Recap: The Emmys

You know an awards show isn’t going well when one of the highlights of the night is the Memorandum portion. Last night’s Emmy Awards left a lot to be desired. Colin Jost and Michael Che are funny behind the desk on “Saturday Night Live.” Maybe they needed to bring it with them. There were a few good jokes, but overall…not so much. 

Diversity was the theme of much of the evening was diversity. It was cool at first, but they beat into the ground. That being said, the “Reparations Emmy” skit was cool. That’s where they went to some of TV’s funniest characters – including Marla Gibbs, Jimmie Walker, Kadeem Hardison, Jaleel White, Tichina Arnold, and James Witherspoon – and honored them for their work in shows like “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times,” “A Different World,” “Family Matters,” and “Martin.” 

• The biggest moment of the night came when Glenn Weiss, who won a directing Emmy for his work on “The Oscars,” proposed to his girlfriend, Jan Svendsen. He said, “You wonder why I don’t like to call you my girlfriend. It’s because I wanna call you my wife.” After a collective gasp from the crowd, she made her way toward the stage, and he joked, “I didn’t ask yet!” When Jan got to him, he said, “This is the ring that my dad put on my mom’s finger 67 years ago.” To his brothers and sisters he said, “I didn’t swipe it. Dad knows I have it.” 
• For the most part, the 70th annual kudofest didn’t turn into a political situation. Rachel Broshanan, who was honored in the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category, was the only person who mentioned voting. 
• There were quite a few surprised reactions among the winners – most notably, Bill Hader, Regina King, and Thandie Newton. Regina was especially surprised and was kinda speechless. Thandie said, “I don’t believe in God, but I thank her.” 
• Tina Fey introduced the memorandum section. Aretha Franklin’s voice singing “Amazing Grace” as the various people that we’ve lost flashed on the screen. It was poignant and touching. 
• Also, Donald Glover appeared in the audience as Teddy Perkins. He sat in the front row in character as Teddy Perkins, who looked like a broke Michael Jackson impersonator. 
• As far as winners go, it was a huge night for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” The comedy picked up five honors, including Outstanding Comedy Series and acting awards for Alex Borstein and Rachel Brosnahan. “Game of Thrones” got the Drama Series award, and “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” earned the Limited Series award. 

Here’s a complete list of winners of the 70thannual Primetime Emmy Awards: 

• Drama Series: “Game of Thrones”
• Comedy Series: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
• Limited Series: “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”
• 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”
• 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”