(JTA) — The 2017 Emmy Awards celebrated a stellar year for television while barely concealing its political disdain, which permeated everything from the opening performance and monologue to the acceptance speeches.
The 69th Emmy awards show which aired on Sunday night celebrated diversity and equality, and celebrated some Jewish talent as well.
The HBO series “Veep” won for Best Comedy, while its star Julia Louis-Dreyfus took home the award for Best Actress in a comedy series. It is her sixth Best Actress award for the same role, a record.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” broadcast by the paid streaming service Hulu took the Best Drama award, with its star Elisabeth Moss garnering Best Actress in a Drama series.
“Saturday Night Live” also did well at the awards, seemingly carried on the coattails of the Trump administration, with Kate McKinnon and Alec Baldwin winning Best Supporting Actress for a comedy and Best Supporting Actor for a comedy respectively, for their portrayals of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump throughout the 2016 presidential elections and its aftermath. Melissa McCarthy also was awarded for her work as a guest actress on SNL.
Director Ezra Edelman won an Emmy for his work directing for a nonfiction program for “OJ: Made in America.”
The Emmys also paid tribute to the actors and actresses that died during the last year, including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and Mary Tyler Moore.
Emmy host Stephen Colbert noted that “This has been a great year for diversity in TV.” He also pointed out that President Donald Trump is the “biggest star” in television this year, noting that nearly every show was in some way influenced by Trump and his victory in the 2016 presidential elections.
Top photo: Lorne Michaels, right, with Alec Baldwin at the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Governors Ball in Los Angeles, Sept. 17, 2017. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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