As promised when we highlighted the Creative Arts Emmy wins (19 in total) that were held on 09.10.17 we follow up now with the wins HBO garnered the night of 09.17.17 at the primetime Emmy ceremony, hosted by Steven Colbert. The tally comes via an official HBO press release:
HBO RECEIVES 29 PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS, THE MOST OF ANY NETWORK THIS YEAR;
BIG LITTLE LIES LEADS HBO PROGRAMMING WITH 8 EMMYS
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18, 2017 – HBO received 29 Primetime Emmy Awards, the most of any network for the 16th year in a row, in the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards competition. “Big Little Lies” led HBO programming with 8 Emmys, while “The Night Of,” “Veep” and “Westworld” each received 5 Emmys, and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” received 4 Emmys.
Here is a breakdown of the awards won in the Primetime Emmy show.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock (9064817df)
* 5 Emmys for “Big Little Lies,” – Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Nicole Kidman), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Laura Dern), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Alexander Skarsgård) and Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special (Jean-Marc Vallée).
Add the 3 received the previous week for a grand total of 8 for the limited series. This big win bodes well for further talks of some sort of sequel piece. It has been reported that Liane Moriarity, author of the novel, is not shutting out the idea of writing a followup. Surely, Vallée, screenwriter David E. Kelley, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern and the rest would jump at the opportunity off of this success.
* 1 Emmy for “The Night Of,” – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Riz Ahmed).
It also won 4 awards the previous week (Cinematography and Sound) for a total of 5. What a great addition to Ahmed’s resume. He won out over others, of course, including John Tuturro. Will this win cause showrunner Steve Zaillian to write another turn for Ahmed’s character?
* 2 Emmys for “Veep,” – Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). SILICON VALLEY was also in the running for Outstanding Comedy Series.
In addition to the 3 awards from the previous week (Cinematography & Casting) makes 5 big wins. It also makes a record for Louis-Dreyfus as this makes her sixth win in a row for her work as Selina Meyer. The series itself has now taken Best Comedy three times in a row. Tony Hale, Matt Walsh and Anna Chulmsky did not win in their categories, however.
* 2 Emmys for “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” – Outstanding Variety Talk Series, Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.
In addition to the 2 received the previous week it makes for 4 wins. That category is tough with all the late night shows in the running, but John Oliver and his team won out.
In total that made 29 wins altogether, once again the most for any network. That was even without the presence of GAME OF THRONES, which was not eligible for this award cycle due to its altered schedule. The final breakdown is as follows:
8 for BIG LITTLE LIES; 5 for THE NIGHT OF; 5 for VEEP, 5 for WESTWORLD; 4 for LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER; 1 for 2017 ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY and 1 for ONCE UPON A SESAME STREET CHRISTMAS.
WESTWORLD did not walk away with awards for Anthony Hopkins, Jeffery Wright or Evan Rachel Wood nor for Best Dramatic Series (that went to Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale) but, it did receive a total of 5 Emmys for its technical prowess, makeup and hair. Also missing out on awards were in the Television Movie or Miniseries categories. Neither Robert De Niro nor Michelle Pfeiffer won for their portrayals of the Madoffs in HBO Films: WIZARD OF LIES. Nor did that film or HBO Films: THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS win for the Outstanding entry. That is a rare occurrence.
As always there were upsets like that and there were surprises like Riz Ahmed’s win, but it was no surprise that HBO dominated. In the bulging at the seams TV landscape, however, it is getting harder to hold on to the title. HBO has work to do to hold that position.
Congratulation on your honors and Good Luck in the future!
