The Emmy Awards had its share of surprises, sure things and Donald Trump jokes. One consistent theme was the continued creative erosion at the top broadcast networks, now merely an afterthought on television’s biggest night.
“Game of Thrones” won best drama for the second year in a row on Sunday, and became prime-time television’s most-honored show ever. Fellow HBO series “Veep” was named top comedy for the second straight year and that show’s star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, won best comedy actress for the fifth straight time and a record-setting sixth time in her career.
Other big winners included actors Jeffrey Tambor, Rami Malek and Tatiana Maslany, along with most everyone associated with the FX miniseries, “The People vs. O.J. Simpson.”
Of the 27 awards handed out in prime time, six apiece went to HBO and FX. Streaming services Netflix had three and Amazon two.
The Emmy broadcast rotates each September among the four biggest broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox – and is designed to drum up excitement for the beginning of the fall season. Yet you’d hardly know those networks exist from watching Sunday’s awards. They accounted for four of the 27 awards, and only one for a prime-time scripted series. The most-watched network, CBS, was shut out.