The 69th annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday Microsoft Theatre in downtown Los Angeles featured historic wins, surprising non-wins, a cameo by a former White House staffer and plenty of digs at President Donald Trump. Deadline live-blogged the affair at the Mircosoft Theater on Los Angeles, where CBS broadcast live and Stephen Colbert hosted. Here’s how it went down.
Well, Nellie, we are almost past the torturous Red Carpet arrivals interviews. The Emmys will start in a moment. What are the biggest questions you have tonight, in terms of tight categories?
Best drama series category for sure. There are four shows that I feel have a shot at winning, Stranger Things, The Crown, This Is Us and Handmaid’s Tale.
One question I have is how will the ratings look? Last year’s ABC broadcast show was an all-time low with 11.3 million viewers and a 2.8 in the 18-49 demo. Like tonight’s Colbert hosted shindig, the Jimmy Kimmel fronted 2016 Emmys faced a big Sunday Night Football game that ended up dominating the night. FYI, SNF tonight sees the Green Bay Packers taking on the Atlanta Falcons
Worth nothing these are all freshman shows and only one of them belongs to a major network. Where’s the quality with the Big Three or Big Four?
I just got back from Toronto, and I don’t know if Allison Janney will win for Mom in heavy competition. She is a lock for an Oscar nom, playing Tonya Harding’s horrible mother, LaVona Golden. Even though she is an awful mom, every word out of her mouth is laugh out loud funny, and often touching. Wait for it!
Though she risks getting upstaged by a bird at any moment, Mike…
First Donald Trump white supremacist mention, courtesy of Julia Louis Dreyfus.
And we started with politics thanks to Anthony Anderson & West Wing alum & Mom start Allison Janney hitting that global warming and Selina Meyer in the White House briefing room on Trump…plus Chance the Rapper.
There is a bird on Allison Janney’s shoulder, incessantly pecking her ear. you have to see it to believe it.
Somewhat surprisingly, the first dig in Stephen Colbert’s monologue is not at President Donald Trump as we expected but at HBO. “I hear HBO’s is bringing back the confederacy,” Allison Janney said, a reference to the network’s controversial new series Confederate, which involves modern-day slavery. “I’m canceling my subscription,” Anthony Anderson said.
Well, everything is better on TV
First Game of Thrones reference and Les Moonves shout-out
I am a movie chauvinist, but movie biz is huffing and puffing as all the best writers and directors slum on TV. Nicole Kidman, De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, all doing their best work on TV? Reese Witherspoon, too? No wonder there are no movie stars anymore but Leo and Denzel. They are the only ones not slumming on TV or doing commercials.
“Looking forward to the tweets” – Colbert to Trump, literally begging for it
“Hacker ransom” – way too soon Stephen, way too soon
While on my movie rant, glad that we took Stephen Kings It back from its miniseries origins. It has revived the spirits of every film exec in town. But I look at This is Us, and Dan Fogelman is an accomplished movie screenwriter who started this one as a spec script and went to the dark side with it. Wouldn’t a feature version have been our generation’s Terms of Endearment or Love Actually?
And if you didn’t know, HBO got hit by hackers this summer, who wanted millions. Coming up empty handed, the self-titled Mr. Smith and crew dribbled out episodes of Insecure, Larry David’s new Curb, internal emails and GoT scripts. However, even though the premium cabler was besieged by unrelated leaks, Mr. Smith did not drop any episodes of the blockbuster.
Colbert has not forgotten Bill Maher’s N-word controversy either, listing him among the black actor nominees because “He is so comfortable using the N-word”.
“Shoulda gotten it” – still best line from Trump, or anyone from the 2016 campaign, on Apprentice not getting an Emmy.
Melissa McCarthy’s reaction to the surprise appearance of Sean Spicer on the Emmy stage is tailor made for Twitter gifs.
Well played, Colbert
Sean Spicer in the house with his portable podium. It’s going to have to be a huge deal for anyone to beat the ex-White House Press Secretary’s on-stage appearance. That’s the takeaway moment from this year’s Emmy within the first 20 mins
The year of Winston Churchill. Gary Oldman turns in transformative performance in the film Darkest Hour. Oh, forgot, this is about TV, but had to say it as I saw Lithgow.
Don’t forget Brian Cox, another 2017 Churchill.
WINNER: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – John Lithgow – The Crown
Or Hugh Grant, the best Brit Prime Minister, ever.
What is it with you and Love, Actually, Mike?
That’s two references already
Don’t we all have to thank Winston Churchill, when you think about it?
“Most of all I have to thank Winston Churchill. In these crazy times, his life even as an old man reminds us what courage and leadership in government really looks like,” says Lithgow.
What can I say. Great movie. right now, Richard Curtis would probably have turned it into a limited series for Netflix.
Gina Rodriguez, getting her big feature break in a remake of Miss Bala, directed by Catherine Hardwicke
WINNER: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
The SNL dominating run continues this year with third consecutive Emmy win, following the best guest actor and actress statuettes last weekend.
Two Emmy wins. Where does Kate McKinnon rank in the pantheon of all time great SNL female castmembers? She was breathtaking this past season.
Kate McKinnon thanks Hillary Clinton “for your grace and grit”.
Will Hillary tweet back?
And will Alec Baldwin who portrayed Trump to Kate’s Hillary also get the Emmy?
Emmys seem to like her better than they do Trump
How can Alec Baldwin not win?
WINNER: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series – Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
This is likely the first of several wins for the HBO limited series tonight.
Laura Dern: “Thank you to Nicole and Reese’s moms, for not only giving us extraordinary women, but extremely well-read women, because that’s how I’m getting parts.”
Dern becomes the first winner of the evening not to reference politics in her speech.
She stuck to the female empowerment theme. She lent her considerable talents to a short film called The Good Time Girls, and because of it, costume designer Courtney Hoffman just got her directorial debut break in a big Amblin action movie called Ruthless, about a female assassin. The landscape is improving for women, and it’s because of people like Dern, Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman.
Can we make David Chappelle the next Emmy host? Please, even if he skips the rehearsal? Most natural funny lines so far
WINNER: Outstanding Directing in a Comedy – Donald Glover, Atlanta
Donald Glover, our cover star earlier in the year, wins his first Emmy – there are more noms to come for him and the exceptional Atlanta tonight.
Will all Donald Glover’s backstage questions be about Star Wars?
Very likely. Also, the best comedy series winner offer is supported by writing or directing win. Is this an indication for a possible best series upset over Veep?
WINNER: Outstanding Variety Sketch Series – Saturday Night Live
If anything can knock Veep off its perch this year, Atlanta stands a strong shot.
Saturday Night Live is tied with Westworld for the most nominations this year – 22 in total
Would the show have been memorable at all without Trump? Does he merit a thank you?
Lorne kind of alluded to that without saying so. What a year for SNL. Coming off its highest rated season on 20 years, had record number of nominations. And three acting wins already.
Here’s Greg Evans’ oral history of this landmark year for SNL.
Didn’t seem too long ago that critics were writing off the show, saying that it sucked.
We should’ve seen this coming — Colbert as a naked robot from Westworld.
WINNER: Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series – Bruce Miller, The Handmaid’s Tale
Can’t not like it anytime Margaret Atwood’s name is uttered on primetime TV
A great win for Bruce who had worked tirelessly to do his passion project for years. Also, advantage Handsmaid’s Tale in the best drama series race with this trophy.
WINNER: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series – Alec Baldwin, Saturday Night Live
Gee, I can’t wait for Trump’s thoughts on this one.
Does Alec Baldwin have his Trump make-up on?
Baldwin: “I should say, at long last, Mr. President, HERE is your Emmy.”
I thought Trump’s presence hovered over the last Oscarcast. He should be in the audience tonight.
SNL’s sweep is complete – best variety sketch comedy series and wins in all four acting categories the show was eligible for.
oh great, more accountants craving attention on an awards show
You’d think the entire accountancy profession would be laying low from awards shows just in case…
WINNER: Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special – Jean-Marc Vallée, Big Little Lies
Are we witnessing the shaping of a big night for Big Little Lies? Sure feels like it.
David E Kelley’s done a fine job on the Stephen King series Mr. Mercedes, with Brendan Gleeson. Well worth watching, and you wouldn’t expect that on the Audience Network. These good shows are coming from every direction.
Biggest roar of the night and standing ovation for Grace & Frankie‘s Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin being reunited on stage with their 9-to-5 co-star Dolly Parton.
Fonda: “In [9 to 5] we refused to be controlled by a sexist, egotist, lying hypocritical bigot.”
Tomlin: “And in 2017 we still refuse to be controlled by a sexist, egotist, lying hypocritical bigot.”
Grace and Frankie showrunner Marta Kaufman told me a while back that they are trying to find a way to get Dolly on the Netflix series sometime soon
WINNER: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie – Alexander Skarsgård, Big Little Lies
Skarsgard: “Thank you for making this boy feel like one of the girls.”
Emmys 2017 is feeling very Big Little Lies. Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon are facing each other in the Best Actress Limited Series category … and the winner will be…
Good time for the Skarsgard clan, as Alexander’s brother Bill wins the box office again this weekend as the creepy clown from It.
Shortly after dad Stellan starred in the TIFF opener Borg/McEnroe – officially (according to me) the best tennis movie made.
Deadline’s Michael Cieply wrote a most perceptive piece about the anger all the stars promoting Oscar season films are exhibiting, as they promote festival films with highly political speeches that have little to do with the movies. He wondered if they are completely polarizing the potential audience with these opinionated rants. I wonder if Trump supporters, and there still are some across this country, are doing the same thing. Does it matter?
Yowza, that was a weird moment for Emmy, Colbert’s interview with the statue
I wasn’t into it, honestly.
WINNER: Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series – Last Week With John Oliver
#DCPublicSchools
John Oliver is starting to dominate the variety talk category the way Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert (circa Comedy Central) did. All came out of The Daily Show.
WINNER: Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series – Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale
And Nellie, John Oliver could dominate social media tonight with that #DCPublicSchools that Dave Chappelle first uttered tonight
Ann also was nominated for The Leftovers this year – her first Emmy nominations EVER. What a year for her after so many years doing her craft.
So Millie Bobby Brown misses out on a chance at setting an Emmy record as the youngest winner ever. If she wins next year for Season 2, she’ll be as young as the current record holder, Roxana Zal, who was 14 when she won in 1984. We’ll have to do more complicated math to work out how many days there are between them, in that scenario. I might need a calculator.
Ann Dowd, the first heartfelt awards acceptance speech we have seen in a long time. Aw forget it, she plugged every rep she had and the whole family.
Lots of ads, and just now an in-show plug from Jermaine Fowler for new CBS All-Access series Star Trek: Discovery. There’s a lot riding on this launch next week, for a whole new streaming service.
Yes, but it feels like the House of Moonves is working out their Discovery marking plan in real time on tonight’s broadcast
Watching commercial for Bobby Moynihan’s new show. He and Vanessa Bayer are going to be sorely missed next SNL season.
Our own Matt Grobar sat down with Ann Dowd in August.
WINNER: Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series – Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe, Master Of None
HUGE standing ovation for Lena Waithe and Aziz Ansari.
What a nice empowering moment for Lena Waithe, the first African American to win an Emmy for writing comedy. And for Aziz Ansari to stand aside, gracefully, and let her bask in the moment.
WINNER: Outstanding Reality-Competition Program – The Voice
The Voice is turning to the new Amazing Race, It’s at its third consecutive win.
Visited Jerry Bruckheimer’s office a couple years ago. There must have been ten of those Emmy trophies on his mantle for Amazing Race. Voice has a way to go to catch him!
WINNER: Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series – Reed Morano, The Handmaid’s Tale
It’s becoming a great night for Handmaid’s Tale and Big Little Lies, and not so much for Stranger Things.
I spoke with Reed Morano and Elisabeth Moss a little while back for one of our cover stories. Catch up here.
This is big. Only third woman ever to win the category.
Reed Morano is only going to become more of a force to be reckoned with in years to come. Her direction on Handmaid’s is undeniable.
WINNER: Outstanding Writing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special – Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror
Brooker: “I don’t know what to say. First world problems.” He had plenty on his mind a couple of months back.
Staggering number of giants passed away in the last year. A most touching tribute.
Some of the in memoriam names honored (I may have missed one or two): Glen Campbell, June Foray, Ed Greene, Mike Conners, Zsa Zsa Gabor, John Bernecker, Chuck Barris, Chris Bearde, Brad Grey, Frank Konigsberg, Powers Boothe, Jeannie Gunne, Adam West, John Heard, Gary Glasberg, Roger Ailes, Agnes Nixon, Robert Osborne, Jay Thomas, Nelsan Ellis, Mark Schlegel, Marsh McCall, Robert Vaughn, Bill Paxton, Roger Moore, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, John Hurt, Gwen Ifill, Grant Tinker, Stanley Kallis, Sandy Gallin, Miguel Ferrer, Martin Landau, Richard Hatch, Alan Thicke, Florence Henderson, Jerry Lewis, Don Rickles, Mary Tyler Moore.
No Sam Shepard in the montage.
Roger Ailes bumped him.
WINNER: Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series – Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live
Don Roy King may have been outshined by SNL’s big wins tonight but he held the torch for the series for awhile, adding Emmys to its tally over the years even when the top variety prize eluded it.
WINNER: Outstanding Variety Talk Series – Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
John Oliver is having a very good Sunday – on both HBO and the Emmys
John Oliver thanks Oprah’s seat filler – Winfrey is out of the room. Says, “I met Oprah once, it was like meeting the Queen.”
Getting close to crunch time here. How do you think this Emmy broadcast is playing across the country, and will the ratings continue to decline? I wonder what impact all the Trump Trashing has on the ratings?
That would certainly be divisive. Between the Trump bashing and wins for series that are little seen like Handsmaid’s Tale and Atlanta, it will be interesting to see what the numbers are tomorrow.
I wonder, Mike, are Trump supporters really Emmy viewers? He’s railed against mainstream media and liberal Hollywood. I’m not sure his supporters would be tuning in first in order to tune out.
WINNER: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series – Donald Glover, Atlanta
What else are they going to watch, those Trump supporters?
Golf?
A second win for Glover, and the chances for a Veep upset grow.
Tennis.
Tennis is a gentleman’s sport. I’m not sure Trump qualifies.
More Trump talk in Donald Glover’s winning speech. Second win for his tonight.
WINNER: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Will Julia go full Trump or full Selina?
Perhaps I spoke too soon?
Julia Louis Dreyfus continues to dominate the field, breaking Emmy records.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus: “We did have a whole storyline about an impeachment, but we abandoned that because we worried that someone else might get to it first.”
And that was a full Trump
Big reaction to the emergence of Carol Burnett and Norman Lear.
Standing ovation for Burnett and Lear proves there is no school like the old school – and I mean that literally and figuratively.
WINNER: Outstanding Comedy Series – Veep
No Atlanta upset as Veep extended its streak with a third win. Though it was strong showing for the FX rookie too with best actor and best director trophies for Donald Glover.
Dave Mandel thanks “the other shows that inspired us” and throws “The Trump White House” into the list of nominees.
Mandel: “This show works because we have a no jerkoffs policy. And honestly, other than Julia, we stick to it.”
If we had turned Trump mentions into a drinking game, we’d all be unconscious by now.
Who says we’re not, Mike?
WINNER: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie – Riz Ahmed, The Night Of
Riz Ahmed, so good in Nightcrawler, beats De Niro, Turturro, McGregor? Wow.
Riz Ahmed was excellent in The Night Of – check out his band Swet Shop Boys too
Nice triumph for a series which aired more than a year ago and could’ve been forgotten. It was passion project for the late James Gandolfini who got a nice tribute in Riz’s speech
James Gandolfini played the attorney in the original pilot. Great performance. He died and John Turturro filled big shoes.
WINNER: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie – Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
Should we just call Big Little Lies as best limited series?
We profiled Nicole Kidman recently in our print magazine. And a while back we spoke to Riz Ahmed.
Looks like a lock for Big Little Lies. Shame that The Feud isn’t getting the love. That was crazy ambitious, and the lingering memory will be the lawsuit from 100 year old Olivia De Haviland?
Looks like a lock for Big Little Lies. Shame that The Feud isn’t getting the love. That was crazy ambitious, and the lingering memory will be the lawsuit from Olivia De Haviland?
WINNER: Outstanding Television Movie – Black Mirror: San Junipero
Black Mirror is stretching the TV movie definition a little, being an episode of an anthology series.
Similar to John Oliver competing against late night shows that have to do five episodes a week?
Which did not go unnoticed by Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert who did an “loser” segment in the vein of last year’s great skit between Kimmel an franemy Matt Damon.
WINNER: Outstanding Limited Series – Big Little Lies
This probably sealed a second-season pickup for Big Little Lies. It’s been getting close.
“More great roles for women, please.” That’s stars-executive producers Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman’s message on stage.
I see Liev Schreiber coming up in Best Actor category for Ray Donovan. Have any of you been watching that show? It seems to have lost its rudder, which was Paula Malcomson, who played his wife Abby. Trying to hang in there, but man is it getting hard. Have loved that show since its first moment, but it seems like a bad dream season to me. Hope it turns around.
WINNER: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series – Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Sterling is the first black actor to win the category in almost 20 years, since Andre Braugher for Homicide, and first on a broadcast drama to win in 10 years, since James Spader for Boston Legal.
After spending years in virtual obscurity with a long stint on Army Wives, Sterling has been the toast of TV with back-to-back wins for People v. O.J. and This Is Us
I believe Dom is our resident Ray Donovan expert.
Wonderful Emmy speech by Sterling K. Brown, who seemed unwilling to be played off. He’ll next be seen in Marshall, the film that has Chadwick Boseman as Thurgood Marshall.
Nice shoutout to Braugher from Sterling who was played off a little harshly.
WINNER: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series – Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
If Handmaid’s can take the Drama Series prize it’ll tie Big Little Lies with five awards apiece tonight.
Elisabeth Moss is getting bleeped like crazy out there.
A little trivia — fellow first-time Emmy winners Elisabeth Moss and Nicole Kidman star together in Top of the Lake: China Girl right now
Bleeped like Colbert when he went on that anti Trump rant
WINNER: Outstanding Drama Series – The Handmaid’s Tale
What a sweep for The Handmaid’s Tale — best drama series, best writing, directing and best lead and supporting actress.
And there’s the tie with Big Little Lies for Handmaid’s Tale. That means a shutout tonight for other nominees in this category: House of Cards, Stranger Things and Westworld. This is Us and The Crown have one win each tonight.
Could and should the major networks make series like The Handmaid’s Tale? Or is it too provocative? I thought This is Us would win this prize.
It took years to make, going through multiple incarnations and multiple writers, but the adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s book rose all the way to the Emmys. In hindsight, that Handmaid’s Tale-themed opening music number proved a precursor to a landslide for the Hulu drama.
“Go home, get to work, we have a lot of things to fight for,” says Bruce Miller, ending this year’s Trump-dominated Emmys on a charged note.
Great night for Hulu, which was relatively late to the original scripted series game but became the first streaming service to win a best series Emmy, leapfrogging Netflix and Amazon.
How much of the public do you think has seen The Handmaid’s Tale? Certainly the voters have, but it does make you wonder. Does this show have 1/100th the audience penetration of This is Us?
Yes, it was a triumph for not widely viewed series, led by The Handmaid’s Tale. To sum things up, a big night for ‘Big Little Lies’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ ‘Veep” held onto the best comedy series title. And women broke through with the wins for lena Waithe and Reed Morano.
Also a good night for racial diversity.
OK, that’s it for the 69th annual Primetime Emmy Awards and our live blog … stay tuned my review of the Stephen Colbert hosted shindig is coming right now. See ya next year smaller screeners
