Replete with hazmat suits and disinfectant, featuring celebrity reunions, essential workers, and calls to get out the vote, the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards veered from the sublime to the ridiculous as they took place mostly virtually from Staples Center on Sunday night. Which is to say that the Canadian family comedy Schitt’s Creek seemed sublime then ridiculous as the assorted cast, socially distanced at an event space in Toronto, opened the show by swallowing up all the comedy awards.
Casting a covetous glance, Emmy and Schitt’s Creek only had eyes for each other as the small-town sitcom swept the comedy circuit. Showrunner Dan Levy became the first person to win in all four major disciplines, clasping the awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series alongside Andrew Cividino, while heading up the cast and crew as the show was named Outstanding Comedy Series for 2020.
Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, and Annie Murphy in the remaining acting categories completed the set. There was more diversity in the genres of drama and limited series, where Succession and Watchmen heralded a fine night for HBO, claiming the top prizes while picking up four awards apiece. Regina King (Watchmen) and Mark Ruffalo (I Know This Much Is True) took home the lead acting awards for their respective limited series, leaving Zendaya (Euphoria) and Jeremy Strong (Succession) as their dramatic counterparts.
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Julia Garner (Ozark), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen), and Uzo Aduba (Mrs. America) triumphed for their supporting roles. Andrij Parekh won Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the ‘Hunting’ episode of Succession, while Maria Schrader won Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series for the German-American drama Unorthodox, the first Netflix series primarily in Yiddish.
Jimmy Kimmel returned to host the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, in front of a crowd of cardboard cutouts with Jason Bateman crashing the set. Jennifer Aniston was on hand to put out fires before racing home for a partial Friends reunion, Tracee Ellis Ross provided some Hollywood glamour, and Anthony Anderson bemoaned the fact that a big year for Black nominees coincided with a coronavirus-induced shutout. Mostly though the guests stayed home, giving us glimpses of the family life and quarantine habits of Zendaya, Mindy Kaling, and Bob Newhart.
