Last night was Hollywood’s biggest night of television: the 2015 Annual Emmy Awards. As with any big awards shows, there were great moments and… less than great moments. Some wins were wildly cheered, while others not so much. And you know what? Even through the groans of disappointment and disbelief, award nights are some of my favorite nights of the year without fail.
So let’s talk about what happened last night – the good, the bad, and the awkward!
Highs
• For his first time hosting, Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live, Brooklyn 99) did a fantastic job. Some of his jokes didn’t land so well (the World’s Best Boss mug), but overall he was a likable and charming host, with some great zingers at Hollywood.
But really, he won me over with the very first opening number, in which he spoke to all of us.
Seriously. We’ve all been there.
• Two of the best wins of the night were Uzo Aduba for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Orange is the New Black – she also won last year for the same role but in the comedy category, thanks to the new rules) and Viola Davis for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (How to Get Away with Murder – she’s the first black woman to win this award).
If your heart didn’t grow three sizes during their speeches, I don’t know what to tell you. They were thrilling, moving moments that made the whole night worth it. You can watch Aduba’s speech here and Davis’ speech here.
• Jon Hamm finally won for Mad Men! The series just finished so his win was somewhat of a lock-in, but that didn’t make it any less exciting (especially when he literally climbs up the stage). His role as Don Draper has been fantastic over the last several years and this award was much deserved and a long time coming.
• Last night saw a brand new category – Best Variety Sketch Series – which relative newcomer Amy Schumer won for Inside Amy Scumer. It was great to see her win and she was in some fun company. The likes of Drunk History, Saturday Night Live, Portlandia, and Key and Peele were also nominated and it was awesome to see this hilarious and talented branch of television recognized. I look forward to this category in the years to come.
• Tracy Morgan presented the award for Best Drama Series last night and it was his first big public appearance since his accident.
Lows
• Say goodbye to those shows you wanted to binge watch that just ended because the Television Academy spoiled all of their endings last night. From Mad Men to Sons of Anarchy and Justified, these great series that just finished were spoiled in a farewell montage which showed finale scenes in their entirety. Great, now I know all those deaths. In the time of binge-watching, this was a poor decision which they easily could have avoided by simply showing great clips throughout the various shows and not finale moments.
• Less low and more awkward were presenters Ricky Gervais and Jimmy Kimmel. Gervais is sort of obligatory and expected at this point but Kimmel’s schtick about eating the envelope of the winner and picking whomever he wanted was kind of weird. At least Will Forte had fun with it later when he presented.
• Last night was both Amy Poehler and Parks and Recreation’s last chance to finally be recognized at the Emmys and… they weren’t. It was a disappointment to say the least. Seriously, how do you not award Poehler for this alone?!
Truly, though, both were absolutely deserving of these wins, Poehler especially, and it’s upsetting neither of them got it. Oh well, at least Amy Poehler and Steve Carell can form the “Comedy Actors Snubbed by Emmys” club. There’s your daily reminder Steve Carell never won for The Office. Yeah, let that sink in again.
At least Poehler did have massive success on the red carpet with the Smart Girls initiative of asking smart questions instead of what people are wearing.
• Game of Thrones winning Best Writing for a Drama Series and the big one, Best Drama Series. So not only did the Television Academy completely snub Mad Men, but they awarded Game of Thrones’ worst season to date. I’m honestly baffled by it.
Typically awards shows like to reward things at the end of their run or retroactively for something they should have won in the past. But last night both the comedy and drama categories were insulted. At least in the comedy category, Veep is a fantastic show that deserves all the praise it gets, but I can’t say the same for Game of Thrones, especially in the wake of Mad Men.
I’m just gonna go watch Andy Samberg’s opening number over and over again now.
What were your favorite moments from the Emmys? What were you disappointed about? Sound off in the comments!
