“I’m Andy Samberg. Justin Timberlake is not coming,” is the joke with which SNL-alumnus, Brooklyn 99-er, and host extraordinaire Andy Samberg opened the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday. Breaking the hearts of viewers everywhere but getting a good laugh nonetheless, Samberg set the tone for a funny, light-hearted evening. The Emmys this year saw equal farewells to old favorites and hellos to new classics. Sunday nights can be busy on campus, so if you were unable to catch the broadcast, check out some of the most important highlights below!
How to Get Away with Making History
Not bad for a single season! Viola Davis took home the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Annalise Keating in How to Get Away With Murder. But this victory is sweeter than most; Davis became the first African-American women to win the award in the program’s history. In her speech, Davis thanked the HTGAWM crew and writers for “redefining what it means to be beautiful, to be sexy, to be a leading woman, [and] to be black.”
Mad Dedication From Mad Men
After an astounding eight straight Emmy nominations for his role as Don Draper in AMC’s Mad Men, John Hamm walked away Sunday evening with his first ever Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. It proved to be a bittersweet end to a longstanding career with the period piece program; Mad Men aired its final episode in late May after seven seasons.
See Ya, Jon Stewart
Another fan favorite to take home an award for its farewell season, Jon Stewart assumed the stage to accept the award for Outstanding Variety Series on behalf of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Rocking a very untrimmed beard, Stewart instructed his cohorts, “To everybody on television, I just want to tell you: cling to it, as long as you can. Like death.”
VP for the Big W
In a semi-shocking turn of events, HBO political comedy Veep and its fearless leader Julia Louis-Dreyfus took home awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series during the the ceremony. Why is this semi-shocking? This was the final year that fan favorite Amy Poehler would be nominated for her role as Leslie Knope in Parks & Recreation. She handled the loss like a pro, though…
Comedy King Turned Comeback King
In perhaps the most touching moment of the ceremony, comedian Tracy Morgan made a surprise appearance towards the end of the show. Having been critically injured in a June 2014 car accident, Morgan has remained mostly absent from the public eye while working towards regaining his health. Taking the stage to roars of applause, Morgan told the world, “Last year, Jimmy Kimmel stood on this stage and said, ‘We’ll see you back here next year, Tracy Morgan.’ Well, Jimmy, thanks to my amazing doctors and the support of my family and my beautiful new wife, I’m here. … Only recently I’ve started to feel like myself again.” Glad to see he’s doing well!
Congrats to all of the nominees and winners!
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