The 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards; FULL Recap & Commentary!
By: Matt Tamanini Sep. 20, 2015
Through out the past week, BroadwayWorld has been brinigng you coverage of the 67th Annual Emmy Awards with a decidedly theatre-specific focus, and tonight will be no different. At some point during the tedious Red Carpet, I will begin live blogging everything from the Andy Samberg's hosting performance to the awards to the acceptance speeches, and everything inbetween. That being typed, I will be doing this in shorts and a t-shirt, so don't expect too much fashion commentary.
If you need some more BWW Emmy Coverage to tide you over until the telecast starts, check out our profiles of Emmy-Nominated Theatre Star:
Titus Burgess (profile), Kevin Spacey (profile), Elisabeth Moss (profile), Uzo Abudo (profile), Jane Krakowski (profile), Emma Thompson (profile), Jessica Lange (profile), Christine Baranski (profile), Alan Cumming (profile), Allison Janney (profile), Liev Schreiber (profile).
You can also compare your picks to those of our BWW TV experts, Michael Paul Smith (star of BWW's webseries THE RESIDUALS), and Patti Murin (Broadway leading lady and BWW BACHELOR expert): BWW Predictions. BWW TV recapper Jennifer McHugh and I discussed our picks on the preview episode of our new "Some Like it Pop" Podcast.
So, stick with me all night, share your thoughts in the comments below and join the discussion on Twitter at #BWWEmmys.
11:24pm: That you so much for following along all night; this was a lot of fun. Check out BroadwayWorld's Full Emmy coverage, including videos from the nights best moments and some of the best Emmy tweets from Broadway's biggest stars. Have a good night, and West Coast, sorry, I should have said
****SPOILER ALERT****
11:20pm: Ok, I think that's a wrap on the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. I have to say that I was a little nervous about Andy Samberg hosting. I think he is very funny, and a great writer, but he never impressed me in the actual live stuff on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. However, I think he was fairly strong tonight. He had a few bombs, but I think they might have been intended to bomb in order to give him the opportunity to react to them bomb in, a la David Letterman.
And, what was with his increasingly lighter blue suits? BWW TV's ace recapper and Emmys live-tweeter noticed that early on, and she was absolutely right. Does Andy have some affinity for different hues of blue?
Oh, and it came in UNDER three hours. Thank the Lord above, because it is way past my bed time.
11:11pm: First, make a wish; second all of us elitist TV devotees are going to love the majority of these wins. While we might not agree with all of them, there didn't seem to be any obviously offensive wins, and more so MODERN FAMILY has seemingly lost its grip on the Comedy categories. I like MODERN FAMILY, I laugh when I watch MODERN FAMILY, and I think that MODERN FAMILY has been good for the acceptance of non-traditional families in American society, but it has long overstayed its welcome at the Emmys' party. I will be fine with Ty Burrell continuing to get nominations, or Nathan Lane and Elizabeth Banks getting Guest Actor/Actress nods, but I hope this year's results signify a shift in the Academy's comedic viewing habits. There are so many great comedies on TV that consistently deliver smarter, funnier, more meaningful moments than MODERN FAMILY, and they deserve to be recognized as well.
11:08pm: I have to say that those last two surprised me a bit. I mean, it wasn't a huge shock given how many each won tonight, but I really thought that TRANSPARENT, a show that is touchingly funny while dealing with difficult human issues would win the Comedy award; and I thought MAD MEN would get the, "Sorry Your Entire Run Basically Overlapped with BREAKING BAD, which We All Decided That We Liked Better, but We Are Still Sorry to See You Go" Award. However, this was clearly HBO's night, by my count (which is not always to be trusted) they won 14 of the 26 awards tonight. Think about this network TV won a TOTAL of three awards tonight. Tomorrow, there will be a deluge of think-pieces on the fall of the network TV series, just in time for all of the network TV series to launch their new seasons.
10:57pm: Outstanding Drama Series
BETTER CALL SAUL
DOWNTON ABBEY
GAME OF THRONES***WINNER
HOMELAND
HOUSE OF CARDS
MAD MEN
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
10:54pm: Oh wow, Tracy Morgan bringing the waterworks. How incredible is it to see him on stage? It looks like he still has a ways to go, but in typical Tracy Morgan fashion, he's still got jokes! Jokes about impregnating women.
10:52pm: Outstanding Comedy Series
LOUIE
MODERN FAMILY
PARKS AND RECREATION
SILICON VALLEY
TRANSPARENT
UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT
VEEP***WINNER
10:48pm: Well, as much as I loved seeing Viola Davis win Outstanding Lead Actress, that means that my "Some Like it Pop" co-host Jennifer McHugh has won the BWW Predictions Pool this year. There are two awards left, but we we both picked TRANSPARENT and MAD MEN, so she will take it by one. So, by terms of our agreement, I am required to say, "Jenn knows more than me." Damn, that was hard.
10:46pm: Damn, I've got goosebumps and tears in my eyes after Viola Davis' powerful speech. Good on you Ms. Davis; well said and well deserved.
10:44pm: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Claire Danes, HOMELAND
Viola Davis, HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER***WINNER
Taraji P. Henson, EMPIRE
Tatiana Maslany, ORPHAN BLACK
Elisabeth Moss, MAD MEN
Robin Wright, HOUSE OF CARDS
10:41pm: The long national nightmare is over, Jon Hamm has FINALLY won the Emmy that he so richly deserves. Here is my next prediction, he will win another for a Comedy within the next three years. KIMMY SCHMIDT Season 2 perhaps?
10:40pm: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Kyle Chandler, BLOODLINE
Jeff Daniels, THE NEWSROOM
Jon Hamm, MAD MEN***WINNER
Bob Odenkirk, BETTER CALL SAUL
Liev Schreiber, RAY DONOVAN
Kevin Spacey, HOUSE OF CARDS
10:32pm: I am sure that by tomorrow morning, someone will have started an online campaign complaining about who was left out of the In Memoriam video, but I really like the way this always tricky part of the show is handled. No on-stage celebrity singer to steal attention; just pictures, clips, names, and a beautiful song. Well done, Academy.
10:29pm: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Jonathan Banks, BETTER CALL SAUL
Jim Carter, DOWNTON ABBEY
Alan Cumming, THE GOOD WIFE
Peter Dinklage, GAME OF THRONES***WINNER
Michael Kelly, HOUSE OF CARDS
Ben Mendelsohn, BLOODLINE
10:24pm: Ok, three awards into the Drama categories, and GOT has two, OITNB has one, MAD MEN has zero? Is it possible that it gets shut out AGAIN? Even after BREAKING BAD is off the air?
10:23pm: Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
BETTER CALL SAUL; episode "Five-O," written by GorDon Smith
GAME OF THRONES; episode "Mother's Mercy," written by DAVID BENIOFF and D.B. Weiss***WINNER
MAD MEN; episode "Lost Horizon," written by Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner
MAD MEN; episode "Person To Person," written by Matthew Weiner
THE AMERICANS; episode, "Do Mail Robots Dream Of Electric Sheep?" written by Joshua Brand
10:20pm: Uzo's speech was wonderful, but I really wish that she had just burst out singing "By My Side" instead.
10:19pm: Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Uzo Aduba, ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK***WINNER
Christine Baranski, THE GOOD WIFE
Emilia Clarke, GAME OF THRONES
Joanne Froggatt, DOWNTON ABBEY
Lena Headey, GAME OF THRONES
Christina Hendricks, MAD MEN
10:16pm: Wait, Ray Parker Jr. like GHOSTBUSTERS theme song Ray Parker Jr.? Ok, the Emmy band just got infinitely more cool.
10:10pm: Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
BETTER CALL SAUL; episode "Five-O," written by GorDon Smith
GAME OF THRONES; episode "Mother's Mercy," written by DAVID BENIOFF and D.B. Weiss***WINNER
MAD MEN; episode "Lost Horizon," written by Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner
MAD MEN; episode "Person To Person," written by Matthew Weiner
THE AMERICANS; episode, "Do Mail Robots Dream Of Electric Sheep?" written by Joshua Brand
10:09pm: I love Margo Martindale, and I love THE AMERICANS even more, it is ridiculous that it does not get more love from the Emmys, but there is no reason that Margo should have won that Guest Actress award. Now, she has been great as Claudia since the first season, but because of that terrible CBS sitcom that she was on before it was mercifully cancelled meant that she was barely on the show, and what she was there for was unimportant at best. I am all for being able to say "Emmy-winner Margo Martindale," but I wish it was for a more deserved season/role.
10:07pm: I could not be happier for the love that THE DAILY SHOW is receiving tonight (not that they haven't won Emmys before), but what Jon Stewart did was revolutionize the late night talk show; without the direction that he took THE DAILY SHOW in after taking over for Craig Kilborn, there would be no COLBERT REPORT or LAST WEEK TONIGHT. Congrats and Godspeed Jon Stewart.
10:04pm: Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Jimmy Kimmel LIVE
LATE SHOW WITH David Letterman
LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH John Oliver
THE COLBERT REPORT
THE DAILY SHOW WITH Jon Stewart***WINNER
THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING Jimmy Fallon
10:02pm: Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series
INSIDE Amy Schumer, episode "12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer," directed by Amy Schumer and Ryan McFaul
LATE SHOW WITH David Letterman, episode "Show 4214," directed by Jerry Foley
THE COLBERT REPORT, episode "Show 11040," directed by James Hoskinson
THE DAILY SHOW WITH Jon Stewart, episode "Show 20103," directed by Chuck O'Neil***WINNER
THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING Jimmy Fallon, episode "Show 203," directed by Dave Diomedi
10:01pm: In comedy, that is called a "callback."
9:56pm: INSIDE Amy Schumer winning is the most deserved win in the history of the Emmys. What she does on that show week-in and week-out is not only unbelievably hilarious, but also socially important. As I have said in articles and in our podcast, I don't watch a lot of comedies, but I never miss INSIDE Amy Schumer. What she is doing on that show (and in movies and stand-up) is important, and I can't wait to see what she does next.
9:54pm: Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
DRUNK HISTORY
INSIDE Amy Schumer***WINNER
KEY & PEELE
PORTLANDIA
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
9:52pm: Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series
INSIDE Amy Schumer
KEY & PEELE
LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH John Oliver
THE COLBERT REPORT
THE DAILY SHOW WITH Jon Stewart***WINNER
9:51pm: Amy gets "The Donald" to introduce her writers and KEY & PEELE get President Obama? Is that an omen for who will win... oh well, they both lost!
9:42pm: Outstanding Limited Series
AMERICAN CRIME
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW
OLIVE KITTERIDGE***WINNER
THE HONORABLE WOMAN
WOLF HALL
9:39pm: Seriously, how did GLEE and THE NEWSROOM get major spots in the first part of this "Show In Memoriam" with LETTERMAN, COLBERT, and THE DAILY SHOW? No offense... ok, a little offense, but those shows do not rise anywhere near the level of Dave, Stephen, and Jon's brilliance.
9:36pm: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or A Movie
Adrien Brody, HOUDINI
Ricky Gervais, DEREK SPECIAL
Timothy Hutton, AMERICAN CRIME
Richard Jenkins, OLIVE KITTERIDGE***WINNER
David Oyelowo, NIGHTINGALE
Mark Rylance, WOLF HALL
9:34pm: I love Tat doing comedy. Can you imagine a fight between Helena and Alison over a can of beans? That would be one hell of a scene.
9:31pm: I saw an AARP screening of THE INTERN this week (pretty cool to be the youngest person in the room), and while I will post a full review this week, it was really sweet, and I highly recommend it.
9:30pm: What? No jean jacket Frances? Between Bill Murray and Frances McDormand, I think the Emmys might have just gotten back on schedule!
9:29pm: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or A Movie
Maggie Gyllenhaal, THE HONORABLE WOMAN
Felicity Huffman, AMERICAN CRIME
Jessica Lange, AMERICAN HORROR STORY
Queen Latifah, BESSIE
Frances McDormand, OLIVE KITTERIDGE***WINNER
Emma Thompson, SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
9:27pm: Wait, was Andy's yoga instructor Carrrrrrlos Riverrrrrra from GENERAL HOSPITAL? #EmmysCanKill
9:26pm: Wait, Bill Murray isn't there? Oh no. Now, THAT would have been a great speech.
9:25: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or A Movie
Richard Cabral, AMERICAN CRIME
Damian Lewis, WOLF HALL
Bill Murray, OLIVE KITTERIDGE***WINNER
Denis O'Hare, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW
Michael Kenneth Williams, BESSIE
Finn Wittrock, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW
9:19pm: If you found John Oliver's mini-monologue funny, but don't watch LAST WEEK TONIGHT, you seriously need to get on that. It is possibly the smartest show on TV, and it consistently makes me laugh and think more than anything else I regularly watch. I believe that every episode is put out on YouTube after it airs (do they still do that?); so even if you don't have HBO (or don't want to use Andy's password), you need to watch it. Trust me, you won't regret it.
9:17pm: Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or A Dramatic Special
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW; episode "Monsters Among Us," directed by Ryan Murphy
BESSIE; directed by Dee Rees
HOUDINI; directed by Uli Edel
OLIVE KITTERIDGE; directed by Lisa Cholodenko***WINNER
THE HONORABLE WOMAN; directed by Hugo Blick
THE MISSING; directed by Tom Shankland
WOLF HALL; directed by Peter Kosminsky
9:13pm: 1) I didn't watch AMERICAN CRIME, 2) I love Regina King, 3) I am shocked she won, 4) OH MY GOD, SHE WAS ON 227? I totally remember that show.
9:10pm: Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or A Movie
Angela Bassett, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW
Kathy Bates, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW
Regina King, AMERICAN CRIME***WINNER
Mo'Nique, BESSIE
Sarah Paulson, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW
Zoe Kazan, OLIVE KITTERIDGE
9:06pm: Outstanding Writing For A Limited Series, Movie Or A Dramatic Special
AMERICAN CRIME; episode "Episode One," written by John Ridley
BESSIE; Dee Rees (screenplay and story), Christopher Cleveland (screenplay), Bettina Gilois (screenplay), and Horton Foote (story)
HELLO LADIES: THE MOVIE; written by Stephen Merchant, Gene Stupnitsky, and Lee Eisenberg
OLIVE KITTERIDGE; teleplay by Jane Anderson***WINNER
THE HONORABLE WOMAN; written by Hugo Blick
WOLF HALL; written by Peter Straughan
9:04pm: James Corden, I love you man, but wrap it up. No one cares about the Accountants from Ernst & Young, and no amount of faux-excitement that you throw at them is going to make people care. They are accountants, they are used to it.
8:59pm: Now, that is the first real shocker of the night. I am really surprised that THE AMAZING RACE didn't win. Granted, I have never watched a single episode of THE AMAZING RACE, but old white people seem to love it, and old white people are who make up the Television Academy. I have written a lot on BWW TV about my feelings for THE VOICE. If they could just spin off The Blind Auditions into its own show, that would be Emmy-worthy, but the rest of the season could not be more bland and uninspired. The best singers almost always get eliminated around the Top-8 in favor of younger, less talented contestants. And what is most frustrating, every single effort is made to stroke the sizeable egos of the show's coaches, almost always at the expense of the show's contestants.
8:57pm: Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
DANCING WITH THE STARS
PROJECT RUNWAY
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE
THE AMAZING RACE
THE VOICE***WINNER
TOP CHEF
8:54pm: Shocker of the night, JLD wins again. Although, you really can't fault the Academy for this one!
8:53pm: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Edie Falco, NURSE JACKIE
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, VEEP***WINNER
Lisa Kudrow, THE COMEBACK
Amy Poehler, PARKS AND RECREATION
Amy Schumer, INSIDE Amy Schumer
Lily Tomlin, GRACE AND FRANKIE
8:52pm: Wow, over 40 of tonight's nominees have worked for Lorne Michaels? That is pretty incredible. But, Shonda is pretty awesome too!
8:45pm: During the taping for our Emmy preview podcast, I told Jenn McHugh that I wanted Jeffrey Tambor to win, just because I knew that he would give a classy, touching speech; and he most certainly did that. Oh, and I'm 4-for-4 (counting Latifah, which I think I can let go of at this point!).
8:43pm: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, BLACK-ISH
Louis C.K., LOUIE
Don Cheadle, HOUSE OF LIES
Will Forte, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH
Matt LeBlanc, EPISODES
William H. Macy, SHAMELESS
Jeffrey Tambor, TRANSPARENT***WINNER
8:40pm: Oh that Emmy statue/GIRLS joke is reeeeeeally funny... totally inappropriate, but really funny.
8:39pm: Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
LOUIE; episode "Sleepover," directed by Louis C.K.
SILICON VALLET; episode "Sand Hill Shuffle," directed by Mike Judge
THE LAST MAN ON EARTH; episode "Alive In Tucson (Pilot)," directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
TRANSPARENT; episode "Best New Girl," directed by Jill Soloway***WINNER
VEEP; episode "Testimony," directed by Armando Iannucci
8:37pm: It is an absolute crime against all that is good and funny in this world that Gina Rodriguez is not at the Emmys as a nominee. If it took Tatiana Maslany three seasons to get nominated, how long for the nominating committee to finally getting around to watching JANE THE VIRGIN?
8:34pm: I know we are only 30 minutes into this 17 hour broadcast, but am I crazy, or has this been pretty funny, fast-paced, and not soul-suckingly tedious so far?
8:30pm: See my last note about VEEP...
8:29pm: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Andre Braugher, BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
Tituss Burgess, UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT
Ty Burrell, MODERN FAMILY
Adam Driver, GIRLS
Tony Hale, VEEP ***WINNER
Keegan-Michael Key, KEY & PEELE
8:26pm: I think that Writing win is going to be an omen for VEEP tonight. I think that this is the year that MODERN FAMILY's stranglehold on the Comedy categories comes to an end.
8:24pm: Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
EPISODES; episode "Episode 409," written by David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik
LOUIE, episode "Bobby's House," written by Louis C.K.
SILICON VALLEY, episode "Two Days Of The Condor," written by Alec Berg
THE LAST MAN ON EARTH; episode"Alive In Tucson (Pilot)," written by Will Forte
TRANSPARENT; episode "Pilot," written by Jill Soloway
VEEP; episode "Election Night," written by Simon Blackwell (teleplay and story), Armando Iannucci (story), Tony Roche (teleplay and story) ***WINNER
8:23pm: Hey Tony Awards, see, writing awards CAN be televised...
8:18pm: I am probably going to get a bunch of my predictions wrong tonight, but between Latifah (yep, I'm counting it) and Allison Janney, I'm 2-for-2!
8:16pm: Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Mayim Bialik, THE BIG BANG THEORY
Niecy Nash, GETTING ON
Julie Bowen, MODERN FAMILY
Allison Janney, MOM ***WINNER
Kate McKinnon SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Gaby Hoffmann, TRANSPARENT
Jane Krakowski, UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT
Anna Chlumsky, VEEP
8:12pm: I will now be using #UzoAdubaIsTheNewEdAsner and #AllisonJanneyIsTheNewEdAsner for the rest of time.
8:07pm: That Jackie Robinson joke went over about as well as the 1981 musical THE FIRST about Jackie Robinson... as in not very well... cause it ran for less than a month... man comedy is hard.
8:05pm: The Opening Number is always the most difficult thing for an awards show to tackle, and I think "I Watched Every Show" was a pretty strong way to start. The rest of the monologue so far is a little hit or miss...
8:03pm: I never considered Will Forte as a potential Javert in LES MISERABLES, but why didn't I ever consider Will Forte as a potential Javert LES MISERABLES?
8:02pm: Poor Nathan Fillion...
8:01pm: Starting with a song about #PeakTV is perfect.. wait, is that the KIMMY SCHMIDT bunker?
7:59pm: Thank you Jay Glazer for calling out Rob Lowe out on the BS of rooting for both the Colts and the Patriots!
7:55pm: I flipped over to FOX just in time to see Amy Schumer holding a gold version of FOX's ridiculous football robot they've been trying to make cool for a decade. I guess she can make anything funny.
7:52pm: Come on Seacrest, you've got to know that giving Jimmy Kimmel an open mic on live TV is a terrible idea... and by terrible, I mean absolutely awesome!
7:50pm: I have no idea what Dash Dolls are, and I have no desire to find out...
7:44pm: In our predictions article I mentioned that I thought that by the end of the night that Queen Latifah was going to be halfway to an EGOT, of course I forgot that she was a producer on BESSIE, so she already won an Emmy this season. So, I guess I can officially say my first prediction of the night has come true! Go me!
7:39pm I know that Kerry Washington isn't nominated this year, but as far as I'm concerned she can win every award ever. Such a star, such a talent, such a (seemingly) down-to-earth normal human!
7:36pm: Ok, I finally broke away from the NFL RedZone Channel and turned on the E! Red Carpet coverage, and the first thing I hear is that Tina Fey wants to produce the Oscars, and I could not LOVE that idea any more. Please TV Gods make that happen!
Let me know if you disagree with my thoughts on the Emmys on Twitter @BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" challenge, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter, and don't forget to follow @BWWTVWorld on Twitter and Like us on Facebookfor all of the latest TV news, reviews, and recaps.
Photo Credit: The Emmy Awards
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