Elizabeth Moss named best actress, Sterling K. Brown is best actor

The Handmaid’s Tale and Big Little Lies in different categories bagged 8 awards each at the show

Los Angeles: Dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale, based on Margaret Atwood’s famous novel, and Big Little Lies, a star-studded show addressing domestic violence and rape, walked away with top awards at the Emmys, making 2017 a blockbuster year for women in television.

The show also doffed its hat to diversity, giving Riz Ahmed the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series Award for The Night Of and the Best Actor in a Drama Series Award to This Is Us star Sterling K Brown.

The Handmaid’s Tale bagged a total of eight awards out of its 13 nominations, including four in major categories such as the Best Drama Series, Best Director for Reed Morano, Best Actress for Elisabeth Moss and Best Supporting Actress for Ann Dowd.

Atwood, who was dressed in red, a nod to the handmaids’ infamous red outfit in her story, received a standing ovation as she joined the team on the stage.

Morano, who helmed the first three episodes of the show, became the first woman to win the Best Directing in a Drama Series in 22 years.

The Hulu show is set in the dystopian world of Gilead, a totalitarian society ruled by a fundamentalism regime that treats women as property of the state. Environmental disasters have led to plummeting birth rate and the state, in its attempt to repopulate, has forced the remaining fertile women into sexual servitude. The story is told through Moss’ handmaid Offred. An emotional Moss thanked Atwood for creating the now classic feminist novel. “Margaret Atwood thank you for what you did in 1985 and thank you for what you continue to do for all of us,” she said.