‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘Big Little Lies,’ and ‘SNL’ Win Big at the 2017 Emmy Awards

Tony Sokol

The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards was broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater on CBS on Sunday night. Hosted by Stephen Colbert of CBS’s “Late Night,” the program opened by reminding the audience that troubles are less trouble when it’s trouble shown on TV. Colbert welcomed the TV entertainment industry to gather on the one night they binge themselves. He also calmed the competitive TV nominees by assuring them that “Game of Thrones” was not eligible the 2017 Emmy Awards. Colbert took the TV industry to task by reminding them that had they given Donald Trump one of the three Emmys he was up for, he would not have run for president and former Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, also put in an appearance, to clarify any “alternate facts.”

“The Handmaid’s Tale” from Hulu won the Drama Series Emmy. It also won a Writing for a Drama Series award for Bruce Miller. Elisabeth Moss won the Actress in a Drama Emmy. The Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Emmy went to Laura Dern. Reed Morano picked up the Director’s Emmy. Ann Dowd (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) Alexis Bledel, best known for her role on “Gilmore girls,” won the guest drama actress award during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards aired earlier this week. 

“Big Little Lies” was a big winner tonight with eight wins. The HBO series picked up a Limited Series win. Nicole Kidman won Best Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie, Laura Dern won the Supporting Actress award in a Limited Series or Television Movie, and Alexander Skarsgård won the prize for Supporting Actor. The Limited Series directing Emmy went to Jean-Marc Vallee. Sterling K. Brown won the Emmy for lead actor in a drama series for “This Is Us.” The Television Movie Emmy went to “Black Mirror: San Junipero.” Charlie Brooker won the writing award for the Netflix project. The Directing for a Comedy Series and Comedy Actor Emmy went to Donald Glover for his work on “Atlanta.” Lena Waithe has made Emmy history as the first African-American woman when she picked up the prize for co-writing the “Thanksgiving” episode of the Netflix comedy “Master of None” with Aziz Ansari, the series’ co-creator and star.

NBC’s long running sketch comedy series “Saturday Night Live” won nine Emmys this year out of its 22 nominations. Alec Baldwin’s satiric take on Donald Trump won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Kate McKinnon rode her Hillary Clinton parody to a win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. SNL was also vote Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. Dave Chappelle and Melissa McCarthy pulled in comedy guest awards for their “SNL” appearances during the The Creative Arts Emmy Awards aired earlier this week. “Saturday Night Live” was tied with HBO’s “Westworld” for the most Emmy nominations this year.

President Selina Meyer was a one-quarter of a term President after a historic vote in Congress on “Veep,” but Julia Louis-Dreyfus made history when she picked up the comedy lead actress trophy. Louis-Dreyfus won six Emmys for the same role. Candice Bergen, who won five Emmys for playing the title role on “Murphy Brown,” took herself out of the running after winning the fifth. “Veep” won the Emmy award for best comedy series. It was presented by legendary comedy pioneers Norman Lear and Carol Burnett.

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” won the Emmy for Writing for a Variety Series at the award. The scribblers who put those words in mouth of the HBO comedy monologist with a penchant for fluffy mascots included Kevin Avery, Tim Carvell, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Geoff Haggerty, Jeff Maurer, John Oliver, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss and Juli Weiner. Janice in Accounting was robbed. The accounting staff at Ernst & Young got a dance.

The program reunited the main cast of the film “9 to 5,” Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin. The show also gave the audience twice the Sheldon from “Big Bang Theory,” as both actors playing the character presented together. John Lithgow won Supporting Actor in a Drama Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his prime ministerial role on “The Crown.”

Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and HBO’s “Westworld” pulled in five wins. NBC’s “This Is Us” won a guest drama actor award for Gerald McRaney, earlier this week.

The 69th Emmy Awards aired on CBS on September 17.