The people in hazmat suits handing out awards weren’t the weirdest thing to happen at this year’s Emmys. Okay, so yes, maybe the strangeness of the first-ever socially distanced telecast out-weirds some of the biggest surprises of the night, but there were still some nice “holy cow” moments sprinkled in withmany of the other presumed winners.
If you didn’t watch the 2020 Emmys or watched but haven’t been paying attention enough to know what was expected and what wasn’t, below we’ve run down some of the night’s biggest surprises – from aSchitt’s Creeksweep to a truly stunningZendayawin.
‘Schitt’s Creek’ Sweeps the Comedy Categories — Literally
Going into Emmys night, most expectedSchitt’s Creek’s final season would do well, and it was the presumed favorite to win the Best Comedy Series Emmy. But few predicted the Pop TV comedy would wineverything. Literally,Schitt’s Creekwon every single Comedy Series Emmy – Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Writing, and Directing. It’s the first Comedy or Drama series to ever perform this feat.Nowwill you finally catch up on this tremendously joyful little comedy series?
Hulk Defeats Wolverine
In the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie category,Hugh Jackmanwas the heavy favorite for his truly terrific performance in the HBO filmBad Education. And if not him, surely some love could be thrownPaul Mescal’s way for his soulful turn in Hulu’sNormal People. Or maybe theWatchmensweep would includeJeremy Irons’ biting performance as Adrian Veidt? But nope,Mark Ruffalopulled off the surprise win in the category for his dual performances in the HBO limited seriesI Know This Much Is True, in which he played twin brothers. The performer dedicated his award to writer/directorDerek Cianfrance(The Place Beyond the Pines), who spearheaded the darkly dramatic limited series. It marked Ruffalo’s first acting Emmy win, although he previously scored a trophy as a producer on the HBO original filmThe Normal Heart.
The Lead Actress in a Drama category was a bit of a wildcard this year, but the odds favoredHelena Bonham CarterforThe Crownor maybeJennifer AnistonforThe Morning Show. In a truly shocking move, however,Zendayawon the trophy and became the youngest person to ever win in this category for her starring role in the HBO seriesEuphoria. The look of sheer surprise on Aniston’s face tells you everything you need to know about how unexpected Zendaya’s win here is, and watching the jubilant celebration of her and her family was one of the perks of this socially distanced Emmys telecast.
‘Unorthodox’ Wins Best Directing for a Limited Series
Netflix’s limited seriesUnorthodoxwas a bit of a surprise contender when it picked up so many Emmy nominations, but few expected it would best three stunningWatchmenepisodes to win the Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special category.Maria Schradercame away the victor for her direction of this drama series, which is primarily in Yiddish. This could very well have been a case of the threeWatchmenepisodes cancelling each other out, or perhaps the bevy of nominations convinced more voters to actually watchUnorthodox, after which they deemed it worthy. Regardless, this was a nice little surprise.
Uzo Aduba Wins Again
ActressUzo Adubahas won Emmys in the Supporting Actress in a Drama and Guest Actress in a Comedy categories thanks toOrange Is the New Black’s category swap over the years, but now she can add Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie to her list of wins. She beat out favoriteJean SmartinWatchmenand fellowMrs. AmericacastmembersMargo MartindaleandTracey Ullmanto win for her turn as Shirley Chisholm in the Hulu limited series, and honestly her jubilant cry of “Mommy!” after giving her speech from her home was one of the night’s highlights.
‘The Good Place’ Ends Its Run Without a Single Emmy
Given the aforementionedSchitt’s Creeksweep and the fact thatMaya Rudolphlost to herself in the Guest Actress category (she won forSNL), NBC’s four-season comedyThe Good Placeofficially ended its run with zero Emmy wins. Zilch. And that is bullshirt. This was one of the most thoughtful, unique, and funny comedies of the last four years and certainly deservedsomethingduring its interim, but oddly enough it was an uphill battle from the start – the show didn’t even receive a Best Comedy Series nomination until its third season.
Unfortunately this is nothing new for beloved showrunnerMichael Schur. His brilliant previous showParks and Recreationalso never won a single Emmy, and also didn’t earn its first Best Comedy Series nomination until a few seasons in. And while it’s heartening that Schur continues to create shows that are hilarious, endlessly rewatchable, and deeply introspective, I’ll admit it sucks to see them sidelined by the Television Academy. Fork this.
Pop TV Beats Netflix to a Series Win
For more on this year’s Emmys, check outLiz’s full review of the surprisingly good telecast.
Adam Chitwood is the Managing Editor for Collider. You can follow him on Twitter@adamchitwood.
