Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and HBO’s “Westworld” gained momentum in the Emmy Award race as both shows racked up five wins at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
NBC’s “This Is Us” pulled out a big win with the last award of the night — the guest drama actor win for Gerald McRaney. The same was true for Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” as Alexis Bledel prevailed for guest drama actress.
“Saturday Night Live,” the venerable NBC sketch comedy, also took five wins, including comedy guest actor and actress awards for Dave Chappelle, as host, and Melissa McCarthy, for her guest appearances as former White House press secretary Sean Spicer.
“Stranger Things” took the drama series casting kudo — a category that is often a bellwether for program wins at the televised Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, which is set for Sept. 17. HBO’s “Big Little Lies” won for casting for a limited series.
Two other wins for “Big Little Lies” — the first-ever music supervision award and contemporary costumes — indicate Emmy voters’ affection for the limited series. HBO’s “The Night Of” collected four wins that recognized the craftsmanship of the show, taking the trophies for cinematography, editing, sound mixing and sound editing.
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HBO’s “Westworld” established its momentum early in the night. The epic fantasy drama won for visual effects, sound mixing, interactive programming, hairstyling and makeup.
Netflix’s “The Crown” collected two prizes, for production design and period-drama costumes.
“Stranger Things” also took the main title theme music win, for TV newbies Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon. Jeff Russo won for music composition for a limited series for FX’s “Fargo.” Jeff Beal won music composition for a series for Netflix’s “House of Cards.”
Jane Lynch added another Emmy to her trophy with the win for short-form actress for her online series “Dropping the Soap.” Kim Estes won short-form actor for “Dicks.”
Both McRaney and Bledel were unexpected winners against tough competition. McRaney has been a staple of TV since the 1970s but “This Is Us” marked his first-ever Emmy nomination. McRaney told reporters backstage that he’s happy for the breakthrough at long last because “what it means to a working actor is that he can keep working.”
But McRaney also emphasized that he never chased awards stardust. The work is the major reward, he said.
“If I worked in a bank, I’d also be working at a little theater doing a play,” he said. “To me the process of doing this is more important than just about anything else…This is the icing on a very delicious cake.”
Bledel said she was gratified to have been part of a series that has touched a nerve in the culture with its look at a dystopian America where women are subjugated for breeding purposes.
“It’s really an incredible thing when creating art inspires conversation and it’s thought-provoking enough to stand out in this way,” she said.
Highlights from Saturday and Sunday’s award presentations in 92 categories will air Sept. 16 as a special on FXX.
Here is a complete list of Sunday’s winners:
Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Gerald McRaney (“This Is Us” — “The Big Day”)
Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Alexis Bledel (“The Handmaid’s Tale” — “Late”)
Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Dave Chappelle (“Saturday Night Live” — “Host: Dave Chappelle”)
Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Melissa McCarthy (“Saturday Night Live” — “Host: Melissa McCarthy”)
Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
Kim Estes (“Dicks”)
Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
Jane Lynch (“Dropping the Soap”)
Casting for a Drama Series
Carmen Cuba, Tara Feldstein Bennett & Chase Paris (“Stranger Things”)
Casting for a Limited Series, Movie or Special
David Rubin (“Big Little Lies”)
Casting for a Comedy Series
Dorian Frankel & Sibby Kirchgessner (“Veep”)
Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour)
David Miller (“Veep”)
Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour)
Colin Watkinson (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
Donald A. Morgan (“The Ranch”)
Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie
Fred Elmes (“The Night Of”)
Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score)
Jeff Beal (“House of Cards” — “Chapter 63”)
Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Jeff Russo (“Fargo” — “Aporia”)
Original Main Title Theme Music
Michael Stein, Kyle Dixon (“Stranger Things”)
Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series
Jennifer Lilly (“Master of None”)
Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series
Peter Chakos (“The Big Bang Theory”)
Stunt Coordination For a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie
James Lew (“Marvel’s Luke Cage”)
Period/ Fantasy Costumes for a Series, Limited Series or Movie
Michele Clapton, Alex Fordham, Emma O’Loughlin & Kate O’Farrell (“The Crown”)
Production Design for a Narrative Period Program (One Hour or More)
Martin Childs, Mark Raggett & Celia Bobak (“The Crown”)
Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Jeff Russo (“Fargo” — “Aporia”)
Children’s Program
“Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas” (HBO)
Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour or Less)
Jim Gloster, Andrew Leitch & Kimberly Wannop (“Veep”)
Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More)
Julie Berghoff, Evan Webber & Sophie Neudorfer (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)
Keith Rogers, Scott Weber, Roger Stevenson, Kyle O’Neal (“Westworld” — “The Bicameral Mind”)
Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series or Variety Program
Eddie Perez (“Shameless”)
Creative Achievement in Interactive Media Within a Scripted Program
HBO, Kilter Films & Bad Robot (“Westworld”)
Commercial
John X Hannes & Smuggler (“Calling JohnMalkovich.com – Squarespace”)
Special Visual Effects
Jay Worth, Elizabeth Castro, Joe Wehmeyer, Eric Levin-Hatz, Bobo Skipper, Gustav Ahren, Paul Ghezzo, Mitchell S. Drain, Michael Lantieri (“Westworld” — “The Bicameral Mind”)
Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role
Thomas Mahoney, Matthew Wheelon Hunt, Alex Gitler, Sina San, Michael Capton, Jon Anastasiades, Ryan Bauer, Mark Anthony Nazal, Randy Little (“Gotham” — “Heavydirtysoul”)
Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie
Chris Clark, Ralph Michael Abalos, Wendy Southard & Helena Cepeda (“Feud: Bette & Joan”)
Music Supervision
Susan Jacobs (“Big Little Lies” — “You Get What You Need”)
Sound Editing for a Series
Bradley North, Craig Henighan, Jordan Wilby, Jonathan Golodner, Tiffany S. Griffth, Sam Munoz, Sam Munoz, David Klotz, Noel Vought & Ginger Geary (“Stranger Things”)
Sound Mixing For a Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation
Andy D’Addario, Gary Gegan, Marco Fiumara (“Mozart in the Jungle” — “Now I Will Sing”)
Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special
Nicholas Renbeck, Marissa Littlefield, Steve Visscher, Ruth Hernandez, Sara Stern, Luciano Vignola, Odin Benitez, Ruy Garcia, Wyatt Sprague, Warren Shaw, Roland Vajs, Heather Gross, Dan Evans Farkas, Grant Conway & Marko Costanzo (“The Night Of”)
Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie, or Special
Eryn Krueger Mekash, Michael Mekash, David Leroy Anderson, James Mackinnon, Jason Hamer, Melanie Eichner, Cristina Himiob, Maiko Chiba (“American Horror Story: Roanoke”)
Sound Mixing For A Limited Series or Movie
Nicholas Renbeck, Michael Barry, Felix Andrew, Larry Hoff (“The Night Of” — “The Beach”)
Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
“Los Pollos Hermanos Employee Training”: “Better Call Saul” (AMC)
Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series
Joey Zapata, Pavy Olivarez, Bruce Samia & Donna Anderson (“Westworld”)
Main Title Design
Michelle Dougherty, Peter Frankfurt, Arisu Kashiwagi, Eric Demeusy (“Stranger Things”)
Contemporary Costumes for a Series, Limited Series or Movie
Alix Friedberg, Risa Garcia & Patricia McLaughlin (“Big Little Lies”)
Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie
Jay Cassidy & Nick Houy (“The Night Of”)
Makeup for a Limited Series or Movie (Non-Prosthetic)
Eryn Krueger Mekash, Robin Beauschense, Tym Buacharern, Kim Ayers, Becky Cotton, David Williams (“Feud: Bette and Joan”)
Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series
Dean Zimmerman (“Stranger Things”)
Original Interactive Program
Felix & Paul Studios (“The People’s House – Inside the White House With Barack and Michelle Obama”)
Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic)
Christien Tinsley, Myriam Arougheti, Gerald Quist, Lydia Milars, Ed French (“Westworld” — “The Original”)
(Pictured: Jeff Russo, music composition winner for “Fargo”)
