Stephen Colbert hosted a memorable ceremony honoring the best and brightest with a golden Emmy perfect for the golden age of television.
We open with an all too accurate musical number reminding us that everything is always better on TV which kicks off our 2017 Emmys celebration!
Like most of this year, the 2017 Emmys will be remembered most for its political references starting with an appearance by former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, a joke about Bill Maher’s n-word drop, and playing off Kate McKinnon while thanking Hillary Clinton.
However, let’s not forget the art we’re celebrating as it has a way of reflecting our current living world. Most reflective are the joyous, sweeping wins of content celebrating women and diversity including The Handmaid’s Tale, Big Little Lies, Saturday Night Live, The Night Of, Atlanta, and Master of None which earned the majority of the night’s awards. Also among the winners is the unnerving technological drama Black Mirror which explores our ever-increasing dependency on technology and the consequences that follow.
The supreme moment of the night easily goes to Donald Glover becoming the first ever African American to win an Emmy for outstanding directing in a comedy only to be given the award by the legendary Dave Chappelle. Atlanta was an exceptional break-out last fall unlike any other series I’ve seen that deserves all the gold. You can now stream this unmissable, Emmy winning (!!) series exclusively on Hulu. (Glover also nabbed the much-deserved Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Atlanta.)
Lena Waithe also made Emmy history by becoming the first African American woman to win for outstanding writing in a comedy series for Master of None. Waithe co-wrote the episode “Thanksgiving” with Aziz Ansari which is easily one of the single-best episodes of TV ever produced (and even features Angela Bassett!). Waithe also honored the LGBTQIA community with her speech ensuring them that they are seen and loved.
Related: Angela Bassett on American Horror Story season 7, Master of None season 2, and Black Panther
Although I’m disappointed Feud: Bette and Joan didn’t get the recognition it deserved, I can’t be mad that a phenomenal series like Big Little Lies was as successful as it was. The series has one of the biggest jaw-dropping season finales in history which makes for essential viewing as Lead Actress winner Nicole Kidman further instilled the story’s importance of portraying domestic abuse gracefully in her acceptance speech.
The Handmaid’s Tale was a victorious tour-de-force earning the coveted Outstanding Drama series amongst many, many well-deserved others. I was also gleefully astonished to see Riz Ahmed win for his incomparable work on HBO’s The Night Of (Lead Actor/Limited Series). The Star Wars: Rogue One alumnus is just beginning to show us his impeccable talent and I cannot wait to see his future work (that’s hopefully alongside Insecure’s Issa Rae again!)
Last but certainly not least, from the Saturday awards, Bob’s Burgers finally won an Emmy after being nominated consistently since 2012. The series is a heart-warming and hilarious family comedy that was well past due in awarding!
All in all, I’m rather pleased the Academy members highlighted such paramount programming in our current political climate. Hulu is now officially a competing powerhouse of streaming entertainment hosting not only its own award winning content but also many of the other nominees and winners now available exclusively on their platform. With the 2017 Emmys rewarding diversity and powerful female ensembles, I hope to see the trend continue this award season! As The Handmaid’s Tale showrunner Bruce Miller said in acceptance, “Go home and wrap it up. We have a lot of things to fight for.”
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