Los Angeles: Netflix's The Crown and The Queen's Gambit combined with Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso to win top series honors at the Sunday's Emmy Awards, a first for streaming services that cemented their rise to prominence in the television industry.
"I'm at a loss for words," said Peter Morgan, the creator and writer of the British royal saga The Crown, which collected acting, writing and directing awards in addition to four acting honors. His comment may also apply to the premium cable channels that once dominated the Emmy Awards and to the broadcast networks — including Sunday's host, CBS — that have long grown accustomed to being largely also-rans.
The ceremony also proved disappointing to those scrutinizing diversity in Hollywood. The record number of nominees of color yielded only only two Black winners, including RuPaul for RuPaul's Drag Race and Michaela Coel for I May Destroy You.
The Crown stars Olivia Colman and Josh O'Connor won the top drama acting honors Sunday, with Jason Sudeikis, star of the warm-hearted Ted Lasso, and Jean Smart of the generation-gap story Hacks, winners on the comedy side.
Colman and O'Connor were a winning fictional mother-son duo: She plays Queen Elizabeth II, with O'Connor as Prince Charles in the British royal family saga that combines gravitas and soap opera.
"I'd have put money on that not happening," Colman said of the award, calling it "a lovely end to the most extraordinary journey" with the show's cast and creators. She cut her remarks short, explaining why she was growing tearful. "I lost my daddy during COVID, and he would have loved all of this." she said.
O'Connor gave a shoutout to Emma Corwin, who played opposite him as Princess Diana and was also a nominee Sunday, as a "force of nature." He also offered thanks to his grandparents, including his grandmother who died a few months ago, and his grandfather, Peter O'Connor, for the "greatest gifts" of kindness and loyalty."
Sudeikis, who also produces the series that many viewers found a balm for tough pandemic times, gave a speech that evoked the chipper, upbeat character he plays in the series about a U.K. soccer team and its unlikely American coach.
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