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The Best and Worst Moments of the 2021 Emmys
The New York Times
Streaming services dominated a ceremony that suggested that for all of TV’s evolution, some aspects of the Emmys will always be with us.
The Emmy Awards were back to being mostly in person after last year’s virtual ceremony, with TV’s best and brightest amassing in a classed-up event tent with banquet-style seating reminiscent of the Golden Globes.
It was a more informal approach to TV’s biggest night, one that was not appreciated by all attendees as the Delta variant rages on. (“There’s way too many of us in this little room,” said Seth Rogen, the night’s first presenter.) But the new format was apt for a night that perhaps heralded a new chapter of TV history, or at least the official recognition of the streaming-dominated era most of us already take for granted.
For the first time, streaming services won all of the major series awards, with Netflix’s “The Crown” winning top drama and “The Queen’s Gambit,” also on Netflix, taking best limited series. “Ted Lasso,” on Apple TV+, was named best comedy. These shows and a couple of worthy challengers — “Hacks” on HBO Max, “Mare of Easttown” on HBO proper — dominated the categories.