Game of Thrones and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel won the top prizes at the Emmy awards on Monday on a night of upsets for the highest honours in television. The wildly successful fantasy epic bested the likes of The Americans, The Crown, The Handmaid’s Tale, Stranger Things, This Is Us and Westworld while Mrs Maisel had a massive night winning five Emmy Awards, including the best comedy series. [caption id=“attachment_5204261” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]
The cast of Game of Thrones pose backstage with the Outstanding Drama Series award at Emmy Awards 2018. Reuters/Mike Blake[/caption] Claire Foy beat presumed front runner Elisabeth Moss, star of The Handmaid’s Tale, to win for her quiet but formidable portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in Netflix drama The Crown. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” said a surprised Foy. Matthew Rhys took the best drama actor statuette for playing a conflicted Russian spy in the final season of the FX Cold War series The Americans. Amazon Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, about a 1950s housewife who turns to stand-up comedy, won four Emmys in the first hours, including for Rachel Brosnahan’s titular role. Alex Bornstein, who plays her determined manager, won for her supporting role, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel also collected trophies for comedy series writing and directing. Saturday Night Live comedians Michael Che and Colin Jost sprinkled the evening with satirical skits about increases in diversity on television, sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry, and the dominance of streaming services like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix over traditional networks. [caption id=“attachment_5204281” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel cast poses backstage with their Outstanding Comedy Series award. Reuters/Mike Blake[/caption] The biggest shock of the night came when presumed front runner Donald Glover, the star and creator of the surreal hip-hop-inspired FX show Atlanta, lost out in the comedy acting category to Bill Hader’s hitman-turned-struggling actor in HBO’s showbusiness satire Barry. Barry also brought honors for veteran Henry Winkler, winning a standing ovation and his first-ever Emmy for his supporting role as a self-important acting teacher. Regina King was an unexpected limited series winner for playing the mother of a black teen killed by a white police officer in Seven Seconds. Peter Dinklage won for Game of Thrones, and Thandie Newton was chosen for her supporting role in sci-fi series Westworld. Here is the full list of winners at the annual Primetime Emmy Awards, announced on Monday night. Drama Series: Game of Thrones Comedy Series: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Actor, Drama Series: Matthew Rhys, The Americans Actress, Drama Series: Claire Foy, The Crown Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Thandie Newton, Westworld Writing, Drama Series: Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg, The Americans Directing, Drama Series: Stephen Daldry, The Crown Actor, Comedy Series: Bill Hader, Barry Actress, Comedy Series: Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Henry Winkler, Barry Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Writing, Comedy Series: Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Directing Comedy Series: Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Limited Series: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Actor, Limited Series or Movie: Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Actress, Limited Series or Movie: Regina King, Seven Seconds Supporting Actor, Limited Series or Movie: Jeff Daniels, Godless Supporting Actress, Limited Series or Movie: Merritt Wever, Godless Writing, Limited Series: William Bridges and Charlie Brooker, “USS Callister” (Black Mirror) Directing, Limited Series: Ryan Murphy, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Writing, Variety Special: John Mulaney, John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City Directing, Variety Special: Glenn Weiss, The Oscars Variety Sketch Series: Saturday Night Live Variety Talk Series: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Reality-Competition Program: RuPaul’s Drag Race (With inputs from agencies)
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