Predictable big winners, a few surprises, some lame segments, and nice shout-outs for three recently departed performers. And once again, we’re asking ourselves do we really need a host for these Awards shows? Here’s a closer look at the 73rd Emmy Awards.
Ted Lasso and The Crown won big in the Comedy and Drama Awards. No surprise here as most prognosticators predicted so, including yours truly (see previous Emmy post). Ted Lasso won for Best Comedy, Best Lead Actor (Jason Sudeikis), Best Supporting Actor (Brett Goldstein), and Best Supporting Actress (Hannah Waddingham). The Crown won Best Drama (for the first time!), Best Lead Actress (Olivia Colman), Best Lead Actor (Josh O’Connor), Best Supporting Actor (Tobias Menzies), and Best Supporting Actress (Gillian Anderson).
The Limited Series Awards went to Mare of Easttown and The Queen’s Gambit, again as expected. Mare of Easttown won Best Lead Actress (Kate Winslet), Best Supporting Actor (Evan Peters), and Best Supporting Actress (Julianne Nicholson). The Queen’s Gambit won Best Series and Directing (Scott Frank).
Despite the predictability, there were a few surprises. None bigger than Tobias Menzies winning for his portrayal of Prince Philip in The Crown. Michael K. Williams, known for his roles in The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, and nominated for an Emmy in Lovecraft Country, was an odds-on favorite to win. (The votes were in before his sudden death on September 6th.) This was the one moment of the night where disappointment seemed to ripple through the crowd. (Similar to Anthony Hopkins winning the Oscar, instead of Chadwick Boseman.) Unfortunately, Tobias Menzies was not in attendance or at The Crown party in London. Other milder surprises were Ewan McGregor winning Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series for Halston (over Hugh Grant in The Undoing) and The Queen’s Gambit winning Best Limited Series over Mare of Easttown. Hey, I called that last one!
The show itself had some real clunkers. The ladies of The Neighborhood (in which Cedric stars) jumped up from their “nosebleed” seats complaining that they were promised good tickets. Sounds kinda funny, but it wasn’t. Even worse, were the Tom Brady Super Bowl trophy and the fly on Mike Pence’s head skits. Awful. The always poignant “In Memoriam” segment had some technical difficulties for TV viewers with full-screen shots of the people being remembered alternating with reduced portraits of some being overtaken by seeing the band playing. The “where’s my Emmy” sketch was pretty good with a group of actors whining about never winning and then Dr. Phil comes out with his two Emmys. “Daytime Emmys.”
The opening of the show was a pretty cool, uplifting audience sing-and-dance-along honoring Biz Markie with his song “Just a Friend.” (Rapper Biz Markie died on July 16, 2021.) Several presenters had beautiful words about the talented and generous Michael K. Williams and the comic genius of Norm McDonald.
Cedric the Entertainer was energetic and funny at times, but when he came back at the end of the night to say goodbye, it was like, “oh yeah, I forgot about this guy.” When you have presenters like Amy Poehler, Awkwafina, Seth Rogen, Jennifer Coolidge, and more funny people it ensures that the jokes will fly throughout the night. The show is pre-programmed on a tight schedule (although, they went over time for the first time in years last night), so it really doesn’t need a MC to keep it on track. The Emmys have a long list of hosts; they’ve also tried no host and two hosts in recent years. What’s the answer? I don’t know, but I’ll keep watching every year to see what (who) they come up with next.