Emmys 2021: Big Night For Streaming, But Genre Nominees Fall Short

Well, that’s it. The war between traditional TV networks and streaming is finally over. We can put a pin in it. Netflix has finally done what they have been trying so hard to do for years, which is take home a victory in the Outstanding Drama Series category as The Crown came out on top. It was joined by The Queen’s Gambit which solidified the universal acclaim by winning Outstanding Limited Series, while Scott Frank won Outstanding Director For a Limited Series.

Surprising absolutely nobody, it was also a huge night for Apple TV+ and Ted Lasso, which won Outstanding Comedy Series, plus acting victories for Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddington, and Brett Goldstein. For the most part, I think the beloved show’s wins have been baked in for months. Nobody else really stood a chance.

What you won’t find? Significant wins for genre content, including WandaVisionThe Mandalorian, and Lovecraft Country which had plenty of nominations without much to show for it. There was hope of a posthumous award for Michael K. Williams in the Best Supporting Actor category, but that went to Tobias Menzies for The Crown, a clear sign that Emmy voters are still very much into traditional dramas and it may take a while for genre to make its mark in the era of streaming.

Full list of winners below!

Limited series
WINNER: “The Queen’s Gambit”
“I May Destroy You”
“Mare of Easttown”
“The Underground Railroad”
“WandaVision”

Drama series
WINNER: “The Crown”
“The Boys”
“Bridgerton”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Lovecraft Country”
“The Mandalorian”
“Pose”
“This Is Us”

Comedy series
WINNER: “Ted Lasso”
“black-ish”
“Cobra Kai”
“Emily in Paris”
“The Flight Attendant”
“Hacks”
“The Kominsky Method”
“PEN15″

Variety special (prerecorded)
WINNER: “Hamilton”
“Bo Burnham: Inside”
“David Byrne’s American Utopia”
“8:46 — Dave Chappelle”
“Friends: The Reunion”
“A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote”

Variety special (Live)
WINNER: “Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020: Democracy’s Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020″
“Celebrating America – An Inauguration Night Special”
“The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards”
“The Oscars”
“The Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show Starring The Weeknd”

Lead actor, drama
WINNER: Josh O’Connor, “The Crown”
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”
Jonathan Majors, “Lovecraft Country”
Regé-Jean Page, “Bridgerton”
Billy Porter, “Pose”
Matthew Rhys, “Perry Mason”

Lead actress, drama
WINNER: Olivia Colman, “The Crown”
Uzo Aduba, “In Treatment”
Emma Corrin, “The Crown”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Mj Rodriguez, “Pose”
Jurnee Smollett, “Lovecraft Country”

Lead actor, limited series/TV movie
WINNER: Ewan McGregor, “Halston”
Paul Bettany, “WandaVision”
Hugh Grant, “The Undoing”
Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Hamilton”
Leslie Odom Jr., “Hamilton”

Lead actress, limited series/TV movie
WINNER: Kate Winslet, “Mare of Easttown”
Michaela Coel, “I May Destroy You”
Cynthia Erivo, “Genius: Aretha”
Elizabeth Olsen, “WandaVision”
Anya Taylor-Joy, “The Queen’s Gambit”

Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Drama Special
WINNER: Michaela Coel, “I May Destroy You”
Jac Schaeffer, “WandaVision,” “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience”
Scott Frank, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Laura Donney, “WandaVision,” “Previously On”
Brad Ingelsby, “Mare of Easttown”
Chuck Hayward and Peter Cameron, “WandaVision,” “All-New Halloween Spooktacular!”

Directing for a Limited Series
WINNER: Scott Frank, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Barry Jenkins, “The Underground Railroad”
Michaela Coel and Sam Miller, “I May Destroy You” (“Ego Death”)
Thomas Kail, “Hamilton”
Sam Miller, “I May Destroy You” (“Eyes Eyes Eyes Eyes”)
Matt Shakman, “WandaVision”
Craig Zobel, “Mare of Easttown”

Competition series
WINNER: “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“The Amazing Race”
“Nailed It!”
“Top Chef”
“The Voice”

Lead actor, comedy
WINNER: Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Anthony Anderson, “black-ish”
Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Kenan Thompson, “Kenan”

Lead actress, comedy
WINNER: Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Aidy Bryant, “Shrill”
Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”
Allison Janney, “Mom”
Tracee Ellis Ross, “black-ish”

Directing for a comedy series
WINNER: Lucia Aniello, “Hacks” (“There Is No Line (Pilot)”)
Susanna Fogel, “The Flight Attendant” (“In Case of Emergency”)
James Burrows, “B Positive” (“Pilot”)
Zach Braff, “Ted Lasso” (“Biscuits”)
M.J. Delaney, “Ted Lasso” (“The Hope That Kills You”)
Declan Lowney, “Ted Lasso” (“Make Rebecca Great Again”)
James Widdoes, “Mom” (“Scooby-Doo Checks and Salisbury Steak”)

Writing for a comedy series
WINNER: Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, “Hacks” (“There Is No Line (Pilot)”)
Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly, “Ted Lasso” (“Make Rebecca Great Again”)
Meredith Scardino, “Girls5eva” (“Pilot”)
Steve Yockey, “The Flight Attendant” (“In Case of Emergency”)
Maya Erskine, “PEN15” (“Play”)
Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly, “Ted Lasso” (“Pilot”)

Variety sketch series
WINNER: “Saturday Night Live”
“A Black Lady Sketch Show”

Variety talk series
WINNER: “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
“Conan”
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Writing for a variety series
WINNER: “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
“The Amber Ruffin Show”
“A Black Lady Sketch Show”
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
“Saturday Night Live”

Supporting actor, drama
WINNER: Tobias Menzies, “The Crown”
Giancarlo Esposito, “The Mandalorian”
O-T Fagbenle, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
John Lithgow, “Perry Mason”
Max Minghella, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Chris Sullivan, “This Is Us”
Bradley Whitford, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Michael Kenneth Williams, “Lovecraft Country”

Supporting actress, drama
WINNER: Gillian Anderson, “The Crown”
Helena Bonham Carter, “The Crown”
Madeline Brewer, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Ann Dowd, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Aunjanue Ellis, “Lovecraft Country”
Emerald Fennell, “The Crown”
Yvonne Strahovski, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Samira Wiley, “The Handmaid’s Tale”

Directing for a drama series
WINNER: Jessica Hobbs, “The Crown” (“War”)
Julie Anne Robinson, “Bridgerton” (“Diamond of the First Water”)
Jon Favreau, “The Mandalorian” (“Chapter 9: The Marshal”)
Steven Canals, “Pose” (“Series Finale”)
Benjamin Caron, “The Crown” (“Fairytale”)
Liz Garbus, “The Handmaid’s Tale” (“The Wilderness”)

Writing for a drama series
WINNER: Peter Morgan, “The Crown” (“War”)
Jon Favreau, “The Mandalorian” (“Chapter 16: The Rescue”)
Rebecca Sonnenshine, “The Boys” (“What I Know”)
Yahlin Chang, “The Handmaid’s Tale” (“Home”)
Dave Filoni, “The Mandalorian” (“Chapter 13: The Jedi”)
Misha Green, “Lovecraft Country” (“Sundown”)
Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Steven Canals, Janet Mock and Our Lady J, “Pose” (“Series Finale”)

Supporting actor, limited series/TV movie
WINNER: Evan Peters, “Mare of Easttown”
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Daveed Diggs, “Hamilton”
Paapa Essiedu, “I May Destroy You”
Jonathan Groff, “Hamilton”
Anthony Ramos, “Hamilton”

Supporting actress, limited series/TV movie
WINNER: Julianne Nicholson, “Mare of Easttown”
Renée Elise Goldsberry, “Hamilton”
Kathryn Hahn, “WandaVision”
Moses Ingram, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Jean Smart, “Mare of Easttown”
Phillipa Soo, “Hamilton”

Supporting actor, comedy
WINNER: Brett Goldstein, “Ted Lasso”
Carl Clemons-Hopkins, “Hacks”
Brendan Hunt, “Ted Lasso”
Nick Mohammed, “Ted Lasso”
Paul Reiser, “The Kominsky Method”
Jeremy Swift, “Ted Lasso”
Kenan Thompson, “Saturday Night Live”
Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”

Supporting actress, comedy
WINNER: Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”
Aidy Bryant, “Saturday Night Live”
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live”
Rosie Perez, “The Flight Attendant”
Cecily Strong, “Saturday Night Live”
Juno Temple, “Ted Lasso”

Guest actress, drama
WINNER: Claire Foy, “The Crown”
Alexis Bledel, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Mckenna Grace, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Sophie Okonedo, “Ratched”
Phylicia Rashad, “This Is Us”

Guest actor, drama
WINNER: Courtney B. Vance, “Lovecraft Country”
Don Cheadle, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”
Charles Dance, “The Crown”
Timothy Olyphant, “The Mandalorian”
Carl Weathers, “The Mandalorian”

Guest actress, comedy
WINNER: Maya Rudolph, “Saturday Night Live”
Jane Adams, “Hacks”
Yvette Nicole Brown, “A Black Lady Sketch Show”
Bernadette Peters, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”
Issa Rae, “A Black Lady Sketch Show”
Kristen Wiig, “Saturday Night Live”

Guest actor, comedy
WINNER: Dave Chappelle, “Saturday Night Live”
Alec Baldwin, “Saturday Night Live”
Morgan Freeman, “The Kominsky Method”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Saturday Night Live”
Daniel Levy, “Saturday Night Live”

TV movie
WINNER: “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square”
“Oslo”
“Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia”
“Sylvie’s Love”
“Uncle Frank”

 

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.