The 2021 Emmy Winners + Trivia and Notes
Monday, September 20, 2021 at 8:47AM by Nathaniel R
Did you watch the show last night? Despite the monotony of the nominations -- the Television Academy just has to do better and they must install specific juries to determine nominations since people naturally only have a couple handfuls of shows and naturally vote on the series as a whole rather than that season -- it was a night where the wealth was magically spread. At least a little bit...
Ted Lasso won big (Series, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress) but so did its chief rival Hacks (Actress, Directing, Writing). Mare of Eastwood won three acting races but had to step aside for The Queens Gambit (Limited Series, Directing) and I May Destroy You (Writing) in the other top Limited Series categories. The only true sweep was The Crown which won all six of the top Drama Series awards (Drama, Directing, Writing, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor).
Random Trivia from the Night
- Jean Smart became the first woman since Betty White to have win all three Emmys for actresses in Comedy Series: Lead, Supporting, Guest.
- Michaela Coel is the first black woman to win the writing Emmy for a Limited Series
- RuPaul Charles is the now most Emmy'ed black person in Emmy history winning his 11th Emmy. (In the runner up spot is the cinematographer Donald A Morgan who won his 10th Emmy just last year for "Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Cam series" for The Ranch. He could have tied RuPaul this year but lost despite three nominations in that category again this time for The Conners, Last Man Standing, and The Upshaws)
- Debbie Allen is the most nominated black woman of all time at the Emmys (21) and extended her Emmy Queendom with a wonderful Honorary Emmy last night AND a fourth competitive win last week for her choreography on Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square. Her four wins are split evenly between choreography and acting.
- Maya Rudolph won twice last week at the Creative Arts Emmys so she's now won 4 Emmys so she's tied as runner up for most competitive wins for a black woman with both Debbie Allen and Regina King. The leader is Jacqueline Glover who has won five times between Outstanding Children's and Nonfiction programming.
- Josh O'Connor (31) is the youngest Best Actor Drama winner since Bruce Willis (32) way back in 1987. (Though the youngest of all time in that category was 21 year old Richard Thomas as "John-Boy" in the 1970s era show the Waltons)
Random Additional Notes
- Most Elated All Night: Hannah Waddingham began the night screaming with joy and never stopped, beaming for everyone who won.
- Best Speech: That'd be Debbie Allen who was inspiring. The Oscars have no excuse not to incorporate the Honorary Oscar winners in their annual show. The Oscars only have 23 categories, which is less than the Emmys give out on their primetime show and the Emmys still made time to celebrity their history and do several dumb comedy sketches.
- Most Surprising Win: Emma Corrin had dominated the precursors but Olivia Colman won Best Actress instead for the same show
- Best Censored Shout-Out: Here in the US they bleeped her out but Olivia Colman added "And Michaela Coel - Fuck, Yeah" towards the end of her acceptance speech.
- Best Uncensored Shout-Out: "Kate Winslet, man you're good at acting!" Julianne Nicholson
THE COMPLETE LIST OF EMMY WINNERS
COMEDY
COMEDY SERIES Ted Lasso (AppleTV)
COMEDY WRITING Hacks "
COMEDY DIRECTING Hacks "There is No Line"
ACTOR Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
ACTRESS Jean Smart, Hacks
SUPPORTING ACTOR Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
SUPPORTING ACTRESS Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
DRAMA
DRAMA SERIES The Crown
DRAMA WRITING The Crown "War"
DRAMA DIRECTING The Crown "War"
ACTRESS Olivia Colman, The Crown
ACTOR Josh O'Connor, The Crown
SUPPORTING ACTRESS Gillian Anderson, The Crown
SUPPORTING ACTOR Tobias Menzies, The Crown
LIMITED SERIES OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES
LIMITED SERIES The Queens Gambit
LIMITED WRITING I May Destroy You
LIMITED DIRECTING The Queens Gambit
ACTRESS Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown
ACTOR Ewan McGregor, Halston
SUPPORTING ACTRESS Julianne Nicholson, Mare of Easttown
SUPPORTING ACTOR Evan Peters, Mare of Easttown
OTHER PRIZES HANDED OUT ON EMMY NIGHT
REALITY COMPETITION RuPaul's Drag Race
VARIETY SERIES, WRITING Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
VARIETY TALK SERIES Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
VARIETY SKETCH SERIES Saturday Night Live
VARIETY SPECIAL, LIVE Stephen Colbert's Election Night 2020
VARIETY SPECIAL, PRE-RECORDED Hamilton
OTHER WINS FROM THE CREATIVE ARTS CEREMONIES
The Queens Gambit - Cinematography, Period Costumes, Period Makeup, Period Production Design, Editing Single-Cam, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Casting, Dramatic Score
Mare of Easttown - Production Design Comtemporary
I May Destroy You - Music Supervision
The Flight Attendant - Main Title Theme Music
Ted Lasso - Editing Comedy Single Cam, Sound Mixing Half Hour, Casting Comedy
Bridgerton - Period Hairstyling
The Mandalorian -- Cinematography, Prosthetic Makeup, Sound Mixing One Hour, Dramatic Score, Visual Effects Season, Stunt Coordination, Stunt Performance
Star Trek Discovery - Visual Effects Single Episode
The Crown - Cinematography, Editing Drama Single Cam, Casting Drama, Guest Actress Drama (Claire Foy)
Pose - Contemporary Costumes , Contemporary Hairstyling, Contemporary Makeup
Saturday Night Live - Contemporary Hairstyling Variety, Contemporary Makeup Variety, Production Design Variety, Directing Variety Series, Guest Actor (David Chappelle Host), Guest Actress Comedy (Maya Rudolph Host), Lighting Design Variety Series
Bo Burnham's Inside - Directing Variety Special, Music Direction, Writing Variety Special
A Black Lady Sketch Show -- Picture Editing Variety
WandaVision - Fantasy Costumes, Production Design Half Hour, Original Music and Lyrics "Agatha All Along"
The Good Lord Bird - Main Title Design
The Conners - Comedy Editing Multi-Cam
Love Death & Robots - Sound Editing Half-Hour, Production Design Animation, Stop Motion Animation, Character Design Animation, Short Form Animated Program
The Simpsons - Lead Character Layout Animation
Lovecraft Country - Sound Editing One Hour, Guest Actor Drama (Courtney B Vance)
David Byrne's American Utopia - Sound Mixing Variety, Lighting Design Variety Special
RuPaul's Drag Race - Host Reality, Casting Reality, Directing Reality, Editing Competition Reality
RuPaul's Drag Race Untucked - Unstructured Reality
Queer Eye - Structured Reality
Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal - Animated Program, Storyboard Artist
76 Days -Exception Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
Big Mouth - Character VoiceOver Performance
David Attenborough Life on Our Planet - Cinematography Nonfiction, Dramatic Score Nonfiction, Sound MIxing Nonfiction
Life Below Zero - Cinematography Reality, Editing Unstructured Reality
Dick Johnson is Dead - Directing Documentary
The Social Dilemma - Editing Documentary, Writing Nonficition
Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Hart - Editing Nonfiction
Secrets of Whales - Documentary Series
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy - Hosted Nonfiction
Sterling Brown on Lincoln: Divided We Stand - Narrator
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man - Short Form Nonfiction
Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square - TV Movie, Choreography Scripted Program
Dancing with the Stars - Choreography Variety
Nike "You Can't Stop Us" - Commercial
Carpool Karaoke - Short Form Series
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver - Technical Direction Special
Mapleworth Murders - Actor in Short Form Series (JB Smoove)
Keke Palmer's Turnt Up with the Taylors - Actress in Short Form Series (Keke Palmer)
Reader Comments (28)
As much as I love The Crown, that sweep was boringggg. I was happy to see some love spread in Comedy (but really, just 2 shows vs. 1). I so agree the Emmys need to create juries for their nomination process.
Some fantastic winners in Limited Series, though, so happy for Coel and Winslet. My heart breaks a bit for ATJ but she'll no doubt be back.
So thrilled for Nicholson. I will never forget her work in Sacrament. It shows that episode submissions still matter somewhat.
When Hacks won both the directing and the writing Emmy, I thought they might actually win. However, I suspect those wins are the product of Ted Lasso splitting votes in those categories, along with the strength of the Hacks pilot, which is self-assured and confident about the story it's telling from the start. I can't wait for these shows to go head to head again.
While I was surprised that Jessica Hobbs beat Benjamin Caron, that does feel like a big moment for the show. The last winner for a drama directing emmy was a quarter-century ago!
I'm glad Colman won. While I loved the work Corrin, MJ, and Moss did this past season, I think Colman brought some really interesting notes and layers to her performance as the "stable" queen. Her scenes carry such weight.
Like others, I'm a bit more confused by the Menzies win. He was deserving of the lead trophy in season 3, but this win felt odd.
Michaela Coel really was one of the best moments of the night, and I LOVED that her speech was about writing. Really excited for what she does next.
Glad that Kathleen Turner didn't have to sit through it. Also glad that Lasso didn't sweep.
Amazing that Peter Morgan, the best writer in the biz, had never won before.
Had my money on Coel, MJ Rodríguez and M.K. Williams. Surprised by the whiteness of the winners.
Glad Winslet and Coel won.
Not sure I'd say the wealth was spread this year, though. 7 shows won major awards in the Comedy, Drama, and Limited Series categories (I suppose it could have been 5, if Mare or Queen's Gambit had more thoroughly dominated). But last year, 9 shows won in the major categories. The year before that it was 12. The two years prior to that it was 10.
I can totally see Maya Rudolph winning the two same awards five years in row. The Emmys are that boring.
Man, I guess the Brits can ACT hence 8/10 of the acting awards! Then toss in Peter Morgan, John Oliver, Michaela Coel (YAY YAY YAY) in writing, so they can WRITE too.
I'm thrilled with Jean Smart's performance win for HACKS, but no way it gets Best Writing over TED LASSO (which I adore beyond belief). Loved Julianne Nicholson's win. And knew that Kate Winslet was gonna win Sarah Lancashire's HAPPY VALLEY Emmy, with those same tired eyes, grandson from a dead kid, work injury, colleague who gets horribly killed, puffy jacket and ponytail intact. Come on.
There's so much good TV right now, but it's clear award show voters are not paying attention, or are just LAZY. And don't get me started about HAMILTON's win.
Also, I wish Anya Taylor-Joy would have punched those dudes. Then spun on her heel in one of the fabulous coats.
I didn't watch the show, but I'm really pleased with the winners, especially on the most important (i.e., Actress) side. Winslet, Colman, Smart, Nicholson, and Anderson are all so deserving.
Winslet, at 45, is the youngest among them, which is quite a signifier of progress. The media will focus on the racial composition of the winners, but the fact that tv is giving us nuanced, in-depth depictions of women over 40 is significant.
Mr Baxter -- i hear you. but at the same time given the monotony of the actual nominees with so many categories only having 3 shows nominaed despite 6-8 nominees, it felt like a wealth spread in terms of winners. but with the Emmys the nomination process continues to be a joke. you should not be able to vote for as many people as you like. It should be ranked choice so you really have to think about who you believe is worth of honors. Not 'OH I LOVE THIS SHOW ALL OF THEM
"And knew that Kate Winslet was gonna win Sarah Lancashire's HAPPY VALLEY Emmy"
OMG Thank You. I've been biting my tongue for so long trying not to sound bitter.
Watch Happy Valley, guys.
The show had great energy (though I didn't love the host), and fantastic winners.
Colman would've had my vote but I didn't think she could beat out Corrin and Rodriguez. Thrilled she did, and she leaves The Crown with an Emmy (just like Claire Foy did).
Did anyone find the In Memoriam segment to be a complete directorial abomination?
Who ever is providing the music is an accompaniment -- not the main event. They can be the focus of the camera at the beginning and ending of the montage --NOT throughout while some of our beloved deceased are shown on a screen above them.
It was really distasteful and disrespectful.
Kelly Garrett - especially since the photos and names were so hard to see at times.
I'm glad Kate won, but I felt bad for ATJ too. It was a close race, I'm sure. It'd be amazing to see the vote totals, I can't imagine Kate won in a landslide.
I thought the ceremony was pretty good. The comedy bits weren't very comedic, but whatever. It felt like a normal ceremony again, and that was enough for me!
Brett Goldstein in the above image is way too distracting for me to think about analyzing the winners. (Yay Micaela!)
Michaela Coel was the award AND speech of the night for me. Thrilled she won! And for all of the TED LASSO love.
And while my vote would've gone elsewhere I'm still VERY happy for Colman, Winslet and Nicholson. May this be the moment where people finally started awarding Nicholson for any and everything (see Colman being underappreciated until she wasn't).
Colman and Foy winning for the same part in two different categories in the same year, has that ever happened before ?
Ramification - maybe not in the drama category? Judy Davis and Tammy Blanchard did both win 2000-01 Emmys for playing Judy Garland though.
This is the second year in a row where a show won all the acting awards in the main categories. This year The Crown and Schitt's Creek last year. Both also won for writing and best show.
I guess I should start watching the Crown? Co-sign Ryan T, Nicholson is tremendous- she was best in show in that all star August Osage County cast, so good in Monos… I hope for more
Trophies to come.
Lol I never understand those arguments that Kate Winslet is not deserving of her win because people didn't watch Happy Valley. i am sure Sarah Lancashire' performance is incredible and Happy Valley is a good show. If you think Sarah Lancashire' role is similar to Mare and Lancashire delivered a performance superior to Winslet's. That's fine. But so what? Winslet embodied a complex character with great nuance and precision. If someone else have done that, we salute them. But it never means that it is an easy task to do for actors. Plus, Kate Winslet was not competing with Sarah Lancashire in the Emmys.
Anyone else been a Nicholson fan since The Others/Ally McBeal?
I was elated for Julianne Nicholson and Michaela Coel, disappointed for MJ Rodriguez. All-in-all I thought it was a pretty good show, though several jokes fell flat. The bit with Cedric's TV wives was great and I enjoyed the Emmy-losers skit until Dr. Phil showed up.
Alfre Woodard also has 4 competitive Emmys.
SO OVERJOYED FOR JULIANNE NICHOLSON!
Relieved and happy too to see Evan and Kate win!!
The most surprising for me is definitely Ewan McGregor's.
I always say that Wandavision is not winning anything, but I really think Lead Actor could have gone to Hugh Grant.
I KNOW Emma Corrin was not gonna win when she showed up in that horrible dress. It really could have gone to anyone else, especially MJ, but this is not the first time Colman won over someone more deserving. The fact that Foy won for a one-minute cameo is baffling too.
Love The Crown, but that sweep is just overkill. Drama Supporting Actor really should have gone to MKW, and the fact that Tobias was not there just reminded me of that stupid Oscar ending this year.
@Reviewer2 Obviously it's not just me or Peggy Sue here saying this hence your reaction, but I was sort of joking. Happy Valley aired on the BBC in 2014, arrived in the US via Netflix and PBS in 2015 or 2016, probably not even eligible for Emmys (though I wonder why Downton Abbey was eligible since it originally aired on ITV in the UK? Something to do with production funding?). It did win a Peabody though, and was nominated or won just about every other television award for show, writing and lead performance.
Good for Kate on her win; she's a great actress. However, IMO Sarah turned in a better performance of a VERY similar character and Happy Valley was a better show than Mare of Easttown. My reaction when Mare first aired, and my opinion now.
Michaela Coel had the best speech of the night. This woman is doing something so few are right now, and it's reflected in her work and the nature of her speech.
None of Debbie Allen's wins are for acting: last week she won her 4th choreography Emmy PLUS she added another Emmy for producing the same Dolly Parton movie bringing her competitive tally to 5.
None of Debbie Allen's wins are for acting: last week she won her 4th choreography Emmy PLUS she added another Emmy for producing the same Dolly Parton movie bringing her competitive tally to 5.