Last night's Emmy Awards represented a changing of the guard, as the numbingly predictable ceremony was invigorated by the likes of Rami Malek, Tatiana Maslany and the cast of FX's People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. These first-time winners surpassed heavy-hitters such as Bryan Cranston, Robin Wright and Claire Danes for the evening's biggest prizes of Best Actor and Best Actress. Courtney B. Vance, who played the late Johnnie Cochran superbly, also won his first Emmy Award for leading actor in a limited series or movie, and promptly gave major keys to those aspiring to follow in his footsteps. "Education is the key," Vance said after thanking his associates and family members. Afterwards, he directed his kudos to his wife, saying, "To the woman who rocks my chain, Angela Evelyn Bassett, this one is for you girl!"
The magic continued as Regina King took home her second statuette for her role on ABC's American Crime, and Kate McKinnon overtook seven-time Emmy winner Allison Janney to earn her first award for best supporting actress for comedy. Likewise, legendary comedian Louie Anderson surprisingly won his first Emmy in the best supporting comedy category for his role as a stern, crazy suburbanite mother in FX's Baskets. Going into the 2016 Emmy Awards, we all predicted that People v. O.J. Simpson and Mr. Robot would win big, and it was of no surprise that HBO's Veep and Game of Thrones would grab up most of the trophies. But who would have thought that John Oliver would dethrone his old gig?!
Last Week Tonight ended the 13-year run of Comedy Central victories led by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, as Trevor Noah, the new host of The Daily Show, failed to be nominated in his first-year of eligibility. And while Key & Peele won in their category, sadly, the show is no longer on the air to turn into repeat success for Comedy Central. The amount of actors and creators of color nominated last night was an impressive departure from this year's Academy Awards, which featured absolutely no one of color nominated in the acting categories. In addition to wins by King and Vance, Sterling K. Brown, who played Christopher Darden in People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime, won an Emmy for supporting actor in a limited series, showing that there has been a bit of progress since Viola Davis' win last year.
With the show light on controversy, heavy on the Donald Trump disses and fueled by encouraging speeches — the 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards showed that the future is bright for talented actors and actresses who give us stories that resonate.
Below, you can see the full list of last night's winners. Share your thoughts with us in the comments section:
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Louie Anderson, Baskets
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, Master Of None, “Parents”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Jill Soloway, Transparent, “Man On The Land”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Reality Competition Program
The Voice
Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special
D.V. DeVincentis, The People v. O.J. Simpson, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Regina King, American Crime
Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special
Susanne Bier, The Night Manager
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Sarah Paulson, The People V. O.J. Simpson
Outstanding Lead Actor in Limited Series or Movie
Courtney B. Vance, The People V. O.J. Simpson
Outstanding TV Movie
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
Outstanding Limited Series
The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special
Patton Oswalt, Patton Oswalt: Talking for Clapping
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special
Thomas Kail and Alex Rudzinski, Grease Live
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
Key and Peele
Outsanding Writing for a Drama Series
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Game Of Thrones, “Battle Of The Bastards”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Miguel Sapochnik, Game Of Thrones, “Battle Of The Bastards”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Rami Malek, Mr Robot
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Outstanding Comedy Series
Veep
Outstanding Drama Series
Game of Thrones
