Small screen gets big

Winter arrived early at this year’s Primetime Emmys as Game of Thrones took home the award for Outstanding Drama Series while newcomer The Marvelous Mrs Maisel surprised with its clean sweep in the comedy category, including the top award of the Outstanding Comedy Series. GoT, whose eighth and final season premieres next year, won nine awards while Mrs Maisel took home eight trophies. 

Fantastic Foy

Claire Foy got the parting gift by winning the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for The Crown. It is Foy’s first win, a memorable moment for the actor, who has exited as Queen Elizabeth II from Netflix’s royal drama after its second season last year. The role will be played by Olivia Coleman for the upcoming third and fourth seasons and Foy tipped her hat to her fellow nominees as well as the new cast. 

Comic lines

Mrs Maisel creator Amy Sherman-Palladino made history by becoming the first woman to grab both Writing and Directing awards for a Comedy Series.  In her speech, she thanked the show’s team, her family and urged the audience to vote in the upcoming mid-terms. “One of the things I love most about the show is that it’s about a woman who’s finding her voice anew... (So) vote, show up, and a bring a friend to the polls,” Brosnahan said.

Act right 

Matthew Rhys and Bill Hader won in the lead actor categories in drama and comedy, respectively. Rhys, who just finished playing a Soviet spy in The Americans, beat fan favourites — last year’s winner Sterling K Brown and Milo Ventimiglia of This Is Us — to bag his first Emmy after three nominations. He thanked the show’s creator Joe Weisberg and co-star and partner Keri Russell. Hader, who won his first Emmy for comedy show Barry, said he was surprised with the win.

Popular choice

Peter Dinklage bagged his third Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for GoT and thanked his co-star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, calling him “my brother from another mother”. As is with all things GoT, the audience interpreted this expression of gratitude as a reference to one of the biggest fans’ theories. They have speculated that Dinklage’s character Tyrion Lannister is actually a Targaryen. In one of the best speeches of the night, Dinklage criticised the show-runners for taking away his anonymity. “Thank you (creators David Benioff and Daniel Brett Weiss) for changing my life. I cannot walk down the street anymore. George (RR) Martin for creating this darn thing,” he joked. 

Laugh it out

In the comedy category, Amy Borstein took home the trophy of Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for essaying Susie Myerson in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Barry star Henry Winkler won in the Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category for his role of acting teacher Gene Cousineau. It was a long overdue win after six nominations, something that he pointed out in his speech.

Grand night

Topics such as #MeToo and Time’s Up continued to crop up throughout the night even though the ceremony was criticised for not living up to the diversity debate propagated in their opening musical number, as only two of the 12 acting awards were won by people of colour. Colin Jost and Michael Che, hosts for the night, also made a reference to ousted CBS boss Leslie Moonves while invoking the #MeToo movement. — PTI

Glenn Weiss proposes his girlfriend, Jan Svendsen, on stage

After bagging the Emmy for directing for a Variety Special, American producer and director, Glenn Weiss surprised the audience with a marriage proposal to his girlfriend Jan Svendsen live on stage. During his acceptance speech, Weiss took a moment to thank Svendsen for being the “sunshine” of his life and someone his late mother “adored”. “You wonder why I don’t like to call you my girlfriend? Because I want to call you my wife,” said Weiss, driving audience crazy who couldn’t stop cheering for the Peter Pan Live director. ANI

Thanking God

Westworld star Thandie Newton won the Supporting Drama Actress trophy for her performance as Maeve. “I don’t even believe in God, but I’m going to thank her tonight. I am so blessed. I am so blessed.” This is her second nomination after last year, and first win in the category.

ON THE TOP

• Outstanding Drama Series: WINNER: Game of Thrones (HBO)
• Outstanding Comedy Series : WINNER: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon) 
• Outstanding Limited Series : WINNER: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series : WINNER: Claire Foy, The Crown (Netflix)
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series : WINNER: Matthew Rhys, The Americans (FX)