The best in television were honored in the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 20th.  Nominees were able to stream in from at-home to an empty Staples Center in Los Angeles, where Jimmy Kimmel acted as the host, kicking off the 2020 Emmys with his socially-distanced opening monologue. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Emmys were more so than ever a celebration of great television and its ability to entertain, distract, and move us. Let’s take a look at the nominees and winners of the year; some of which are record-breaking.

Watchmen— Damon Lindelof’s dystopian superhero drama— took four of the seven awards in the limited series genre, including Outstanding Limited Series, while Uzo Aduba received her third career Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series and Mark Ruffalo picked up his second ever Emmy award for his work on HBO’s I Know This Much is True. 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Jeremy Irons (“Watchmen”)

Hugh Jackman (“Bad Education”)

Paul Mescal (“Normal People”)

Jeremy Pope (“Hollywood”)

Mark Ruffalo (“I Know This Much Is True”) *WINNER

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Cate Blanchett (“Mrs. America”)

Shira Haas (“Unorthodox”)

Regina King (“Watchmen”) *WINNER

Octavia Spencer (“Self Made”)

Kerry Washington (“Little Fires Everywhere”)

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Dylan McDermott (“Hollywood”)

Jim Parsons (“Hollywood”)

Tituss Burgess (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend”)

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Watchmen”) *WINNER

Jovan Adepo (“Watchmen”)

Louis Gossett Jr. (“Watchmen”)

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Holland Taylor (“Hollywood”)

Uzo Aduba (“Mrs. America”) *WINNER

Margo Martindale (“Mrs. America”)

Tracey Ullman (“Mrs. America”)

Toni Collette (“Unbelievable”)

Jean Smart (“Watchmen”)

Outstanding Limited Series

“Little Fires Everywhere”

“Mrs. America”

“Unbelievable”

“Unorthodox”

“Watchmen” *WINNER

Best Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special

Maria Schrader (“Unorthodox”) *WINNER

Lynn Shelton (“Little Fires Everywhere”)

Lenny Abrahamson (“Normal People”)

Nicole Kassell (“Watchmen”)

Steph Green (“Watchmen”)

Stephen Williams (“Watchmen”)

Best Writing for a Limited Series Movie or Dramatic Special

Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson (“Watchmen”) *WINNER

Tanya Barfield (“Mrs. America”)

Sally Rooney and Alice Birch (“Normal People”)

Susannah Grant, Michael Chabon, and Ayelet Waldman (“Unbelievable”)

Anna Winger (“Unorthodox”)

It was a record-breaking season for Schitt’s Creek, as the Canadian comedy show set a new record for most wins in a single season for a comedy series, and became the first comedy to ever sweep both lead and both supporting categories in a single season. The cast and crew won the awards for best comedy series, best actor in a comedy series, best actress in a comedy series, best supporting actor in a comedy series, best supporting actress in a comedy series, best directing for a comedy series, best writing for a comedy series, best casting for a comedy series, and best contemporary costumes, ending their night with nine total wins for their sixth and final season.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”)

Don Cheadle (“Black Monday”)

Ted Danson (“The Good Place”)

Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”)

Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”) *WINNER

Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”)

Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)

Linda Cardellini (“Dead to Me”)

Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”) *WINNER

Issa Rae (“Insecure”)

Tracee Ellis Ross (“Black-ish”)

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Andre Braugher (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”)

William Jackson Harper (“The Good Place”)

Alan Arkin (“The Kominsky Method”)

Sterling K. Brown (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)

Tony Shalhoub (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)

Mahershala Ali (“Ramy”)

Kenan Thompson (“Saturday Night Live”)

Dan Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”) *WINNER

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Betty Gilpin (“GLOW”)

D’Arcy Carden (“The Good Place”)

Yvonne Orji (“Insecure”)

Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)

Marin Hinkle (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)

Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”)

Cecily Strong (“Saturday Night Live”)

Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”) *WINNER

Outstanding Comedy Series

“Curb Your Enthusiasm”

“Dead to Me”

“The Good Place”

“Insecure”

“The Kominsky Method”

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

“Schitt’s Creek” *WINNER

“What We Do in the Shadows”

Best Directing for a Comedy Series

Andrew Cividino and Daniel Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”) *WINNER

Matt Shakman (“The Great”)

Amy Sherman-Palladino (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)

Daniel Palladino (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)

Gail Mancuso (“Modern Family”) 

Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”)

James Burrows (“Will & Grace”)

Best Writing for a Comedy Series

Daniel Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”) *WINNER

Andre Braugher (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”)

William Jackson Harper (“The Good Place”)

Alan Arkin (“The Kominsky Method”)

Sterling K. Brown (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)

Tony Shalhoub (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)

Mahershala Ali (“Ramy”)

Kenan Thompson (“Saturday Night Live”)

Succession, a satirical drama created by Jesse Armstrong, had a big night, snagging four of the seven awards for the drama series genre, including Outstanding Drama Series. Zendaya also set a historic record by becoming the youngest winner of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in Euphoria, a drama dealing with love, sex, drugs, and identity in a circle of high school students. AppleTV+’s The Morning Show won Supporting Actor in a Drama Series but was snubbed for Outstanding Drama Series, despite boasting a star-studded cast including Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell, and Mark Duplass.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)

Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”)

Steve Carell (“The Morning Show”)

Brian Cox (“Succession”)

Billy Porter (“Pose”)

Jeremy Strong (“Succession”) *WINNER

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”)

Olivia Colman (“The Crown”)

Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”)

Laura Linney (“Ozark”)

Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”)

Zendaya (“Euphoria”) *WINNER

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Giancarlo Esposito (“Better Call Saul”)

Bradley Whitford (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)

Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”) *WINNER

Mark Duplass (“The Morning Show”)

Nicholas Braun (“Succession”)

Kieran Culkin (“Succession”)

Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession”)

Jeffrey Wright (“Westworld”)

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Laura Dern (“Big Little Lies”)

Meryl Streep (“Big Little Lies”)

Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”)

Samira Wiley (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)

Fiona Shaw (“Killing Eve”)

Julia Garner (“Ozark”) *WINNER

Sarah Snook (“Succession”)

Thandie Newton (“Westworld”)

Outstanding Drama Series

“Better Call Saul”

“The Crown”

“The Handmaid’s Tale”

“Killing Eve”

“The Mandalorian”

“Ozark”

“Stranger Things”

“Succession” *WINNER

Best Directing for a Drama Series

Andrij Parekh (“Succession”) *WINNER

Benjamin Caron (“The Crown”) 

Jessica Hobbs (“The Crown”)

Lesli Linka Glatter (“Homeland”) 

Mimi Leder (“The Morning Show”)

Alik Sakharov (“Ozark”)

Ben Semanoff (“Ozark”) 

Mark Mylod (“Succession”)

Best Writing for a Drama Series

Jesse Armstrong (“Succession”) *WINNER

Thomas Schnauz (“Better Call Saul”)

Gordon Smith (“Better Call Saul”)

Peter Morgan (“The Crown”)

Chris Mundy (“Ozark”)

John Shiban (“Ozark”)

Miki Johnson (“Ozark”)

The ever-popular RuPaul’s Drag Race and Saturday Night Live won for Outstanding Reality/Competition Series and Outstanding Variety Sketch Series, respectively. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver won for Outstanding Talk Series for the fifth time in a row, as HBO’s Bad Education won for Outstanding Television Movie.

Outstanding Reality/Competition Series

“The Masked Singer”

“Nailed It”

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” *WINNER

“Top Chef”

“The Voice”

Outstanding Variety Talk Series

“Daily Show with Trevor Noah”

“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”

“Jimmy Kimmel Live”

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” *WINNER

“Late Show with Stephen Colbert”

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

“A Black Lady Sketch Show”

“Drunk History”

“Saturday Night Live” *WINNER

Outstanding Television Movie

“American Son”

“Bad Education” *WINNER

“Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones”

“El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie”

“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend”