Host Jimmy Kimmel opened the 72nd Emmy Awards on ABC by asking why we need award shows during a global pandemic. He answered his own question by running down a partial list of horrible things that are happening in 2020 – division, injustice, disease, quarantine, Zoom school – and stressing we need a little fun right about now, which escaping into television can provide. These stressful months of isolation and the unknown remind us that TV is always there for us when we need it.
Kimmel’s monologue was delivered while shots of audiences from previous years were used in place of a live audience reacting to his jokes. The taped audience eventually faded away to show Kimmel on stage playing to empty seats. “Of course I’m here all alone. Of course we don’t have an audience. This isn’t a MAGA rally – it’s the Emmys!” joked Kimmel.
Nominees were provided with cameras in their homes and people in black tie bubble suits presented the winners with their Emmys. The first seven awards of the evening went to Schitt’s Creek, with Dan Levy winning three of Schitt’s Creek‘s awards…in…a…row. (Unbelievable and well-deserved.) The Emmy Award record-setting series is about love and acceptance, and Dan Levy was nearly bursting with pride as he accepted the Best Comedy Series and urged everyone to get out and vote.
Watchmen star Regina King also used a portion of her acceptance speech as Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie to get out the vote and to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie winner Mark Ruffalo delivered a passionate speech about coming together to fight for the vulnerable and asked everyone to vote for love, compassion, and kindness.
From the devastating death of RBG to the impact of the Tulsa Race Riot, Black Lives Matter, and racism in general, this year’s Emmy Award winners did not hold back in expressing their opinions in emotional, genuinely heartfelt acceptance speeches. The virtual awards ceremony had its rough moments but overall felt fresher and more honest than previous Emmys. Viewers don’t need those live audience shots to know how to react, and even via Zoom the 2020 Emmys, strangely enough, felt less remote and disconnected from reality than normal award shows.
2020 Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners:
Best Comedy Series
”Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)
“Dead to Me” (Netflix)
“The Good Place” (NBC)
“Insecure” (HBO)
“The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
WINNER: “Schitt’s Creek” (Pop)
“What We Do in the Shadows” (FX)
Best Drama Series
”Better Call Saul” (AMC)
“The Crown” (Netflix)
“The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
“Killing Eve” (BBC)
“The Mandalorian” (Disney+)
“Ozark” (Netflix)
“Stranger Things” (Netflix)
WINNER: “Succession” (HBO)
Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson — “Black-ish” (ABC)
Don Cheadle — “Black Monday” (Showtime)
Ted Danson — “The Good Place” (NBC)
Michael Douglas — “The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
WINNER: Eugene Levy — “Schitt’s Creek” (CBC Television)
Ramy Youssef — “Ramy” (Hulu)
Best Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate — “Dead to Me” (Netflix)
Rachel Brosnahan — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
Linda Cardellini — “Dead to Me” (Netflix)
WINNER: Catherine O’Hara — “Schitt’s Creek” (CBC Television)
Issa Rae — “Insecure” (HBO)
Tracee Ellis Ross — “Black-ish” (ABC)
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Alex Borstein – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)
D’Arcy Carden – “The Good Place” (NBC)
Betty Gilpin – “GLOW” (Netflix)
Marin Hinkle – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)
Kate McKinnon – “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
WINNER: Annie Murphy – “Schitt’s Creek” (Pop TV)
Yvonne Orji – “Insecure” (HBO)
Cecily Strong – “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Mahershala Ali – “Ramy” (Hulu)
Alan Arkin – “The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
Andre Braugher – “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (NBC)
Sterling K. Brown – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
William Jackson Harper – “The Good Place” (NBC)
WINNER: Daniel Levy – “Schitt’s Creek” (Pop TV)
Tony Shalhoub – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
Kenan Thompson – “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Best Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman — “Ozark” (Netflix)
Sterling K. Brown — “This Is Us” (NBC)
Steve Carell — “The Morning Show” (Apple)
Brian Cox — “Succession” (HBO)
Billy Porter — “Pose” (FX)
WINNER: Jeremy Strong — “Succession” (HBO)
Best Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston — “The Morning Show” (Apple)
Olivia Colman — “The Crown” (Netflix)
Jodie Comer — “Killing Eve” (BBC)
Laura Linney — “Ozark” (Netflix)
Sandra Oh — “Killing Eve” (BBC)
WINNER: Zendaya — “Euphoria” (HBO)
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nicholas Braun – “Succession” (HBO)
WINNER: Billy Crudup – “The Morning Show” (Apple TV+)
Kieran Culkin – “Succession” (HBO)
Mark Duplass – “The Morning Show” (Apple TV+)
Giancarlo Esposito – “Better Call Saul” (AMC)
Matthew Macfadyen – “Succession” (HBO)
Bradley Whitford – “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
Jeffrey Wright – “Westworld” (HBO)
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Helena Bonham Carter – “The Crown” (Netflix)
Laura Dern – “Big Little Lies” (HBO)
WINNER: Julia Garner – “Ozark” (Netflix)
Thandie Newton – “Westworld” (HBO)
Fiona Shaw – “Killing Eve” (BBC America)
Sarah Snook – “Succession” (HBO)
Meryl Streep – “Big Little Lies” (HBO)
Samira Wiley – “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Jeremy Irons — “Watchmen” (HBO)
Hugh Jackman — “Bad Education” (HBO)
Paul Mescal — “Normal People” (Hulu)
Jeremy Pope — “Hollywood” (Netflix)
WINNER: Mark Ruffalo — “I Know This Much Is True” (HBO)
Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Cate Blanchett — “Mrs. America” (FX)
Shira Haas — “Unorthodox” (Netflix)
WINNER: Regina King — “Watchmen” (HBO)
Octavia Spencer — “Self Made”
Kerry Washington — “Little Fires Everywhere” (Hulu)
Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
WINNER: Uzo Aduba – “Mrs. America” (FX Networks)
Toni Collette – “Unbelievable” (Netflix)
Margo Martindale – “Mrs. America” (FX Networks)
Jean Smart – “Watchmen” (HBO)
Holland Taylor – “Hollywood” (Netflix)
Tracey Ullman – “Mrs. America” (FX Network)
Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
WINNER: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II – “Watchmen” (HBO)
Jovan Adepo – “Watchmen” (HBO)
Tituss Burgess – “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend” (Netflix)
Louis Gossett Jr. – “Watchmen” (HBO)
Dylan McDermott – “Hollywood” (Netflix)
Jim Parsons – “Hollywood” (Netflix)
Best Limited Series
”Little Fires Everywhere” (Hulu)
“Mrs. America” (FX)
“Unbelievable” (Netflix)
“Unorthodox” (Netflix)
WINNER: “Watchmen” (HBO)
Best Variety Talk Series
”The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)
“Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” (TBS)
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC)
WINNER: “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO)
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS)
Best Competition Series
”The Masked Singer” (Fox)
“Nailed It” (Netflix)
WINNER: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)
“Top Chef” (Bravo)
“The Voice” (NBC)
Best Writing for a Comedy Series
Michael Schur – “The Good Place”
Tony McNamara – “The Great”
WINNER: Daniel Levy – “Schitt’s Creek”
David West Read – “Schitt’s Creek”
Sam Johnson and Chris Marcil- “What We Do in the Shadows”
Paul Simms – “What We Do in the Shadows”
Stefani Robinson – “What We Do in the Shadows”
Best Directing for a Comedy Series
Matt Shakman – “The Great”
Amy Sherman-Palladino – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Daniel Palladino – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Gail Mancuso – “Modern Family”
Ramy Youssef – “Ramy”
WINNER: Andrew Cividino and Daniel Levy – “Schitt’s Creek”
James Burrows – “Will & Grace”
Best Writing for a Limited Series Movie or Dramatic Special
Tanya Barfield – “Mrs. America”
Sally Rooney and Alice Birch – “Normal People”
Susannah Grant, Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman – “Unbelievable”
Anna Winger – “Unorthodox”
WINNER: Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson – “Watchmen”
Best Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special
Lynn Shelton – “Little Fires Everywhere”
Lenny Abrahamson – “Normal People”
WINNER: Maria Schrader – Unorthodox”
Nicole Kassell – “Watchmen”
Steph Green – “Watchmen”
Stephen Williams – “Watchmen”
Best Writing for a Drama Series
Thomas Schnauz – “Better Call Saul”
Gordon Smith – “Better Call Saul”
Peter Morgan – “The Crown”
Chris Mundy – “Ozark”
John Shiban – “Ozark”
Miki Johnson – “Ozark”
WINNER: Jesse Armstrong – “Succession”
Best Directing for a Drama Series
Benjamin Caron – “The Crown”
Jessica Hobbs – “The Crown”
Lesli Linka Glatter – “Homeland”
Mimi Leder – “The Morning Show”
Alik Sakharov – “Ozark”
Ben Semanoff – “Ozark”
WINNER: Andrij Parekh – “Succession”
Mark Mylod – “Succession”
