Winners with Wisconsin ties at the 2020 Emmy Awards
It was a strange Emmy Awards telecast Sunday night, and not just because it was virtual.
OK, mostly because it was virtual. But Wisconsin still played a supporting role in the show.
Jimmy Kimmel began the night with a monologue with clips of pretty people reacting to his jokes, then uncovering the barely covered ruse by showing Kimmel himself in the audience laughing at his own jokes.
All of the night’s nominees checked in on Zoom, making the telecast look like the world’s most celebrity-filled family phone call.
Ironically, although the theme of the night was the impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on getting together for things like awards shows, the first seven trophies given out Sunday night went to “Schitt’s Creek” — and all of the winners were in the same room together. Many hugs were even shared. (To be fair, two of them, Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy, are father and son.)
“Schitt’s Creek” wasn’t the night’s only big winner.
“Watchmen,” the powerful HBO series, won four awards, including outstanding limited series, outstanding actress in a limited series for Regina King and supporting actor in a limited series for Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Another HBO series, “Succession,” led the drama category, also collecting four Emmys, including outstanding drama series and outstanding actor for Jeremy Strong.
There were a few Wisconsin connections Sunday night.
The biggest was Kenosha native Mark Ruffalo, who won the award for outstanding actor in a limited series or TV movie for “I Know This Much Is True.”
It was Ruffalo’s first Emmy as a performer; in 2014, he shared the Emmy for outstanding television movie as coexecutive producer on “The Normal Heart.”
After thanking his fellow nominees and his collaborators on the HBO series, Ruffalo made a pitch for voting and for “love and compassion and kindness.”
“That’s what we have to do today. We have to come together with love,” he said. “We are stronger together when we … respect each other with diversity.”
Other Wisconsin connections at this year’s Emmys:
Houston Texans defensive end and Pewaukee native J.J. Watt read the nomination for outstanding comedy series for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (it lost, like everything else in the comedy category Sunday night, to “Schitt’s Creek”).
The 2020 Creative Arts Emmys — the more than hundred awards in specialty categories, given out this year over five nights leading up to Sunday’s Primetime Emmys — yielded one winner with state ties.
Milwaukee native Dan Harmon, as co-creator and executive producer, shared in the win by “Rick and Morty” for outstanding animated program, for “The Vat of Acid Episode.” Harmon had won two previous Emmys, including one for “Rick and Morty” in the same category two years ago. (His other Primetime Emmy win was as one of the co-writers of the opening number for host Hugh Jackman on the 2009 Academy Awards telecast. Harmon shared that award with, among others, fellow Wisconsin native and frequent collaborator Rob Schrab.)
Otherwise, Wisconsin’s nominees didn’t fare too well at Sunday night’s awards.
● Rachel Brosnahan, nominated for a third straight year for outstanding actress in a comedy series for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (she won in 2018), lost to Catherine O’Hara, who won for “Schitt’s Creek.” Brosnahan was born in Milwaukee and grew up in the Chicago area.
● Green Bay native Tony Shalhoub, who won the Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for “Mrs. Maisel,” lost to Dan Levy for “Schitt’s Creek,” who also won Emmys for outstanding writing, outstanding directing and outstanding comedy series for the show.
● Bradley Whitford, the Madison native who won an Emmy last year for outstanding guest actor for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” was nominated for outstanding supporting actor for the same role in the show this year; Billy Crudup won in the category Sunday for “The Morning Show.”