Emmys 2018: A proposal and top prize for ‘Game of Thrones’
Surprises include a proposal and ‘Game of Thrones’ taking the top prize
‘The Marvelous Mrs Maisel’ claims eight Emmys overall, including award for best comedy and best lead actress in comedy for Rachel Brosnahan
HBO’s record-breaking fantasy epic
Game of Thrones stormed back onto the Emmys stage on Monday, winning the coveted best drama series prize on a night full of surprises, including an on-air marriage proposal that stunned the audience.
The other big story of the Hollywood gala, television’s answer to the Oscars, was the huge success of The Marvelous
Mrs Maisel, Amazon’s story of a 1950s housewife-turned-stand up comic, which took home eight Emmys overall, including the best comedy award.
The Handmaid’s Tale - last year’s best drama and an early favourite for more hardware in 2018 - went home empty-handed from the star-studded event at the Microsoft Theater, after winning three minor awards handed out a week ago.
The ceremony hosted by Saturday
Night Live regulars Colin Jost and Michael Che took on a decidedly political hue at the start, with a barrage of edgy jokes on hot-button issues from diversity in Hollywood to #MeToo and Donald Trump. The gala also saw several sentimental favourites take home their first Emmys.
Matthew Rhys won for best drama actor for spy thriller The Americans,
Claire Foy was named best drama actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown and Henry Winkler triumphed for supporting comedy acting in Barry.
But the coveted drama prize went to Game of Thrones, which was ineligible for last year’s Emmys, and series star Peter Dinklage took home the best supporting actor prize for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister. “Writing for these actors behind us is the honour of a lifetime,” said the show's co-creator David Benioff. “But we didn’t invent these characters. That was George R R Martin. The show could not be without the mad genius of George.” GoT won nine Emmys this year, meaning the blood-spattered cinematic tale of noble families vying for the Iron Throne - which returns in 2019 for an abbreviated eighth and final season - now has 47 awards overall. That breaks the programme’s own record as the most decorated fictional show since the Television Academy first handed out prizes in 1949.
‘Mrs Maisel’ breaks through
In the comedy categories, Mrs Maisel bested all comers in its first year of eligibility, sweeping the female acting prizes (star Rachel Brosnahan and co-star Alex Borstein) and best series honours.
Earlier this year, Maisel won two Golden Globes.
“One of the things I love the most about this show... it’s about a woman who is finding her voice anew,” said Rachel. “It’s something that’s happening all over the country right now. One of the most important ways that we can find and use our voices is to vote. So if you haven’t already registered, do it on your cell phone right now.” HBO’s dark comedy Barry notched two acting wins - for Winkler and series star Bill Hader.
Politics and #MeToo
The Emmys opened with a daring songand-dance number poking fun at myriad controversies including the problem of ensuring diversity in Hollywood productions. “We solved it!” crooned SNL nominees Kate McKinnon and Kenan Thompson, with back-up from pop stars John Legend and Ricky Martin - and even RuPaul. They then yielded the stage to Jost and Che - who let the zingers fly.
An Emmy-winning proposal
Looking to boost audience ratings, Emmys organisers said they were hoping to shake up the broadcast - and indeed they did, intentionally and unintentionally.
A surprise marriage proposal from Emmy-winning director Glenn Weiss won over the audience - and the Internet. As Weiss accepted his award for directing the Oscars, he asked Jan Svendsen, who was sitting in the audience, to marry him.