Emmy Creative Arts Winners 2019
Monday, September 16, 2019 at 7:00AM by Nathaniel R
"We're going to the Catskills" was a popular episode of the Emmy's darling favourite The Marvelous Mrs Maisel.
The Creative Arts Emmys were held over the weekend so Game of Thrones and Marvelous Mrs Maisel are looking set to easily repeat their previous series wins on Emmy Night (Sept 22nd) since they retained a stranglehold on below the line prizes. The big news that had the internet in a huff over the two night ceremony was the fact that the popular concert special Beyonce Homecoming lost all the Emmy categories it was up for. Whether or not you love Beyoncé (I remain indifferent) that seems justifiably insane in some of those categories.
It's really time for Emmys to bring back blue ribbon panels because this "everyone can vote" thing just means that whatever is the most watched or most obsessed over show just wins everything regardless of the category. If voters aren't watching their submission tapes they're also often voting on shows they loved the year before or love right now (but a different season is the thing they're voting on. Etcetera). Why have 100s of categories if you're just going to bury three or four shows in the same dozens of awards and leave hundreds of just-as-fine programs Emmyless? If the Emmys were truly a reflection of the art of television there would be more of a variety of winners from year to year. The list of winners and a few notes after the jump...
The Queer Eye cast at the Emmys
Structured Reality Program Queer Eye
Variety Special (Live) Norman Lear Presents: All in the Family and The Jeffersons
This award makes Norman Lear the oldest Emmy winner of all time. He's 97 years old
Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney
Somehow this one beat cultural events like Hannah Gadbsy: Nanette and Beyonce: Homecoming.
Choreography (Variety / Reality) Tessandra Chavez, World of Dance
All the nominees were from just two shows, this one and So You Think You Can Dance
Production Design (Variety Special) Rent
Production Design (Variety / Reality Series) Saturday Night Live — "Host: John Mulaney"
Short Form Variety Series Carpool Karaoke: The Series
Short Form Animated Program Love, Death and Robots — "The Witness"
Very cool animation in this episode but this is clearly a show for straight boys. Both episodes sampled were all boobs and violence.
Narrator David Attenborough, Our Planet
One of the nominees here was Angela Basset for The Flood and given that Bassett is the Queen of Enunciation, we are not pleased that she lost.
Music Composition (Documentary) Free Solo
Music Direction Fosse/Verdon — "Life is a Cabaret"
Another place where Homecoming lost. Fosse/Verdon actually made a good showing. Will Michelle Williams win on Emmy night? We're crossing our fingers for her.
Music and Lyrics Crazy Ex-Girlfriend — "Antidepressants Are So Not A Big Deal"
FINALLY an Emmy for that amazing show.
Creative Achievement in Interactive Media Free Solo — "360"
Hmmm, how many prizes does Free Solo need?
Creative Achievement In Interactive Media Within A Scripted Program Bandersnatch (Black Mirror)
Interactive Program NASA and SpaceX: The Interactive Demo-1 Launch
This was up against a field entirely made of out of late night comedy talk shows so standing out helps?
Technical Direction / Camerawork / Video Control (Special)
The Late Late Show Carpool Karaoke Primetime Special 2019
They sure do love that James Corden series. show. It beat the Oscars, the Tonys, and the Kennedy Center Honors here and various other shows in other categories
Technical Direction / Camerawork / Video Control (Series) Last Week Tonight with John Oliver — "Psychics"
Short Form Nonfiction / Reality Creating Saturday Night Live
Writing (Variety Special) Hannah Gadsby: Nanette
Writing (Nonfiction) Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown — "Kenya"
Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking [TIE] RBG / The Sentence
Informational Series or Special Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
Documentary / Nonfiction Special Leaving Neverland
This one beat out a whole slew of famous docs must of which we've actually reviewed here: FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, Jane Fonda in Five Acts, Love, Gilda, and Minding the Gap
Documentary / Nonfiction Series Our Planet
Makeup (Multi-Camera, Non-Prosthetic) Saturday Night Live — "Host: Adam Sandler"
Hairstyling (Multi=Camera) RuPaul's Drag Race — "Trump: The Rusical"
Costumes (Variety / Nonfiction / Reality) RuPaul's Drag Race — "Trump: The Rusical"
This episode beat out the costume work on Beyoncé's Homecoming? WUT?! Surely even RuPaul wouldn't approve.
Directing (Reality) Queer Eye — "Black Girl Magic"
Casting (Reality) Queer Eye
Directing (Documentary / Nonfiction) Free Solo
Directing (Variety Special) Springsteen on Broadway
Animated Program The Simpsons — "Mad About the Toy"
I haven't watched the Simpsons in a long time so perhaps it was deserving but given the regular critical hosannas to its fresher competitors like Big Mouth — "The Planned Parenthood Show", Bob's Burgers — "Just One of the Boyz 4 Now for Now", and BoJack Horseman — "Free Churro" one has to wonder how seriously voters are taking their ballots. Well, one has to wonder that all the time about the Emmys.
Character Voice-Over Performance Seth MacFarlane, Family Guy
Emmy's single most useless category. They nearly always give it to MacFarlane and ignore most of the great voicework on more critically lauded animated series.
Picture Editing (Variety) Last Week Tonight — "The Wax and the Furious" (Segment)
Picture Editing (Unstructured Reality) United Shades of America — "Hmong Americans and the Secret War"
Picture Editing (Structured Reality / Competition) Queer Eye
Picture Editing (Nonfiction) Free Solo
Sound Mixing (Variety) Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul
Sound Mixing (Nonfiction) Free Solo
Sound Editing (Nonfiction) Free Solo
It turns out the Oscar winning Free Solo needed a LOT more trophies... something really must be done about documentaries being eligible for both Emmys and Oscars.
Lighting Design / Direction ( Variety Special) Rent
Lighting Design / Direction (Variety Series) Saturday Night Live — "Host: John Mulaney"
Reality Host RuPaul Charles, RuPaul's Drag Race
Unstructured Reality Program United Shades of America
Cinematography (Nonfiction) Free Solo
Cinematography (Reality) Life Below Zero
Choreography (Scripted Program) Kathryn Burns, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Short Form Comedy or Drama Series State of the Union
Actor In A Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Chris O'Dowd, State of the Union
Actress In A Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Rosamund Pike, State of the Union
They gave all their short form prizes to the same show. Is it the only one they watched? But yay Rosamund Pike is an Emmy winner. (That said I'm a bit sad for Jessica Hecht who was amazing on Special.
Casting for a Comedy Series Fleabag
Casting for a Drama Series Game of Thrones
This is what I mean about Emmy voters never taking their privilege to vote seriously. How does the final season of Game of Thrones which introduced no significant new characters win a casting award over a bunch of fairly new series? For wrangling lots of extras?
Casting for a Limited Series, Movie or Special When They See Us
One of the rare prizes that Chernobyl was up for that it lost.
Children's Program When You Wish Upon a Pickle: A Sesame Street Special
Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie Chernobyl – Jakob Ihre (Episode: "Please Remain Calm")
Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series The Ranch – Donald A. Morgan (Episode: "Reckless")
Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) Russian Doll – Chris Teague (Episode: "Ariadne")
Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – M. David Mullen (Episode: "Simone") (Prime Video)
Commercial "Dream Crazy" (Nike)
Contemporary Costumes Russian Doll "Superiority Complex"
Period Costumes The Marvelous Mrs Maisel "We're Going to the Catskills"
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes Game of Thrones "The Bells"
Luke Kirby as Lenny Bruce on "Mrs Maisel"
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series
Matt Damon, Saturday Night Live
Robert De Niro, Saturday Night Live
★ Luke Kirby, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Peter MacNicol, Veep
John Mulaney, Saturday Night Live
Adam Sandler, Saturday Night Live
Rufus Sewell, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
Michael Angarano, This Is Us
Ron Cephas Jones, This Is Us
Michael McKean, Better Call Saul
Kumail Nanjiani, The Twilight Zone
Glynn Turman, How to Get Away with Murder
★ Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid's Tale
When Emmy has a favourite actor they stick with em. See also the next prize.
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
★ Jane Lynch, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Sandra Oh, Saturday Night Live
Maya Rudolph, The Good Place
Kristin Scott Thomas, Fleabag
Fiona Shaw, Fleabag
Emma Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Over this field? Really Emmy voters? Watch your tapes!
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black
★ Cherry Jones, The Handmaid's Tale
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Apocalypse
Phylicia Rashad, This Is Us
Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away with Murder
Carice van Houten, Game of Thrones
Cherry Jones now has a second Emmy to go with her two Tonys
The Guest Acting categories are always such oddities with Emmys. What do you make of this year's four prizes?
Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie Fosse/Verdon
Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Main Title Design Game of Thrones
Makeup for a Limited Series or Movie (Non-Prosthetic) Fosse/Verdon
Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) Game of Thrones "The Long Night"
Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special Star Trek: Discovery "If Memory Serves"
Whoa, Game of Throne actually lost one tech category. Congratulations to Star Trek Discovery for breaking that seemingly impenetrable hold on Emmy voters.
Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) Hildur Guðnadóttir, Chernobyl
Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) Ramin Djawadi, Game of Thrones
Music Supervision Robin Urdang, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel "We're Going to the Catskills"
Original Main Title Theme Music Nicholas Britell, Succession
So Britell ended up winning an Emmy before an Oscar despite his amazing film scores
Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour) Russian Doll "Nothing in the World is Easy"
Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More) The Handmaid's Tale "Holly"
Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) Chernobyl
Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series Fleabag – Gary Dollner (Episode: "Episode 1")
Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series Game of Thrones – Tim Porter (Episode: "The Long Night")
Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie Chernobyl – Simon Smith
Multiple-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series One Day at a Time "The Funeral"
Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special Chernobyl "1:23:45"
Sound Editing for a One Hour Show Game of Thrones "The Long Night"
Sound Editing for a Half-Hour Show Barry "Ronny/Lily"
Sound Mixing for a Half-Hour Show Barry "Ronny/Lily"
Sound Mixing for a One Hour Show Game of Thrones "The Long Night"
Sound Mixing for a Limited Series / Movie Chernobyl "1:23:45"
As with Oscar voters, Emmy voters don't know the difference between Editing and Mixing and just give both awards to the same piece of art.
Special Visual Effects Game of Thrones "The Bells"
Special Visual Effects In A Supporting Role Chernobyl "1:23:45"
Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series or Variety Program GLOW
Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie Game of Thrones
Reader Comments (28)
"...something really must be done about documentaries being eligible for both Emmys and Oscars": I completely and utterly agree!!!
Happy for Nicholas Britell! But can we please ban Jane Lynch, Seth MacFarlane, Carpool Karaoke and James Corden from ever winning Emmys again?
ITA about bringing back the panels. That the 6 acting Emmys went to only 3 shows strongly suggests that not much thought is going into the process.
Luke Kirby's win for Mrs. Maisel was a really terrific surprise, especially as he's the least famous person by far in that category. His work as Lenny Bruce, especially in that episode, is wonderful.
Now I see clear that Fleabag is losing to Mrs Maisel. I hope Phoebe at least gets Best Screenplay.
Glad the SNL strike is over.
It is so disrespectful to nominate Phylicia Rashad and then vote for someone else. It's Glenn Close all over again. Don't do that.
I actually agree with Lynch for the win. How I wish McKean triumphed, though...
I love Rupaul as a human being, probably more than many Drag Race fans who see him as a problematic parent and benevolent dictator. So I'm always happy for her success!
But this iteration of Drag Race really needs to pack it in. The increase in mainstream attention, acclaim and viewersship has coincided with a steep dropoff in...magic. The show hasn't felt magical for two or three seasons. Not a dig against the queens' talent, because some sickening queens competed on seasons 10, 11, AS3, AS4...
We just get further from the Golden Age of Drag Race (2012-2014) every year. And as a diehard fan that feels painfully obvious. It's a shame that the aforementioned attention, acclaim and viewership will keep these lesser seasons going indefinitely.
It is so disrespectful to nominate Phylicia Rashad and then vote for someone else. It's Glenn Close all over again. Don't do that.
Cosign.
Yet Regina King has both. And no she doesn't approach either veteran's skill set.
I am fuming.
I agree with Peggy. Cherry Jones is a phenomenal actor but she's in two minutes of half a season of Handmaid. It should have been Rashad.
I was rooting for Scott Thomas. Wish there was a spin-off. I want to see more of that character.
RuPaul is unstoppable!!!
They don't watch the tapes, Joan!
Phylicia Rashad with no Emmy is way worse than Glenn Close with no Oscar.
Britell's Succession score is the best work he's ever done (and I LOVE his Beale Street score). It really gets under your skin. I wish they'd release a soundtrack (maybe they will).
I'm happy for all the Chernobyl love, because it means that Jared Harris has a chance. I think he deserved to win for Mad Men and The Crown and I'll be annoyed if he is passed over again this year because Chernobyl isn't popular enough.
Michael McKean really deserves to win an Emmy for playing Chuck McGill and it's not going to happen at this point, though.
The one award that caught my eye was Maisel winning cinematography over Thrones! I love Maisel (I know I'm biased) and think it looks gorgeous so no complaint but it does show that there just might be a little weakness in the Thrones love after all. Or Maisel is even more dominant.
I love McKean but he should have won in the supporting category.
Let's not turn Guest Actor into Last Call.
@shawshank that is absurd and you know it. It's like denying that the Earth is round.
Rachel Bloom FINALLY has an Emmy. Damn ridiculous it took this long.
Yeesh, the animation category wins are depressing.
This year it seems like Emmy voters just copied their ballots from last year and turned them in - fourth year in a row RuPaul won Reality Host, third year in a row for United Shades of America, third year in a row Drag Race won for costumes, second year in a row for Queer Eye, second year in a row for David Attenborough winning for narrator, third time in four years for Seth MacFarlane winning voice over, the Simpsons just won their 11th Outstanding Animated Program Emmy, Carpool Karaoke seems to win in every random Category it is nominated for.
Every year its great to see so many great programs get nominations and every year it is so disappointing to see the same shows win over and over again. I am glad Game of Thrones is done so at least some other dramas can actually get a chance to win some awards for once.
Handmaid's Tale wasn't even eligible this year but since three episodes from season 2 aired during the 2018-19 eligibility period, individual episodes were able to be nominated in certain categories. So Cherry Jones was nominated two times in two separate years for the same season of the show. I know Guest Star roles are based on individual episodes but it just doesn't seem completely fair. (its like Free Solo winning an Oscar and then 8 Emmys).
Lots of bad stuff tbh
I didn't love their last season but the technical work was spotless so the huge haul for Game of Thrones last night was deserved. For the most part! A casting and a main title theme design for...what? Though it added new details this year there really wasn't much new design to the opening titles.
I love Cherry Jones but the worst part about her win isn't even that she was in her episode for such a short time. It's that the show took advantage of technicality rules. Jones was nominated and lost for the same season last year. It's unfair! She basically got a do-over for the same work.
No more individual performance merits, only overdue status should be considered for awards! I’m not sure if Phylicia Rashad was again somebody clearly better that year like Close was, but it should be disregarded immediately and give her the statue.
Guest acting awards are always a mess, both in the likes they nominate, and who triumphs.
Very well explained, KP. At least Cherry Jones was super classy and inmediately recognized that it should have been Phylicia. She did the same with Turner.
That Emmy win to that Leaving Neverland is FUCKING BULLSHIT!!!!!
@Rhea- I genuinely mean it. Let me attempt to prove the magnitude-don't get me wrong-I think Close totally deserved it for The Wife and don't even understand how Coleman beat her. I'm just saying Rashad's continued snubbing is much more egregious.
What is the medium Close is most famous for? Movies. She is yet to win an Oscar. Many women have won 2 and a few have won 3, even 4. Each year, Oscars are given out to 2 actresses.
What is the medium Rashad is most famous for? TV. She is yet to win an Emmy. Other iconic TV actresses have won multiple Emmys. Lucille Ball has 5. Betty White has 5. Allison Janney has 6. Candice Bergen has 5. Mary Tyler Moore has won 6. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has 8. With so many categories, every year Emmys are given to...what? 10 actresses? And yet Rashad has never been awarded. This was their chance. Voters have no idea of history.
Yay for Hannah Gadsby!
And GoT deserves all its tech wins. The last season was rushed in terms of storytelling but everything else was outstanding.
I was a bit confused about Guest Star for Bradley Whitford thinking he was one of the main actors. Then I remembered that since it was for the season before last, he was only in it for an episode at the end. That was so long ago...
They disrespectful with their own history. I agree.
now i'm starting to think free solo was robbed at the tony awards
Cherry Jones was in her episode for less than two minutes. Her win is a travesty and farce. She shouldn't have been eligible in the first place for being nominated twice for the same season's work. Same goes for Bradley Whitford's eligibility, except it's his first nod for "THT"). Jones's win should be revoked.