By AARON KREIN
Contributing Writer
Barriers and records are always made to be broken.
Last Sunday, the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. The telecast was hosted by “SNL” alum and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star Andy Samburg. HBO’s “Game of Thrones” garnered 12 wins, including Outstanding Drama Series, while another of the network’s popular shows, “Veep,” received the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
The relatively dull show had few laughs from the host and, shockingly, no performances. The “In Memoriam” tribute, which included late stars such as Joan Rivers and Leonard Nimoy, played to a recording of Eva Cassidy’s rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” However, the big takeaway from the evening was the wins that were accepted by actors and actresses that marked milestones.
The most-talked-about moment of the night was when “How to Get Away with Murder” star Viola Davis nabbed Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, making her the first African-American woman to do so. Her portrayal of professor Annalise Keating has gained attention throughout the year, and was honored at both the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the NAACP Image Awards.
Taraji P. Henson, a fellow African-American nominee for Fox’s breakout drama “Empire,” congratulated Davis with open arms before she made her way to the stage. Davis emotionally accepted the statue by explaining the difficulty women of color face to gain roles.
She stated, “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.” This statement evoked emotion from actress Kerry Washington, who had been previously nominated the past two years for ABC’s “Scandal.” Davis later thanked Henson, Washington, Halle Berry (CBS’s “Extant”), Nicole Beharie (Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow”), Meagan Good (Fox’s “Minority Report”), and Gabrielle Union (BET’s “Being Mary Jane”) for their parts in breaking the mold.
Allison Janney, star of CBS’s “Mom,” took home her second consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. This year’s win marks her seventh Emmy, tying her with Ed Asner for the most wins by an actor or actress.
Janney has previously been honored for her work on NBC’s “The West Wing” and her guest role on Showtime’s “Masters of Sex.” Asner received his seven accolades for his work on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Rich Man, Poor Man,” “Roots,” and “Lou Grant.”
Funnily enough, that wasn’t the only record that was tied with Asner that night. Uzo Aduba, star of Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black,” accepted Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren. Last year, Aduba won an Emmy for the same role in the comedy field. This makes Aduba, along with Asner, the only actor and actress to win an Emmy in both the comedy and drama fields for the same role.
This comes after The Television Academy’s rule changes from earlier this year to distinguish shows that are considered both a comedy and a drama and how they should be classified. As of this year, shows that are close to an hour long will be considered in the drama category, while shows that have a running time of a half hour will be deemed a comedy.
Asner achieved this feat in 1978 after winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for “Lou Grant,” a spin-off based on his character from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” For the latter show, he received three comedy Emmys.
Regina King garnered an upset for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie for her work on the ABC mini-series “American Crime.” The statue was presented by Henson, who yelled King’s name with joy, alongside her “Empire” co-star, Terrence Howard. Along with Davis and Aduba, three African-American women were the recipients of awards, which showed a growth of diversity compared to past years. In all, ten women of color were nominated in the acting categories.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus collected her fourth consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for “Veep.” Dreyfus now ties with Candice Bergen and Mary Tyler Moore for most wins in this category with five. Dreyfus previously won this award in 2006 for the CBS sitcom, “The New Adventures of Old Christine.” Bergen received all five accolades for her performance in “Murphy Brown,” while Moore received her awards for “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and her self-titled comedy.
Despite having a memorable night of broken barriers and achievements, this year’s Emmys suffered with its ratings. According to Nielson, the 67th annual show now marks the lowest-watched audience in its history, with only 11.9 million viewers. This is down 3.7 million viewers from last year’s ceremony.
