At the Emmy Awards on Sunday night in Los Angeles, television programs made for the streaming video services Netflix and Apple TV plus were the biggest winners.
Streaming is the continuous transmission of video files from a server to a viewer.
The main winners were “The Crown” and “The Queen’s Gambit,” Netflix shows, and “Ted Lasso” from Apple TV plus.
“The Crown” is the life story of Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. The show won four acting awards, plus awards for writing and directing.
“The Queen’s Gambit” came out in the early part of 2020 and told the fictional story of a young woman who became a world chess champion. It won two awards in the “outstanding limited series” category.
“Ted Lasso” won seven awards in the comedy category. It tells the story of an American football coach who is hired to run a soccer team in London.
The Emmy Awards started in the 1950s to honor the best television programs. At first, only major U.S. broadcasters won the awards. Then, when cable television arrived in the 1980s, programs made for channels that required payment, or a subscription, started winning awards. More recently, programs made for streaming video services, such as Netflix, started winning.
Netflix won 44 awards, matching the record set by U.S. broadcaster CBS in 1974.
“Mare of Easttown,” a show on the cable channel HBO with the actress Kate Winslet, centers on a small-town police detective. Winslet won an acting award and the show won three more Emmys.
The big winners were television shows about women, featuring female actors.
Peter Morgan is the creator and writer of “The Crown.” He said that the recent season, which centered on Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Princess Diana, and included actors Olivia Colman, Gillian Anderson and Emma Corrin, was easy to write.
“All three of those women are defining women of the second-half of the 20th century. And so, that just lifts everybody. That lifts everybody when you’ve got characters that strong, vivid and individual.”
Josh O’Connor won a top acting award for “The Crown.” He plays Prince Charles. Much of the season centers on the time leading up to and including the 1981 wedding of Charles and Diana.
Jason Sudeikis helped create “Ted Lasso” and plays the main character. It won the award for “outstanding comedy series.” Sudeikis won for “lead actor” and his cast mates Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein won for their supporting roles.
Sudeikis said: “this show’s about families and mentors and teammates, and I wouldn’t be here without those things in my life.”
The comedy actress winner was Jean Smart, who plays a comedian concerned about the end of her career in “Hacks.” She said of her husband, actor Richard Gilliland, who died six months earlier, “I would not be here without him.”
Black comedian Cedric the Entertainer was host of the show. But some observers were saddened that more Black actors and writers did not win awards. The only major Black winners were RuPaul for “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and Michaela Cole, who wrote and acted in “I Will Destroy You.”
I’m Dan Friedell.
Lynn Elber wrote this story for the Associated Press. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.
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Words in This Story
streaming –adj. the continuous transmission of video files from a server to a viewer
fiction –n. written stories about people and events that are not real : literature that tells stories which are imagined by the writer
chess –n. a game for two players in which each player moves 16 pieces across a board and tries to place the opponent's king in a position from which it cannot escape
outstanding –adj. extremely good or excellent
comedy –n. a play, movie, television program, novel, etc., that is meant to make people laugh
coach –n. a person who teaches and trains an athlete or performer
subscription –n. an agreement that you make with a company to get a publication or service regularly and that you usually pay for in advance
record –n. a performance or achievement that is the best of its kind
vivid –adj. of a picture, memory, etc. : seeming like real life because it is very clear, bright, or detailed
mentor –n. someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person
host –n. a person who talks to guests on a television or radio show
