Last night's 70th Primetime Emmy Awards lived up to its promise to showcase the diverse menu of choices that viewers have on television today, and the inspiring stories that keep them coming back for more.
In total, together with the Creative Arts Emmys, cable programming drew the most wins with 65 out of 126 awards (in 122 categories), followed by streaming services with 38 and broadcast with 23.
To no one's surprise, HBO collected multiple accolades. Game of Thrones took the title for Best Drama Series for season seven, and for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for Peter Dinklage. (Fans missed the show this summer as it extended filming time for its final season to premiere in 2019.) And for the third year in a row, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver was awarded the prize for Outstanding Variety Talk Series.
The network also came away with two wins for Barry–one for Bill Hader for Best Actor in a Comedy, and one for Henry Winkler for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. This was a first-time win for Winkler who had previously been nominated several times for his character Fonzie on Happy Days in the late 1970s. Westworld's Thandie Newton was also awarded an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama.
FX took home three wins for The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story in the Best Limited Series, Best Actor in a Limited Series (Darren Criss), and Best Directing for a Limited Series (Ryan Murphy) categories. Not to mention, The Americans ended its six-season run earlier this year, and snagged two Emmys for Best Actor in a Drama (Matthew Rhys) and Best Writing for a Drama Series (Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg).
VH1's RuPaul's Drag Race won in the Best Reality Competition Program category, and made Emmy history as the first show to win the category in the same year that it won for Outstanding Host for a Reality Competition Program (RuPaul). The show won a total of five Emmys this year. Along with FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, it is one of today's breakthrough shows that embraces LGBTQ-inclusive storylines and characters.
The Emmys are always a time to celebrate and recognize the unique talent behind America's top-notch programming. As the way that audiences watch television continues to change, one thing is for certain–quality storytelling is here to stay.
