The Emmys 2019: HBO VS. Netflix Face-Off Continues

The Television Academy was already on the naughty list before going into the final night; at the Creative Arts Awards last week, Beyoncé’s critically acclaimed Homecoming was completely shut out.

But there was some redeeming news to distract from this. Queer Eye, still on fabulous form, won four awards this year – one more than its freshman year. Chernobyl was the most decorated limited series after picking up seven statuettes and Game of Thrones reigned supreme with ten wins. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel won six awards including both guest acting spots in a comedy, making this Jane Lynch’s fifth Emmy win. And Nicholas Britell (the talented mind behind the scores of Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk, among others) won for composing the Succession opening theme, with no help necessary from the powerful Roy family.

Free Solo won across all seven of its nominees. This is an impressive and perplexing feat; Free Solo also won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature earlier this year. It seems as though they still haven’t ironed out the TV-film rules since OJ: Made In America performed similarly well at both awards ceremonies two years ago.

HBO and Netflix – ever in increasing competition at the Emmys – ended the first weekend with similar tallies: HBO had 25 wins to Netflix’s 23.

Now onto the main event. Here’s how the shows and networks shaped up last night.

Comedy

Fleabag was last night’s biggest winner with four wins, including two for creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge (one for acting and one for writing) and, most importantly, the statuette for Outstanding Comedy Series. Whilst Fleabag won big, Veep was shut out. Julia Louis-Dreyfus sought to make Emmy history last night, and given her perfect scorecard for acting in Veep, her loss came as a surprise. She will have to settle for merely matching the all-time record for most Emmy acting wins (for now).

With Donald Glover out of the way, Bill Hader was able to win for playing Barry in Barry. And Tony Shalhoub and Alex Borstein pulled the weight for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel by winning in the supporting categories.

Drama

In a repeat of last year, Game of Thrones won for Outstanding Drama Series alongside Peter Dinklage’s win for supporting actor in a Drama. Given how poorly the final season was received, viewers weren’t sure whether Thrones would be able to clinch the top spot again. The Devil works hard but HBO works harder. Despite season eight’s reception, Thrones earned the respect it was shown at the ceremony as a show that changed television. Next year’s competition will certainly be more exciting now that Thrones’ watch has ended.

Jodie Comer was able to overcome a potential vote split (with fellow Killing Eve actress Sandra Oh) to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Billy Porter made history as the first openly gay person of colour to take home the grand prize for lead actor. Now, Porter is just an Oscar short of completing his EGOT. And in some small corner of the internet, Succession fans are celebrating the show’s win for Outstanding Writing.

Limited Series

And on the limited series front, Chernobyl took home the top award as well as accolades for directing and writing. Chernobyl’s gain was When They See Us’ loss. Ava DuVernay’s powerful Netflix show won just one prize: lead acting for the deserving Jharrel Jerome.

Amy Adams fans, who have seen the actress lose six Oscars, had to see her lose an Emmy, too. Michelle Williams won the Lead Actress award, giving a moving speech on the value of women’s work and the necessity of equal pay. Paddington fans, however, were satiated with Ben Whishaw’s win for playing Norman Scott in A Very English Scandal.

The final verdict

Game of Thrones held onto its crown until its dying breath. The show converted its 32 nominations into twelve wins, more than any other show. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Chernobyl were the top performers in their categories with eight and ten wins, respectively.

With the results accumulated from both weekends, HBO sits at the top of the mountain by converting its 137 nominations into 34 wins. Netflix managed only 27. Perhaps with The Crown and Stranger Things in play next year, the streaming platform will have better luck. But Big Little Lies and Westworld might have something to say about that.

What did you think of the Television Academy’s verdicts? Did your favourites win? Discuss in the comments!

The Winners

Best Comedy

Fleabag

Best Drama

Game of Thrones

Best Limited Series

Chernobyl

Best Actress, Comedy

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag

Best Actor, Comedy

Bill Hader, Barry

Best Actress, Drama

Jodie Comer, Killing Eve

Best Actor, Drama

Billy Porter, Pose

Best Actress, Limited Series or TV Movie

Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon

Best Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie

Jharrel Jerome, When They See Us

Supporting Actress, Comedy

Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Supporting Actor, Comedy

Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Supporting Actress, Drama

Julia Garner, Ozark

Supporting Actor, Drama

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

Supporting Actress, Limited Series or Movie

Patricia Arquette, The Act

Supporting Actor, Limited Series or Movie

Ben Whishaw, A Very English Scandal

Television Movie

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

Variety Sketch Series

Saturday Night Live

Variety Talk Series

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

Reality Competition Program

RuPaul’s Drag Race

Reality Host

RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race

Structured Reality Program

Queer Eye

Unstructured Reality Program

United Shades of America With W. Kamau Bell

Guest Actress, Comedy

Jane Lynch, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Guest Actor, Comedy

Luke Kirby, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Guest Actress, Drama

Cherry Jones, The Handmaid’s Tale

Guest Actor, Drama

Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale

Documentary or Nonfiction Series

Our Planet

Animated Program

The Simpsons

Writing for a Comedy Series

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag (Episode 1)

Writing for a Drama Series

Jesse Armstrong, Succession (Nobody Is Ever Missing)

Writing for a Limited Series or Movie

Craig Mazin, Chernobyl

Writing for a Variety Series

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

Directing for a Comedy Series

Harry Bradbeer, Fleabag (Episode 1)

Directing for a Drama Series

Jason Bateman, Ozark (Reparations)

Directing for a Limited Series or Movie

Johan Renck, Chernobyl

Directing for a Variety Series

Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live (Host: Adam Sandler)