Emmys 2021: The Crown and Ted Lasso win big — and so does streaming

In a year crowded with impressive offerings, Ted Lasso, and The Crown were among the Emmys' biggest winners on Sunday night, sweeping their categories despite strong competition. 

The wins provided recognition for both series, but more importantly the Emmy statues gave the platforms that carried Ted Lasso and The Crown a long-awaited artistic stamp of approval. The Crown, a Netflix production, won the best drama award, and Ted Lasso, an Apple TV+ production, won for best comedy series, marking the first time either streaming service has won an Emmy for top series.

There was more. Netflix won not just for The Crown, but it secured an Emmy for best limited or anthology series for Queen's Gambit.  Altogether, the streaming giant won 44 Emmys in 2021. That's more than any other network or platform, and marks the first time Netflix has even led that pack, beating out all other streaming services, cable channels and broadcast networks.

In its first year back since its virtual version last year, the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards program wasn't a completely smooth affair, as host Cedric the Entertainer led a number of sketches that received either a mixed or silent reception from the audience. 

Cedric along with guests Lil Dicky, LL Cool J and Rita Wilson started the show with an ensemble rap-tribute to television — set to the late Biz Markie's Just a Friend — and things spiralled from there.

A subsequent skit starring Zooey Deschanel, Jason Alexander, Fred Savage and Alyson Hannigan portraying a support group for actors without Emmys led to a few laughs, but another — which featured the fly seen in U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's hair during a debate last year — landed with a thud. 

The punchline of the skit, "All flies matter," was followed by near-complete silence.