This year Emmy’s always looked to be promising, with a number of queer shows and female artists being nominated across the board.
However, the actually results showed a true turning point in viewing habits and awarding winning roles out there.
No-longer do white, straight, male-heavy shows dominate our air ways – hurrah.
The highlights were many, starting with Actress Uzo Aduba taking home the Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama Series, her second consecutive Emmy for her role as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black.
Because the show was categorised as a comedy in 2014 and a drama in 2015, Aduba’s win makes her the first actress to win both a drama and comedy award for the same role — an honour previously held only by the actor Ed Asner.
As she thanked a long list of people, Aduba broke down in tears.
I love you mostly because you let me be me.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCX1MqVg6Vk
Viola Davis also made history by becoming the first black woman to win the best lead actress prize for her role in How To Get Away With Murder.
Accepting her award, she said:
The only thing that separates women of colour from anyone else is opportunity.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrkGmYbvISo
Amazon’s comedy-drama Transparent won awards for best director in a comedy and for its lead actor, Jeffrey Tambor, who plays a transgender college professor.
In Jill Soloway acceptance speech, she noted that 32 states can legally discriminate against her Moppa, and urged viewers to visit transequality.org to show their support for the Equality Act.
We don’t have a trans tipping point. We have a trans civil rights problem.”
The show also picked up best guest actor in a comedy for former West Wing star Bradley Whitford, for his trans character, Marcie
Out writer/director/producer Jane Anderson (who you probably remember from If These Walls Could Talk 2) won Outstanding Writing For A Limited Series, Movie Or A Dramatic Special for Olive Kitteridge.
Another out women to win was director Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right, High Art, Laurel Canyon) who worked with Jane on Olive Kitteridge, which also won star Frances McDormond Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, meaning that two out of three Directing trophies awarded to individual people were won by women.
Queen Latifah’s bisexual epic Bessie won Best Television Movie.
Jane Lynch won Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program for Hollywood Game Night. And Inside Amy Schumer was named best variety sketch series.
Political comedy Veep was the winner in the best comedy series category.