Historic wins in the lead acting categories for drama, host Adam Samberg channeled Bill Crystal in his opening production, and “Olive Kitteridge,” “Veep,” and “Game of Thrones” ruled the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Fox’s Sunday night three-hour live telecast honored the very best in television dramas, comedies, reality TV, limited series/movies/specials, and variety. For each of the main categories comprising of drama, comedy, and limited series, certain programs was monopolized for acting, writing, and directing.
Viola Davis finally broke through the line by becoming the first African-American lead actress to win in a dramatic series category. She captured the audience in her opening acceptance speech with a quote from Harriet Tubman during the 1800s. Fellow nominee Taraji P. Henson was standing up proudly in the audience while Davis spoke. After being nominated eight times in the lead actor category representing “Mad Men,” Jon Hamm finally received his long overdue Emmy. He was stunned and surprised, even remarking they possibly made a mistake.
Adam Samberg opened with a Billy Crystal-ized style from his Oscar hosting gigs of a themed musical production. Samberg made an effort to be the best host ever by binge-watching a year’s worth of television series, TV movies, specials, reality TV, variety programs, etc. in a secluded bunker. As is often the case in past Emmy Awards, certain programs tend to dominate in their respective categories. 2015 was definitely no exception.
“Olive Kitteridge” won all but one category for its limited series. For supporting actress it was a very surprised Regina King for her portrayal in “American Crime” that stunned just about everyone there. The Amazon streamed series “Transparent” and HBO’s “Veep” commanded comedy, while “Game of Thrones” captured a significant amount of Emmys including best drama series. Here is a complete list of all televised categories and its winners from the 2015 Emmy Awards:
Outstanding Drama Series
“Game of Thrones”
Outstanding Comedy Series
“Veep”
Lead Actor, Drama
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Lead Actress, Drama
Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder”
Lead Actor, Limited Series or Movie
Richard Jenkins, “Olive Kitteridge”
Lead Actress, Limited Series or Movie
Frances McDormand, “Olive Kitteridge”
Lead Actor, Comedy
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent”
Lead Actress, Comedy
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
Reality-Competition Series
“The Voice”
Variety Series
“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”
Limited Series
“Olive Kitteridge”
Variety Sketch Series
“Inside Amy Schumer”
Supporting Actor, Drama
Peter Dinklage, “Game Of Thrones”
Supporting Actress, Drama
Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is The New Black”
Guest Actor, Drama
Reg E. Cathey, “House of Cards”
Guest Actress, Drama
Margo Martindale, “The Americans”
Supporting Actor, Comedy
Tony Hale, “Veep”
Supporting Actress, Comedy
Allison Janney, “Mom”
Guest Actor, Comedy
Bradley Whitford, “Transparent”
Guest Actress, Comedy
Joan Cusack, “Shameless”
Supporting Actor, Limited Series or Movie
Bill Murray, “Olive Kitteridge”
Supporting Actress, Limited Series or Movie
Regina King, “American Crime”
Writing for a Drama Series
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for Game Of Thrones, “Mother’s Mercy” from HBO, HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead, Littlehead, Television 360, Startling Television and Generator Productions
Directing for a Drama Series
David Nutter for Game Of Thrones, “Mother’s Mercy” from HBO, HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead, Littlehead, Television 360, Startling Television and Generator Productions
Writing for a Comedy Series
Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche for Veep, “Election Night” from HBO, HBO Entertainment in association with Dundee Productions
Directing for a Comedy Series
Jill Soloway for Transparent, “Best New Girl” from Amazon Instant Video and Amazon Studios
Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special
Jane Anderson or “Olive Kitteridge” from HBO, HBO Miniseries in association with Playtone
Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special
Lisa Cholodenko for “Olive Kitteridge” from HBO, HBO Miniseries in association with Playtone
Writing for a Variety Series
“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”
Directing for a Variety Series
Chuck O’Neil for The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, “Show 20103″ from Comedy Central, Central Productions