In the days leading up to the 2020 Emmy Awards, the big concern was how the producers and host Jimmy Kimmel were going to pull off a virtual ceremony. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Kimmel would be at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Most nominees would be home or wherever they chose to be, and would be connecting remotely. The possibility of technological foul-ups and other potential disasters loomed large.
As it turned out, though, the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards show on Sunday came off with only a few technical glitches. After a fairly numbing first hour, in which all the comedy categories were lumped together, and “Schitt’s Creek” kept winning in all those categories, the show perked up. While some bits fell flat, by the time it was over, this unconventional Emmy show ultimately felt lighter and more down to earth than the traditional extravaganza.
It’s become a regular occurrence for awards show nominees to use their platform to address issues they feel strongly about. And this year’s Emmy winners had plenty to talk about, with the pandemic, protests for racial justice and the upcoming election weighing heavily on everyone’s minds. “Watchmen,” the HBO limited series that tackled America’s history of violence against Black people, police brutality, white supremacy and more, unsurprisingly won as best limited series, and took home three more awards.
Some winners gave passionate speeches, as when Mark Ruffalo, who won for his dual role as twin brothers in HBO’s “I Know This Much is True,” said Americans have to decide whether we’re going to be “a country of hatred and division, and only for a certain kind of people.”
against Black people, police brutality, white supremacy and more, unsurprisingly won as best limited series, and took home three more awards.
Some winners gave passionate speeches, as when Mark Ruffalo, who won for his dual role as twin brothers in HBO’s “I Know This Much is True,” said Americans have to decide whether we’re going to be “a country of hatred and division, and only for a certain kind of people.”
Like Ruffalo, other winners encouraged Americans to make their voices heard at the polls. Regina King, who won for her role as a police officer/superhero in “Watchmen,” reminded viewers to vote, and paid tribute to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, saying, “Rest in power.”
Here are highlights, and some lowlights, from Sunday’s Emmy Awards show:
Historic wins: After six seasons, the Canadian-made comedy “Schitt’s Creek” became an Emmy darling, as it swept all seven comedy categories, the first time that’s happened. Among the winners were stars Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy.
The 24-year-old Zendaya also made history as the youngest actress to win an Emmy as lead actress in a drama series, for her role in HBO’s “Euphoria,” a dark drama about teenagers struggling with identity, drugs, sex and more.
Comedy flubs: Kimmel started the show with a pretty good monologue, in which he stood onstage, and delivered jokes as we saw laughing celebrities in the crowd. The host soon pivoted to the fact that he was alone, in an empty space. As with sporting events, Kimmel said, they had cardboard cutouts of nominees in the seats. The camera panned down, until it came to Jason Bateman, who was actually there. What could have been funny didn’t quite land, as Kimmel told Bateman he could stay if he promised to laugh at Kimmel’s jokes. Bateman rose and left, and it landed with a bit of thud.
But that was comedy gold compared to the misfire – pun intended – that happened when Jennifer Aniston joined Kimmel, who was no longer onstage but in a room somewhere in the Staples Center, where the host, and occasional presenters, stood to announce nominees.
In one of several bits acknowledging coronavirus safety protocols, a rubber glove-wearing Kimmel laboriously sprayed Lysol on an envelope containing a winner’s name, then set it on fire in a wastepaper basket, presumably to burn off any germs. Aniston took a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, but the flames jumped up again, to the obvious surprise of both Aniston and Kimmel. Aniston gave more blasts from the fire extinguisher, until the blaze was finally out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVd5jH1uWRg
Politics, in T-shirts and comments: Some winners and presenters made statements not just through their words, but also by what they wore. Regina King and Uzo Aduba, who won a supporting actress in a limited series Emmy for “Mrs. America,” both wore shirts that paid tribute to Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was shot and killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky, after officers forced their way into her apartment.
Regina King with her 2020 Emmy for best lead actress in a limited series, awarded for her work in “Watchmen.” (Photo: ABC) ABC
Damon Lindelof, who adapted the graphic novel “Watchmen” for HBO, accepted awards for the limited series as he wore a shirt that said, “Remember Tulsa 21,” a reference to the historical event depicted at the beginning of “Watchmen.” The show’s recreation of the massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during which a white mob attacked a predominantly Black neighborhood, helped bring attention to a too-little known episode of racial violence.
And finally, Sterling K. Brown wore a T-shirt with the initials “BLM,” for “Black Lives Matter,” as he presented the best drama series Emmy.
Essential workers: TV creators weren’t the only ones to get some of the Emmy spotlight during Sunday’s ceremony. In several taped segments, people who work in what have been considered essential jobs during the pandemic spoke, and presented awards.
David Letterman presents an award, from a country road somewhere: Appropriately, David Letterman presented the outstanding variety talk series Emmy. The joke was that Letterman was stranded out on a country road after he exited a vehicle, following a fight with his Uber driver. That was kind of silly, but it was good to see Dave, Old Testament beard and all, tell some jokes, and take a moment to remember the late TV legend Regis Philbin: “By the way, Regis – I checked, you’re in the montage, buddy.”
The “In Memoriam” montage: For once, an awards show segment honoring those who died in the past year was done with care and sensitivity. The 2020 Emmys montage was edited to match names with images of TV locations, scenes or show titles which made clear what the person was remembered for. Adding to the emotional impact was a touching performance of the Prince song, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” by H.E.R.
More politics: In one of the more pointed speeches of the night, Jesse Armstrong, creator of the best drama series Emmy winner “Succession,” addressed both current events, and his show’s depiction of a media mogul who recalls the Rupert Murdoch, owner of such conservative outlets as Fox News.
Despite a phone ringing (room service, he suggested) as he talked, Armstrong continued, taking this opportunity to deliver not thank yous, but “un-thank yous.”
“Un-thank you to the virus, for keeping us all apart this year,” Armstrong said. “Un-thank you to President Trump, for his crummy and uncoordinated response. Un-thank you to Boris Johnson, and his government, for doing the same in my country. Unthank you to all the nationalist and sort of quasi-nationalist governments in the world who are exactly the opposite of what we need right now. And un-thank you to the media moguls who do so much to keep them in power.”
More of our coverage:
2020 Emmys: Who will win, who should win, and why a virtual ceremony may be an improvement
Emmy nominations 2020: What voters got right, maddening snubs, and weird surprises
— Kristi Turnquist
kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist