Emmy Awards

A Sweep for ‘Schitt's Creek,' ‘Succession' Tops Emmy Awards

The awards for Pop TV's “Schitt's Creek” included best comedy series and trophies for its stars, including Catherine O'Hara and father-son Eugene and Daniel Levy

Eugene and Dan Levy accept an Emmy Award for their show “Schitt’s Creek” at the “72nd Emmy® Awards” hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on Sept. 20, 2020.

“Schitt's Creek,” the little Canadian show about a fish-out-of-water family, made history at Sunday's Emmy Awards with a comedy awards sweep, something even TV greats including “Frasier” and “Modern Family” failed to achieve.

Zendaya, 24, became the youngest lead drama actress winner for her role as a troubled teenager in “Euphoria." She's only the second Black actress to win the award, following Viola Davis' groundbreaking 2015 win for “How to Get Away With Murder.”

“I know this seems like a really weird time to be celebrating,” Zendaya said. “But I just want to say there is hope in the young people out there. I know our TV show doesn’t always feel like a great example of that," but young people are out there “doing the work.”

“Succession,” a family power struggle over a media empire, was honored as best drama series, and creator Jesse Armstrong used the opportunity to offer “un-thank-yous,” including to President Donald Trump for what Armstrong called his “crummy and uncoordinated” response to the pandemic.

“Succession” star Jeremy Strong won the drama actor trophy for his role as a potential heir to the throne.

The virtual ceremony, with a hard-working Jimmy Kimmel as host, went smoothly despite producers' concerns that the plan to link 100-plus nominees remotely could result in glitches.

Although the rise of streaming services including Disney+ and Apple TV+ dominates the TV landscape, it was Emmy stalwart HBO that stole the show, with winners including “Succession” and “Watchmen” making up for its now-departed awards giant “Game of Thrones.” ViacomCBS-owned Pop TV and its quirky comedy also proved unbeatable.

The awards for Pop TV's “Schitt's Creek” included best comedy series and trophies for its stars, including Catherine O'Hara and father-son Eugene and Daniel Levy.

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Emmy Awards host Jimmy Kimmel stands in front of a screen with many of the 2020 nominees. The show was mostly virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Host Jimmy Kimmel sits with cutouts as audience members during the 72nd Emmy Awards on Sept. 20, 2020.
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Julia Garner wins an Emmy for her role in “Ozark.”
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“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” star John Oliver wins an Emmy for outstanding variety talk series.
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Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, co-stars of “Little Fires Everywhere,” hold a viewing party during the 72nd Emmy Awards.
Some Emmy Award nominees were sent an intern in a hazmat-style suit to hand deliver their award. Nominee Ramy Youssef shared this behind-the-scenes photo of the delivery person on social media.
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Billy Porter, nominated for his role in “Pose,” watches the 72nd Emmy Awards.
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Jennifer Aniston and Jimmy Kimmel sanitize a card and then set it on fire during the show.
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Sandra Oh, nominated for her performance in "Killing Eve," makes a virtual appearance at the 72nd Emmy Awards.
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Jason Sudeikis gets a coronavirus test done during the 72nd Emmy Awards.
"I Know This Much Is True" actor Mark Ruffalo wins an Emmy for lead actor in a limited series or movie.
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Annie Murphy wins an Emmy for her role in “Schitt’s Creek.”
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Tyler Perry accepts the Governors Award during the 72nd Emmy Awards.
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Catherine O’Hara accepts an Emmy for lead actress in a comedy for her role in “Schitt’s Creek.”
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Yahya Abdul Mateen II wins an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in “Watchmen.”
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Former "Friends" stars Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox, call in to the broadcast, joking that they've been roommates since 1994.
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The Emmy Awards honored those working during the coronavirus pandemic by inviting UPS worker Tim Lloyd to present an award during the ceremony.
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Issa Rae, nominated for her role in “Insecure,” joins the 72nd Emmy Awards virtually.
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Uzo Aduba accepts the award for outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or movie for “Mrs. America.” The actress wore a "Breonna Taylor" shirt for the 26-year-old Black woman who was shot and killed by police this spring.
Lin-Manuel Miranda appears alongside Count Von Count during the 72nd Emmy Awards.
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Regina King wins an Emmy for lead actress in a limited series or movie for her role in “Watchmen” at the 72nd Emmy Awards. King wore a shirt with Breonna Taylor's face that said "Say Her Name."
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NASA astronaut Christopher Cassidy speaks from the International Space Station during the 72nd Emmy Awards broadcast.
Morgan Freeman speaks at the 72nd Emmy Awards.
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“Succession” star Sarah Snook appears with a homemade award during the 72nd Emmy Awards.
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Host Jimmy Kimmel stands next to a photo of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Sept. 18, 2020, of complications from cancer.
H.E.R. performs during the "in memoriam" portion of the Emmy Awards.
Eugene and Dan Levy receive their Emmy from a person in a hazmat suit.
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Father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy accept an Emmy Award for their show “Schitt’s Creek."
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Essential workers and doctors Kevin Tsai, left, and Karen Tsai present the award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series.
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Jeremy Strong receives an award for his performance in “Succession.”
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At 24 years old, Zendaya becomes the youngest woman to ever win best actress in a drama at the 72nd Emmy Awards.

“It is absolutely incredible. I think my dad said it best earlier this evening: it’s a dream you don’t want to wake up from, to be honest. What an absolutely unbelievable way to end our series,” Daniel Levy said backstage.

His character's comfortable pansexuality led to story lines that Levy called personally “cathartic."

In his acceptance speech, he said the sitcom was about "the transformational effects of love and acceptance, and this is something we need more now than ever before,” encouraging people to register and vote to achieve that goal.

Other winners, including “Watchmen” star Regina King, made a point that the Nov. 3 general election was near.

All the winners accepted their awards virtually in the pandemic-safe ceremony, including O'Hara, but she wasn't alone.

“Though these are the strangest of days, may you have as much joy being holed up in a room or two with your family as I had with my dear Roses,” O'Hara said from Canada, surrounded in a decorated room by mask-wearing co-stars who play the Rose family members.

Levy called it “ironical that the straightest role I ever played lands me an Emmy for a comedy performance. I have to seriously question what I've been doing” for the past 50 years.

Moments later, his son won the award for comedy writing for “Schitt's Creek” episode, then shared a directing award and captured the supporting actor comedy trophy. The supporting actress trophy went to his co-star Annie Murphy.

Daniel Levy thanked his father and O'Hara for an extended “master class” in comedy. The show's sweep came for its much-acclaimed final season.

References to coronavirus were an ongoing part of the ceremony, with essential workers — including a teacher and a UPS deliveryman — presenting awards and Jason Sudeikis ostensibly getting a COVID-19 test onstage.

In a year with a record number of Black nominees, 35, there was a notable lack of diversity in the show’s early going. As “Schitt’s Creek” gobbled up comedy awards, that left acclaimed “Insecure” and its creator Issa Rae empty-handed.

That was also true of Ramy Youssef, creator-star of the semi-autobiographical comedy “Ramy,” about a young Muslim American’s love and religious life. Youssef tweeted a video of a haz-mat suit-wearing person clutching an Emmy and waving goodbye after Youssef lost the lost the comedy actor category.

There were signs of change with the drama awards, which came in the latter part of the ceremony, and Black actors ultimately won a record nine trophies. But there was a familiar pattern, with actors of color doing exceptional work in limited series but not finding as much opportunity in ongoing shows, with Zendaya this year's exception.

“Watchmen” is a case in point. The graphic novel-adaptation, steeped in racial pain, was voted best limited series and King won lead actress for her work. She was showered by confetti as she accepted in an armchair, wearing a T-shirt that honored police shooting victim Breonna Taylor.

“This is so freaking weird,” said King, who regained her composure and called on viewers to vote and, backstage, explained why she wore the message shirt.

“The cops still haven’t been held accountable," she said. "She represents just decades, hundreds of years of violence against Black bodies. Wearing Breonna’s likeness and representing her and her family and the stories that we were exploring, presenting and holding a mirror up to on ‘Watchmen,’ it felt appropriate to represent with Breonna Taylor.”

Her co-star, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, won the Emmy for best supporting actor in a limited series. Uzo Aduba won the counterpart actress award for her portrayal of Shirley Chisholm in “Mrs. America.”

Anthony Anderson, a nominee for “black-ish,” came on stage to make his disappointment vigorously known, saying the awards should have been “Howard University homecoming Black.”

“This isn't what it should have been. ... But Black stories, Black performances and Black Lives Matter,” he said, urging Kimmel to shout with him.

Tyler Perry, the actor turned media mogul and influential booster of African American talent, accepted the Governors Award.

Supporting drama awards went to Billy Crudup for “The Morning Show” and repeat winner Julia Garner for “Ozark.”

"Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” was again honored as best variety-talk series, with David Letterman announcing the award after being abandoned roadside by an annoyed ride-share driver.

Oliver joined the ranks of winners calling for Americans to vote, as did Mark Ruffalo, who won the limited series acting trophy for “I Know This Much is True."

Kimmel opened the show with a monologue that appeared to be defiantly delivered in front of a packed, cheering theater — until it was revealed clips were played from past Emmy shows.

“Of course I’m here all alone. Of course, we don’t have an audience,” he said. “This isn’t a MAGA rally. It’s the Emmys.”

A minor gaffe marred Saturday's virtual creative arts Emmys for technical and other honors, when Jason Bateman's name was announced for a guest acting award that belonged to Ron Cephas Jones of “This Is Us.”

In the cumulative awards handed out Sunday and at the creative arts events, HBO was the leader with 30 trophies, followed by Netflix with 21, Pop TV with 10 and Disney+ and NBC with eight each.


AP Writer Beth Harris contributed to this report.

Copyright The Associated Press
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