Emmys deliver to Amazon comedies, while ‘Chernobyl’ lights up limited series

"Chernobyl" was named best limited series, with additional honors for writing and directing in a loaded category that included "When They See Us" and "Fosse/Verdon," whose stars, Jharrel Jerome and Michelle Williams, took the lead acting honors.Accepting for "Chernobyl," writer-producer Craig Mazin said he hoped the story about the nuclear-plant disaster in 1986 would remind people "of the value of the truth, and the danger of a lie." It was one of several not-so-subtle political messages woven into the early part of the telecast.A relative newcomer, Jerome triumphed against a field of veteran actors and Oscar winners for "When They See Us," writer-director Ava DuVernay's Netflix limited series about the Central Park Five, to whom he dedicated the prize, along with his parents.Williams, meanwhile, was one of several honorees to speak of female empowerment and hearing women, after winning for her portrayal of actress/dancer Gwen Verdon, in another example of Hollywood having a fondness for Hollywood stories.In her accepting speech, Patricia Arquette — a supporting actress winner for Hulu's "The Act" — teared up speaking about the death of her sister, actress and transgender activist Alexis Arquette, while making a plea for rights and acceptance of transgender people. Phoebe Waller-Bridge was a dual winner, as lead actress and for writing her comedy "Fleabag." That victory deprived Julia Louis-Dreyfus a chance to make Emmy history, as a win would have made the "Veep" star the most-honored performer for acting, leaving her tied with Cloris Leachman, with eight in her career. (Louis-Dreyfus has three more awards for producing the show.)"Fleabag" also won the Emmy for directing, while Emmy voters again smiled on the period dramedy "Mrs. Maisel," which mounted a near-sweep of those awards last year (with "Veep," notably, sitting out the race). Alex Borstein claimed her second consecutive supporting actress win for the Amazon dramedy, while Tony Shalhoub received his fourth Emmy overall.Bill Hader was a repeat winner as lead actor for HBO's "Barry," breaking up what was otherwise an Amazon block party.Repeat winners, in fact, dominated the early part of the show, with "RuPaul's Drag Race" running off with the prize for best competition program. Host RuPaul injected the first note of politics into the evening, urging viewers to go register and vote. Once the comedy categories ended, the show quickly conjured several emotional moments, including standing ovations for the casts of "Game of Thrones" and "Veep," the two long-running HBO series that ended their runs in the spring.Netflix's interactive episode "Black MirroRead More – Source