The 72nd Primetime "Pandemmys": Recap
Illustration by Carolyn Burt | The Corsair
On Sunday, Sept. 20, the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards opened to Jimmy Kimmel, comedian and host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, walking onto a stage in front of a full, maskless audience. A few minutes into his monologue, Kimmel revealed that the audience was actually a recording pulled from a previous Emmy’s broadcast and he was delivering his monologue to an empty Staples Center arena.
“Of course, we don’t have an audience,” said Kimmel as he led the camera behind the stage. He paused and pumped into his hand what appeared to be hand sanitizer from an Emmy statuette and said, “As you can see, we’ve taken every safety precaution.”
He walked into a room filled with monitors showing the live feed of this year’s nominees. The room was the “nerve center” for the virtual Emmy Awards, or as Kimmel called it, “the Pandemmys”.
The evening’s top prizes went to “Succession” for outstanding drama series and “Schitt’s Creek” for outstanding comedy series. They topped off a full night of events including a montage of actors showing viewers what they’ve done during quarantine, and a “Friends” reunion of Jennifer Aniston, joined by Lisa Kudrow and Courtney Cox, over a surprise virtual feed from Aniston’s house.
The show was a success thanks to the Emmys production team who pulled off a virtual broadcast that “has never been attempted before,” said Kimmel.
Reginald Hudlin and Ian Stewart, CEO of Done and Dusted, are the producers responsible for this accomplishment. Both admitted in an interview with Variety on Aug. 24 that producing a virtual show of this size amid COVID-19 might come with its share of challenges. Their concerns included simultaneously managing over 100 live feeds and finding a venue large enough to hold and operate the technology.
Fortunately, Hudlin and Stewart’s team were able to secure the Staples Center to accommodate their technological needs and were able to send camera equipment to the nominees all over the world. They were aiming for an elevated picture quality despite a majority of the show being virtual. “We’re not trying to make the Zoomies, we’re trying to make the Emmys,” said Stewart in the Variety article.
The show carried on with no major disruptions, except for a few cameras stationed at the nominee’s homes, that shook from the cheers of their loved ones celebrating their win. Yet, it was in these moments that Sunday’s Emmy Award show was arguably at its best.
In addition to the viewers being able to peek into the homes of some of television’s most beloved stars, viewers also got a chance to see the stars with their families, adding a new and intimate experience to the show.
“So often when people win the award, they dedicate it to their kids. Well, your kids can be right there with you. Maybe you’re accepting the award from their bedroom. This is a chance to reinvent every aspect of it,” Hudlin told Variety.
The virtual element of the show also changed the way winners received their Emmy statuettes. Winners in the Los Angeles area were hand-delivered their awards at home by a team dressed in hazmat suits.
However, not every part of the Emmys was reinvented. Similar to the past, this year’s show was used as a platform to address the current social and political climates. Kimmel performed a few skits that touched on the upcoming election and the Black Lives Matter Movement.
In one skit, Kimmel encountered a suspicious USPS mail carrier who was trying to steal his ballot. In another, Kimmel was joined by Anthony Anderson, actor and executive producer of “Black-ish”, who talked about this year’s “record number of Black Emmy nominees” and the Black Lives Matter Movement. The skit ended with Anderson and Kimmel chanting “Black Lives Matter” before Anderson introduced the next category.
Actor Mark Ruffalo, used his platform to comment on the state of society in a different way, making a call to action for viewers to vote and embrace diversity.
“We are stronger together when we love each other and we respect each other’s diversity. So get out and vote. Make a plan, and vote for love and compassion, and kindness,” said Ruffalo during his heartfelt acceptance speech for lead actor in a limited series or movie for “I Know This Much Is True.”
A similar message was echoed by other stars, including Uzo Aduba during her acceptance speech for supporting actress in a limited series or movie for “Mrs. America,” and Regina King during her acceptance speech for lead actress in a limited series or movie for “Watchmen.” Both actresses wore Breonna Taylor shirts, honoring the 26-year-old Black woman who was unjustly killed at the hands of police, and strongly encouraged viewers to vote.
The show took special care to address the COVID-19 pandemic with surprise cameos from essential workers across the nation. To honor their service, a few emergency physicians, a rancher, middle school teacher, UPS mail carrier, and a proud female truck-driver all shared their stories about life during the pandemic, and doubled as presenters.
“Tonight we invited some essential workers to hand out awards to those who are much less essential than they are,” said Kimmel.
The Television Academy’s stance on inclusion and diversity was reflected through this year’s winners. “Schitt’s Creek” swept the comedy categories, earning 7 statuettes on Sunday. The show incorporates a queer story arc and has one of the few queer weddings ever aired on television -- making it a big win for LGBTQ representation.
Their win was all the more special, as the cast and crew of the show celebrated together at their own Emmys viewing party. They all tested negative for COVID-19 and isolated together at a venue in Ontario, Canada, the hometown of Dan and Eugene Levy, co-creators and co-stars of “Schitt’s Creek.”
In addition, 2020 was a record-breaking year for Black actors. 35 out of the 102 nominated actors were Black, and 9 of the 18 winners were Black. This includes Zendaya’s surprise win, claiming the Emmy for lead actress in a drama series in “Euphoria.”
This win made her the second black woman and youngest of all winners, to take home the Emmy in this category.
Alexis Bledel was the only Latinx actor to be nominated in a major category, despite a number of critically acclaimed performances this year by Latinx actors -- including the legendary Rita Morena's performance in Netflix's, "One Day At A Time."
Jeremy Strong won the Emmy for lead actor in a drama series in “Succession,” and Catherine O’Hara won the Emmy for lead actress in a comedy series in “Schitt’s Creek.” The shows with the most wins of the night included “Succession” with 11, and “Schitt’s Creek” with seven.
A full list of the winners can be found on the Television Academy official website.
