Now that the 2018 Emmy Awards have come and gone, it’s time to take stock of the best and worst of the night, from the overall telecast down to one very surprisingproposal. Early ratings are not looking great for the ceremony, and it never proved why it was worth watching if it wasn’t your job to do so. Despite a few key exceptions, a largely uninspired nominations list begat largely uninspiring winners, and a lack of energy from hostsColin JostandMichaelChe— alongside some truly cringe-worthy sketches — only made things drag out further.
And yet, there are always a few bright spots that are worth discussing, as well as very noteworthy snubs. The biggest upset might have beenGame of Throneswinning Best Drama overThe Americans, but other than the generally intriguing fact thatThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselnearly ran the table in the comedy categories, there weren’t many surprises. And despite that Amazon series’ huge number of wins, HBO and Netflix ultimately tied for the most Emmy wins this year, perhaps acting as a herald that HBO’s days of Emmy dominance are waning somewhat in the streaming era. Or perhaps not!
There is a lot to unpack from the broadcast, so let’s keep it simple — below are some of the best and worst moments from the 2018 Emmys, and one or two in between; you can goherefor the full list of winners:
Best: Teddy Perkins Is Alive and Well
I was so sure that the person who appeared asAtlantacharacterTeddy Perkinsduring the ceremony wasLaKeith Stanfield(the height! those cheekbones! also, he totally would!) but variousinvestigationshave proven otherwise. We may never know who played Teddy Perkins that night, but God bless them.
Worst: The Hosts
Ooo lawd, I wanted to given them the benefit of the doubt going in, butColin JostandMichael Chewere absolutely the wrong choice to host the Emmys. Their low-key snark and Weekend Update vibes did not work at all in this context, so much so that even when some of the jokes were decent, they didn’t land. (The “Reparation Emmys” bit was ok, but maybe the bar was just so low at that point anything that wasn’t awful seemed good).
The audience wasn’t into it. Viewers weren’t into it. They halted any momentum the show had as soon as they appeared, with an attitude that felt more or less like hand me my vape pen, nothing matters, eat at Arby’s,¯_(ツ)_/¯
Best: The Wedding Proposal
DirectorGlenn Weiss, who won an Emmy for the Oscars, delivered perhaps the only true surprise of the night by proposing to his girlfriend from the podium (casually saying “I’ll be a minute” — the ultimate live-telecast power move). It was sweet, genuinely surprising, and had both viewers and those in the audience all in a tizzy. Most importantly, it woke everyone up from what was a truly boring telecast.
Worst: Diversity Was Definitely Not Solved
The opening “We Solved It” musical number wasn’t good to begin with, but it aged very badly very quickly with the overwhelming amount of whiteness that followed it.James Cordenjoked that #EmmysSoWhite should be a hashtag, and while it didn’t get much play from the audience, he was very right. Thankfully, we at least hadRegina KingandThandie Newton’s wins – Newton’s performance was the only thing holding the last season ofWestworldtogether.
Diversity was lacking in another sense as well, with bothThe Assassination of Gianni VersaceandThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselnearly running the table in both of their categories; there wasn’t much imagination from Emmy voters this year. And while both shows are great, shouldDavid Lynchreally have lost toRyan Murphyfor directing? Did any episode of TV deserve an award more than “Teddy Perkins”? And yet …
Best and Worst: Two Wins and Two Losses for ‘The Americans’
I could not be more pleased to seeJoel FieldsandJoe Weisbergwin the award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama, because the wonderfulThe Americansdeserves everything (especially the finale, “Start,” which they were specifically honored for). I was also absolutely delighted to seeMatthew Rhystake home Best Lead Actor for his portrayal of Philip Jennings. But there are two other awards that should have been received:Keri Russellfor Best Lead Actress, andThe Americansfor Best Drama.
Now here’s the thing — that Best Actress category was stacked. And I’m not mad thatClaire Foywon! She’s absolutely outstanding inThe Crown, and it was her last year in that role as well. For all of my problems withHandmaid,Elisabeth Mossis also fantastic in that series.Sandra Ohwould have delivered a historic win for a show that was one of the year’s most exciting new entries. And yet, my gut still says it should have been Keri.
As for Best Drama …Game of Throneswinning was probably the laziest award of the night. I likeGame of Thrones, and it delivered a really entertaining season of television. But when we’re talking about the best, “outstanding” even,The Americansdeserved it. It was so finely, excruciating, and heartbreakingly crafted, right down to its final moments. It was a major disappointment that it didn’t snag that honor.
Worst: The Overall Telecast
Producing a live TV event seems like a logistical nightmare that I never, ever want to be a part of. But on the spectrum of awards shows that have made it work and those that haven’t, this year’s Emmys were particularly scattered. The edits and camerawork was haphazard, the decision to rush the nominee lists before the presenters even walked out was bizarre, and cutting off the award winners’ speeches while introducing so much bad filler (likeFred ArmisenandMaya Rudolph’s cringey appearances) was a huge mistake. The telecast was both rushed and boring, and the cuts were jarring. No one will be winning an Emmy for this one.
Worst: ‘Atlanta’ Shutout
It could well be that this season ofAtlantawas just too weird for Emmy voters, but seeing it lose out on so many major awards was egregious. The strange thing about the Emmys this year was that, while I was happy for everyone who won, only a few folks I was rooting for took home a statue. Personally, I would have loved to seeBetty Gilpinwin an Emmy forGLOW, for example, or seenDavid Harbourwin for his emotional turn inStranger Things. But when it comes toAtlanta, it was noticeable how ignored it was. Was it great thatAmy Sherman-Palladinogot two back-to-back historic wins forMrs. Maisel? Sure! ButStefani Robinson’s “Barbershop” episode ofAtlantawas one of the most finely executed episodes of TV this year, bar none. AndHiro Muraidirecting “Teddy Perkins,” well … again, it speaks for itself.
Best and Worst: The Presenters
In the best-case scenarios, the night’s presenters showed us a number of possibilities of people who would have made much better hosts.RuPaulandLesley Jones,Kate McKinnonandKenan Thompson,Ben Stiller,Sandra Oh. And even if they weren’t quite up to host-level, most of the presenters did a great job with their banter and forced dialogue. Others not so much, including some truly painful and very unfunny moments fromWill Ferrell,Larry David, and most egregiously,Maya RudolphandFred Armisen.
Best: Two Wins for ’Barry’
In a year when being a weird comedy did not seem to be a good thing Emmys-wise (see theAtlantasnub), it was nice to see HBO’s crazy little gemBarryget two acting wins that were both highly deserved.Henry Winklerfinally took home an Emmy after 40 years in television as a Supporting Actor, andBarry’s star and creatorBill Haderwon for Lead Actor. Both were exceptionally nice moments.
What were some of your highlights and lowlights from the Emmys this year?
