Will Dodd

Staff Writer

This past Sunday, the Emmy awards aired on ABC with host Jimmy Kimmel. Given that the country is in the midst of a contentious presidential election, it feels prescient that “Veep” was one of the most dominant programs at the 68th Prime time Emmy Awards.

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“Game of Thrones” won Outstanding Drama at 68th Emmy awards (Photo Courtesy of Emmys.com)

The political satire, created by Armando Iannucci and starring Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as the titular Vice President of the United States, won its second consecutive award for Outstanding Comedy Series and Louis-Dreyfuss won her fifth consecutive for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Other programs that took home awards in the comedy genre included “Transparent” (Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Director), “Master of None” (Outstanding Writing), “Saturday Night Live” (Outstanding Supporting Actress), and “Baskets” (Outstanding Supporting Actor).

In the drama category, “Game of Thrones” was easily the most decorated winner of the evening. The series took home awards for Outstanding Drama Series, and Outstanding Writing in the major categories. With three wins overall, “Game of Thrones” passed legendary sitcom “Frasier” as the scripted series with the most Emmy wins (38), and trails behind “Saturday Night Live” among overall television program wins with 44.

“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” was victorious in all but one of the awards it was nominated for in the Limited Series category, and Emmy host Jimmy Kimmel gave a nod to the series multiple times during the ceremony itself.

Kimmel proved to be a solid host, despite some tired jokes such as yet another Bill Cosby reference that ultimately fell flat. Kimmel’s introductory video package was filled with references to major cultural phenomena of the past year, such as the 2016 presidential primaries featuring Jeb Bush as a limo driver, “The Late Late Show” host James Corden’s viral Carpool Karaoke series, and our renewed fascination with the events surrounding the O.J. Simpson’s court case.

Other highlights of the ceremony included “Transparent” actor Jeffrey Tambor speaking out for more opportunities for transgender actors and actresses while acknowledging that he is a cis-gendered actor playing a transgendered woman. Additionally, he delivered a heartfelt tribute to former “Larry Sanders Show” co-star Garry Shandling who passed away earlier this year. During her acceptance speech for Outstanding Lead Actress, “American Crime Story” actress Sarah Paulsen offered an impassioned defense of Marcia Clark, the prosecutor in the Simpson trial who she portrayed in the series,

Other notable award winners of the evening included: “The Voice” for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, “Key & Peele” for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series, “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver for Outstanding Variety Talk Series and “Sherlock: The Abominable Bride for Outstanding Television Movie.”