With 450 original scripted shows made this year, the 2017 Emmy Awards had plenty to work with to create an unforgettable evening of celebrating the art of television.
The 2017 Emmy Awards were chock-full of glamorous evening gowns, emotional speeches, and artists celebrating one another and their achievements. Late-night comedian Stephen Colbert, whose show lost out to Last Week Tonight with Jamie Oliver for Outstanding Variety Talk Series, led the way through a night of laughs, tears, and glistening golden statues.
Colbert kicked things off with a jazzy song and dance, spoofing this year’s nominees and their leading actors. After dazzling the star-studded audience with his opening number, “Everything Is Better on TV,” the 2017 Emmy Awards had officially begun.
Colbert joked that the evening was meant to be a night of celebrities celebrating themselves, declaring dramatically, “Tonight, we binge ourselves.” The opening line had a ring of truth to it, though not in the self-centered manner Colbert was implying. Actors, directors, producers, and more cheered enthusiastically as their peers and costars were recognized for their achievements. Many costars were competing against one another this season. For example, Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia were going head-to-head for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for their roles on NBC’s emotional drama, This Is Us. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin were both up for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for their Netflix Original Series, Grace and Frankie. Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon were competing for Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series for HBO’s Big Little Lies. Kate McKinnon, Vanessa Bayer, and Leslie Jones were all competing for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for their work on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
The first award of the evening went out to seasoned performer John Lithgow for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Winston Churchill on Netflix Original Series The Crown.
Saturday Night Live, which had 31 nominations in total, brought home the award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. Kate McKinnon opened up in a rare emotional moment and grew teary-eyed as she accepted her award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the second consecutive year. Alec Baldwin won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his famous Donald Trump character on the series. In his acceptance speech, Baldwin highlighted the importance of the performing arts, saying that the arts are what people remember at the end of their lives.
“What we do is important,” said Baldwin. “For all of you out there in film and television, don’t stop doing what you’re doing. The audience is counting on you.”
Donald Glover made history as the first-ever black director to take home the Emmy for Outstanding Director of a Comedy Series. Outstanding Director of a Drama Series went to Reed Morano for her work on the pilot episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. This was the first time the award has gone to a female director in 22 years.
The evening concluded with a big win for VEEP in the Outstanding Comedy Series category, as well as for its star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who took home the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
In a season of lots of politically-charged programming during a chaotic time in the nation, the Emmy Awards provided a moment of solid ground for artists to lift one another up and celebrate the cultural significance of television.
