Stars flock to Emmys for television's big night

Donald Glover becomes the first African American to win an #EMMY for outstanding directing in comedy. PHOTO| AFP

What you need to know:

  • With awards juggernaut Downton Abbey finished and Game of Thrones ineligible, this year's Emmys are seen as the first in years in which any show could take home the most prestigious statuettes.
  • NBC's long-running comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live received 22 nominations — the joint-highest total alongside Westworld — after a year of mercilessly spoofing the new commander-in-chief.
  • Veep, the satire of a hapless but charming woman who becomes the first female president of the United States, on Sunday won the Emmy for best comedy series.

Television's biggest stars dusted off their designer frocks and got suited and booted Sunday for their chance to snag the biggest prizes for the small screen.

With awards juggernaut Downton Abbey" finished and "Game of Thrones ineligible, this year's Emmys are seen as the first in years in which any show could take home the most prestigious statuettes.

There was fierce competition among a host of acclaimed first-timers, including HBO sci-fi Western show Westworld, Hulu's dystopian The Handmaid's Tale and Netflix's 1980s-set horror series Stranger Things.

The three series already have a huge 13 statuettes between them from last weekend's Creative Arts Emmys, which recognize behind-the-scenes talent as well as guest acting appearances.

"What's probably going to come out is that the awards will be spread across everybody. I think everyone's going to be happy," Debra Birnbaum, executive editor of television for Variety magazine, told AFP.

(left) Actor Millie Bobby Brown, of Netflix show Stranger Things, attends the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

(right, from L-R) Actors Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Caleb McLaughlin also of Stranger Things, arrive for the Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre on September 17, 2017. PHOTO| AFP

The glitzy ceremony in downtown Los Angeles — the first under the administration of President Donald Trump — was expected to have a distinctly political flavour, with host Stephen Colbert likely not to pull his punches.

NBC's long-running comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live received 22 nominations — the joint-highest total alongside Westworld — after a year of mercilessly spoofing the new commander-in-chief.

Its haul of five Creative Arts statuettes included outstanding guest actress in a comedy series for Melissa McCarthy, whose Unhinged Spicey take on embattled White House press secretary Sean Spicer came to embody early criticism of the administration.

The show is in the running for five more gongs at the main ceremony, with Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon nominated for their turns as Trump and campaign rival Hillary Clinton.

'FABULOUS SHOWS'

The outstanding drama category included five debutants — Westworld, The Handmaid's Tale, NBC's family drama This Is Us, and two Netflix shows, Stranger Things andBritish royal drama The Crown.

Actors Justin Hartley (L) and Sterling K. Brown, of NBC's family drama This Is Us, attend the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Governors Ball at the Los Angeles Convention Center, in Los Angeles, on September 17, 2017. PHOTO| AFP

"I thought that The Crown was marvellously done," Tobin Bell, 75, a veteran TV and film actor best known for playing the iconic Jigsaw Killer in the Saw franchise, told AFP. "The writing was great and the exploration of that particular period was beautifully done."

Birnbaum said that with such an open field this year almost no award would surprise her.

"The only thing I think is a sure thing would be Elisabeth Moss for 'The Handmaid's Tale.' I think she's beloved in the academy,'" she said.

Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, vying for a sixth consecutive Emmy for best actress in a comedy, is the only other nominee who could be described as a shoo-in, according to Birnbaum.

Fiona Dourif, star of BBC America's Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, told AFP she was currently watching The Handmaid's Tale and hoped to see Moss rewarded, as well as Stranger Things.

"I feel like the most exciting stories are being told in the long-form way and there's also so much more investment happening in TV and digital content," said the 35-year-old actress, who also starred in HBO's True Blood.

Lin Shaye, 73, known as the "scream queen" for her roles in numerous horror films since the 1970s, said she was rooting for Netflix's dark comedy series "Black Mirror," which is up for best TV movie for one of its episodes and for outstanding writing.

"Black Mirror and Stranger Things were both fabulous shows and I think television is very healthy. There are so many avenues for storytelling and there are so many more storytellers than there used to be because of it," she said.

The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards will be beamed live from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles by CBS, with the prize giving starting roughly at 5.00 pm (0000 GMT Monday).

WIDE OPEN FIELD

HBO's fantasy epic "Game of Thrones" has a record 38 awards, but is ineligible for the 69th Primetime Emmys, having started its seventh season too late.

That left the field clear for numerous much talked-about first-timers, including HBO sci-fi Western show Westworld, Hulu's dystopian The Handmaid's Tale and Netflix's 1980s-set horror series Stranger Things.

The three series already have a huge 13 statuettes between them from last weekend's Creative Arts Emmys, which recognize behind-the-scenes talent as well as guest acting appearances.

"Not since Mad Men began its... winning streak in 2008 has there been such a wide open field for the night's most prestigious trophy: best drama series," said weekly trade paper Variety.

That category — to be announced at the end of the night — includes five debutants, Westworld, The Handmaid's Tale, NBC's family drama This Is Us and two Netflix shows, Stranger Things and British royaldrama The Crown.

The Handmaid's Tale, based on the 1985 novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, had three statuettes going into the halfway point.

Its writer Bruce Miller was first on stage, followed by Ann Dowd, picking up her first Emmy at age 61 for her portrayal of brutal instructor Aunt Lydia.

"Well, I think this is a dream, you know. I know it's an actor's dream and I'm deeply grateful to you," she said.

"I have been acting for a long time and that this should happen now, I don't have the words."

The show's Reed Morano also picked up a statuette for directing.

'VEEP' WINS ‘BEST COMEDY SERIES’

Veep, the satire of a hapless but charming woman who becomes the first female president of the United States, on Sunday won the Emmy for best comedy series.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus of comedy series Veep, attends HBO's Post Emmy Awards Reception at The Plaza at the Pacific Design Center on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. PHOTO| AFP

The television prize comes days after HBO said that Veep would end next year. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays the central character of Selina Meyer, also broke the record for most Emmys for the same role by winning best actress in a comedy series for the sixth time.

The 56-year-old actress — who became famous for playing in Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld — promised a "great final season" of Veep.

"We did have a whole story line about an impeachment but we abandoned that because we were worried that someone else might get to it first," she joked, in reference to embattled President Donald Trump.

Veep in its latest season inadvertently imitated life as Meyer nursed the loss of the White House, although the show largely has avoided parallels to Hillary Clinton and her unsuccessful campaign to be the first woman president.