by The Cowl Editor on October 3, 2019
Arts & Entertainment
by Anne DeLello ’20 A&E Staff
The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 22 showcased the best of the best in television. Shows such as The Big Bang Theory and Game of Thrones that have both released their final seasons dominated the nominations alongside other fan favorites including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Veep.
This year’s Emmys highlighted not only the star shows but also the most prominent networks. According to Time, “HBO heads into the ceremony with the biggest advantage: a record-breaking 137 nominations for shows like Game of Thrones, Veep, Chernobyl and Barry.” Netflix followed HBO with 117 nominations for their popular shows such as Ozark and House of Cards.
At the end of the night, Amazon’s Fleabag went home with three wins: Outstanding Comedy Series, Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, which went to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Casting. Game of Thrones ended the night with two awards: Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Peter Dinklage and Outstanding Drama Series. Both shows came out at the top of their genre.
Though Fleabag managed to go home with more wins than Game of Thrones at the Emmys, GOT’s 32 nominations broke the record for the most nominations for a show in a single season, according to the Hollywood Reporter. With the eighth, and final, season of Game of Thrones having been released this past spring, it is not surprising that the show was so well represented among the nominations.
Although there was critical backlash when the season aired, these nominations speak to the popularity the show has generated over its past seven seasons. Not everyone found fault with the ending of the final season, whose final episode was viewed by 19.3 million people. Hollywood Reporter’s Tim Goodman says, “It arguably ended just about as well as one unwieldy, sprawling, complicated epic could end.” He went on to say that the writers “at least convincingly and effectively steered a very difficult series to a conclusion that made enough sense, will make enough people happy and was, from this vantage point, more than enough to effectively ‘stick the landing’ as critics often wonder about when pondering these series finales.”
Because the show was so popular throughout its run, particularly during season eight, the Emmy for outstanding drama is well-deserved despite any criticism of the last season. When receiving the award, executive Producer D.B. Weiss told those watching, “We loved every minute we spent with you.”
Another well-deserved award went to Peter Dinklage, who won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for the fourth time for his role as Tyrion Lannister, setting the record for most wins to a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Dinklage told his audience, “I count myself so fortunate to be a member of a community that is all about tolerance and diversity, because nowhere else could I be standing on a stage like this.” The actor went on to say that he “would do it all again in a heartbeat.”
Despite the large amount of nominations compared to the two wins Game of Thrones received at the Emmys, it was the proper send off to a well-loved show that has officially come to an end.