Emmys 2015 offers few surprises despite historic wins

By night’s end, the HBO series broke the record for most Emmys won in a single year by a show with 12. That number absolutely destroys the record for most wins in one year, which was previously held by The West Wing with eight.

The HBO series stars a raft of British talent including Natalie Dormer, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner and Gwendoline Christie.

Eight of those were won during last week’s creative Emmys, and the show also won best writing, best direction and best supporting actor for Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister. With Andy Samberg at the helm, the awards show kicked off with a so-so monologue replete with vaguely controversial humor – including jabs at Bill Cosby and Donald Trump – before transitioning into yet another mediocre awards program where the real winners clap politely while losers take center stage in their stead. It was a huge win for the show, but those wins were actually only the half of it. “And thank you for watching”.

All in all, it was a decent broadcast, but for those looking for something a bit less calculated, this year’s Emmys were no exception to the Academy’s tradition of recognizing name-brand “unexceptionalism”.

“And it’s incredible and impossible for me personally to be standing here”.

“I’d like to dedicate my performance and this award to the transgender community….”

The actress also praised her colleagues, saying, “It’s fantastic and so deserved”.

Combine that with stellar and crowd-pleasing honors for Jon Hamm and Viola Davis in the lead drama categories, and Jeffrey Tambor on the comedy side, and Emmy organizers should wake up feeling pretty good (or at least relieved) by most of the choices, while leaving behind ample room for the inevitable griping about snubs.

Accepting her award, she said: “The only thing that separates women of colour from anyone else is opportunity”.

Variety Talk Series: “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”, Comedy Central.