most coveted prize of the night, the best drama Emmy – along with statuettes for writing and directing. “Thank you, Ellen DeGeneres, thank you, Hillary Clinton”, she said, naming two of the famous people she has impersonated on the show.
Sarah Paulson, who played former O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark, brought Clark to the Emmys and apologized to her in front of millions for not being kind in the past.
Writing for a Comedy Series: Alan Yang and Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”.
Actor, Limited Series or Movie: Courtney B. Vance, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”. The series and its baroque style of dramatizing a key event in recent American history won and won again, emphatically sending a message about the innovation and artistry that resides in cable TV now.
Advertisement
DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL: Thomas Kail and Alex Rudzinski, “Grease: Live”, Fox.
