'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' wins 8 Emmy Awards plus other comedy winners

I congratulated Alex Borstein for winning Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance, then promised "I'll congratulate her a second time when I write about (most) of the comedy winners tomorrow."  It's tomorrow, so it's time to follow through by reviewing "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," which won eight Emmy Awards, tied with 'Saturday Night Live' wins eight Emmy Awards for second behind "Game of Thrones."

I begin with an award "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" won before the Emmys, the Peabody Award, which explains the show's significance.

Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) is a charming and supportive housewife and mother in 1958 New York City, until her aspiring comedian husband leaves her and she drunkenly grabs the mic only to find herself to be the true comic talent. Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s script dances and floats with witty banter, Brosnahan proves herself every bit as charismatic and engaging as her character, and their talents come together most electrically in Midge’s marvelous monologues. But the world around them similarly delights, with a lush visual palette and superb supporting performances from Tony Shalhoub, Marin Hinkle, and Alex Borstein in particular, as Midge’s parents and manager, respectively. Beyond the play-within-the-play of Midge and kindred spirit Lenny Bruce running afoul of New York decency laws in their stand-up comedy acts is a much deeper commentary on the “place” of women in public spaces, Jewishness, familial relations, classed expectations, and the importance of not being “ripped right out of a catalogue” that is both impressively weighty and effortlessly light. The show also features a winning soundtrack that paces the action as deftly as Sherman-Palladino’s crisp dialogue. For bringing together the period drama and the feminist comedy and producing a magical mixture, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” wins a Peabody Award.

Other than Midge being arrested and hauled into court, there is very little politics and government in this show, but it has wonderful social commentary, which is why I'm writing about it.

Witht that out of the way, it's time for me to revisist my predictions from Diversity and fantasy in comedy nominees at the 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards.

I begin with the nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Atlanta (FX)
Barry (HBO)
Black-ish (ABC)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
GLOW (Netflix)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)

There are no speculative fiction nominees here, not even "Big Bang Theory," so I'll go directly to diversity.  The nominees that most directly address diversity are "Atlanta" and "Black-ish."  The first has the better chance of winning an Emmy, but the second is more explictly political.  "GLOW" also has a diverse cast and deals with depictions of race in the 1980s in addition to issues of women on the fringe of Hollywood.  However, I don't think any of them will win.  Instead, as I wrote in 'Saturday Night Live' leads Outstanding Variety Sketch Series nominations, again, "'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'...should win for Outstanding Comedy Series."  It's a very well done, funny, and insightful show and it's about entertainment, albeit stand-up in New York City during the 1950s, not Hollywood, but all that should be enough for victory.

As I predicted, it won.  Watch 70th Emmy Awards: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Wins For Outstanding Comedy Series.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel wins the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.

I was completely wrong about Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Anthony Anderson as Andre "Dre" Johnson, Sr. on Black-ish (Episode: "Advance to Go (Collect $200)") (ABC)
Ted Danson as Michael on The Good Place (Episode: "Dance Dance Resolution") (NBC)
Larry David as Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm (Episode: "Fatwa!") (HBO)
Donald Glover as Earnest "Earn" Marks / Teddy Perkins on Atlanta (Episode: "Teddy Perkins") (FX)
Bill Hader as Barry Berkman / Barry Block on Barry (Episode: "Chapter Seven: Loud, Fast, and Keep Going") (HBO)
William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher on Shameless (Episode: "Sleepwalking") (Showtime)

Once again, it's "Atlanta" and "Black-ish" representing diversity with Donald Glover as the returning winner for "Atlanta."  His strongest competition might be Ted Danson of "The Good Place," who won the comparable award at the Critics' Choice Television Awards, and William H. Macy, who won the comparable SAG Award.  As much as I'm rooting for Danson, I think Glover is likely to repeat.

Nope.  The trophy went to Bill Hader for "Barry."

Bill Hader wins the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series for Barry.

I didn't think this would happen, either.  Now I might have to start watching "Barry."

Next, a category I called, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

Pamela Adlon as Sam Fox on Better Things (Episode: "Eulogy") (FX)
Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam "Midge" Maisel on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Episode: "Thank You and Good Night") (Amazon)
Allison Janney as Bonnie Plunkett on Mom (Episode: "Phone Confetti and a Wee Dingle") (CBS)
Issa Rae as Issa Dee on Insecure (Episode: "Hella Great") (HBO)
Tracee Ellis Ross as Dr. Rainbow "Bow" Johnson on Black-ish (Episode: "Elder. Scam.") (ABC)
Lily Tomlin as Frankie Bergstein on Grace and Frankie (Episode: "The Home") (Netflix)

Issa Rae from "Insecure" and Tracee Ellis Ross from "Black-ish" are the nominees increasing the diversity of the field, but I'm sure that Rachel Brosnahan as the title character of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" will win.

And she did.  Watch 70th Emmy Awards: Rachel Brosnahan Wins For Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series.

Rachel Brosnahan Wins For Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series for her performance in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

I'm with you, Rachel.  Vote!

Just as I was for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, I was blindsided but pleased by the winner of the next category.

Just as "Jesus Christ Superstar Live" earned nominations in acting to compete with the actors and actresses in limited series categories, SNL earned multiple acting nominations in the comedy categories, just like last year.  Two of them are for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Louie Anderson as Christine Baskets on Baskets (Episode: "Thanksgiving") (FX)
Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live (Episode: "Host: Donald Glover") (NBC)
Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromedon on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Episode: "Kimmy and the Beest!") (Netflix)
Brian Tyree Henry as Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles on Atlanta (Episode: "Woods") (FX)
Tony Shalhoub as Abraham "Abe" Weissman on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Episode: "Thank You and Good Night") (Amazon)
Kenan Thompson as Various Characters on Saturday Night Live (Episode: "Host: John Mulaney") (NBC)
Henry Winkler as Gene Cousineau on Barry (Episode: "Chapter Four: Commit ... to YOU") (HBO)

Alec Baldwin won last year for his Donald Trump impressions on SNL, so I wouldn't be surprised if he wins again, but I also wouldn't be surprised if Tony Shalhoub upsets him for his role as the father in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."  That show should win for Outstanding Comedy Series and its star Rachel Brosnahan should win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, so Shalhoub might get caught up with them.

African-Americans are even better represented in this category than in the Lead Actor category with Tituss Burgess from "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," Brian Tyree Henry from "Atlanta," and Kenan Thompson from SNL.  Out of all of them, I suspect, Thompson has the best shot at beating Baldwin or fending off Shalhoub.

Nope, the one name I didn't mention was the one who won, Henry Winkler. 

Henry Winkler thanks his friends and family after winning Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for his performance in Barry

!Congratulations to The Fonz!

Now for the reason I am writing this blog entry today, Alex Bornstein winning her second Emmy of the season, which I called.

Three performers from SNL earned nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Zazie Beetz as Vanessa "Van" Keefer on Atlanta (Episode: "Helen") (FX)
Alex Borstein as Susie Myerson on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Episode: "Doink") (Amazon)
Aidy Bryant as Various Characters on Saturday Night Live (Episode: "Host: Chadwick Boseman") (NBC)
Betty Gilpin as Debbie "Liberty Belle" Eagan on GLOW (Episode: "Debbie Does Something") (Netflix)
Leslie Jones as Various Characters on Saturday Night Live (Episode: "Host: Donald Glover") (NBC)
Kate McKinnon as Various Characters on Saturday Night Live (Episode: "Host: Bill Hader") (NBC)
Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris on Roseanne (Episode: "No Country for Old Women") (ABC)
Megan Mullally as Karen Walker on Will & Grace (Episode: "Rosario's Quinceanera") (NBC)

Once again, the returning winner is from SNL, Kate McKinnon.  It's likely that she will earn a three-peat, but I also think it's as likely that Alex Borstein from "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" will take the trophy home as well with an outside chance that Betty Gilpin of "GLOW" will upset both.  Nothing like a good story about show business to get Hollywood professionals to vote for you and both "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and "GLOW" are about show business.

I was impressed with Zazie Beetz as Domino in "Deadpool 2" and always enjoy Leslie Jones in SNL, so I'm glad to see both of them nominated.

Now watch 70th Emmy Awards: Alex Borstein Wins For Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series.

Alex Borstein wins the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

For the second time, congratulations!

Follow over the jump for the awards given to the people behind the camera.

Heh, I just realized I was repeating myself.  However, I at least called the upset.

Now for the people behind the camera, beginning with Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.

Atlanta (Episode: "FUBU"), directed by Donald Glover (FX)
Atlanta (Episode: "Teddy Perkins"), directed by Hiro Murai (FX)
Barry (Episode: "Chapter One: Make Your Mark"), directed by Bill Hader (HBO)
The Big Bang Theory (Episode: "The Bow Tie Asymmetry"), directed by Mark Cendrowski (CBS)
GLOW (Episode: "Pilot"), directed by Jesse Peretz (Netflix)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Episode: "Pilot"), directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Amazon)
Silicon Valley (Episode: "Initial Coin Offering"), directed by Mike Judge (HBO)

Glover is the returning winner, so he's likely the favorite.  However, I would not be surprised if he was upset by Amy Sherman-Palladino for "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," who represents a different dimension of diversity behind the camera.  By the way, the other entry for "Atlanta" is Hiro Murai, another diverse nominee.

Watch 70th Emmy Awards: Amy Sherman-Palladino Wins For Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series.

Amy Sherman-Palladino wins the Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series for the Pilot of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel!

As one can see, Amy Sherman-Palladino had won two Emmy Awards by this point in the night and ended up winning a total of three when it was all over.  I'll get to the first one after noting that she's only the fourth woman to win this award in the history of the Emmys.

Here's the first, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

Atlanta (Episode: "Alligator Man"), written by Donald Glover (FX)
Atlanta (Episode: "Barbershop"), written by Stefani Robinson (FX)
Barry (Episode: "Chapter One: Make Your Mark"), written by Alec Berg and Bill Hader (HBO)
Barry (Episode: "Chapter Seven: Loud, Fast and Keep Going"), written by Liz Sarnoff (HBO)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Episode: "Pilot"), written by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Amazon)
Silicon Valley (Episode: "Fifty-One Percent"), written by Alec Berg (HBO)

Lena Waithe and Aziz Ansari, who won last year for "Master of None," did not return as nominees last year, so the field is open.  Out of the rest, I think "Atlanta" has the inside track, as it won two WGA Awards for last season, while my personal favorite, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," did not even earn a WGA nomination this year.

While I can't claim that I called it, at least my favorite won.  Watch 70th Emmy Awards: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Wins For Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series.

Amy Sherman-Palladino wins the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Once again, congratulations!

In addition to the above, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" won three Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Music Supervision, and Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series.  Congratulations!

The comedy that came in second with awards was "Atlanta," which won three, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy, which I already featured in Diversity a winner at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, plus Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation.  Congratulations!

One of the comedies that came in third with two awards was GLOW, which earned Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour or Less) and Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series or Variety Program.  I did call that second one in 'Saturday Night Live' leads Outstanding Variety Sketch Series nominations, again.

I conclude my review of the nominations with Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series or Variety Program.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)
Cobra Kai (YouTube)
GLOW (Netflix)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Shameless (Showtime)

This award has been bouncing back and forth between "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and "Shameless" for most of this decade, but I don't think either will win it this year.  Instead, I think it's between "Cobra Kai" and "GLOW" with the latter favored.  Again, there's nothing like a show being about show business to get Hollywood professionals to vote for it.

I believe Shauna Diggins is the first woman to win this award.  Congratulations!

Another comedy tied GLOW for third, "Will & Grace."  I'll get to it tomorrow, when it's National Coming Out Day.  Stay tuned.