A ’50s housewife turned stand-up star, an acting teacher extraordinaire and a relentless agent helped New York City productions become the strongest competitors at the 2018 Emmys.
The Manhattan-set Amazon comedy “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” was a clear favorite Monday night, winning a total of eight major statuettes, including outstanding comedy series. A feminist tale that sends us back to the streets of the city decades prior, “Mrs. Maisel’s” dominance marked big wins for its female leads and creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino.
Palladino (whom you know from “Gilmore Girls”) made history at the Los Angeles-based ceremony for winning both outstanding comedy writing and comedy directing for her “Mrs. Maisel” pilot. And, most notably, being the first woman to ever do so in the ceremony’s 70-year history. Leads Rachel Brosnahan (comedian Midge Maisel) and Alex Borstein (booker Susie Meyerson) each took home awards for outstanding actress and supporting actress in the comedy series, respectively.
“We got really lucky because I firmly feel if you set out to drive a political message through your show it just won’t work. You have to just love your show and love your characters and love your story. It was just an interesting fluke that at the time that ‘Maisel’ came out we were taking some trolls down,” Sherman-Palladino told press backstage.
She continued: “I’m glad that it’s a character that still resonates. Even though it’s not 1959 . . . a lot of those problems still exist and that just makes us more relevant and that’s just delicious — you can’t plan for that, that is just fate.”
“Mrs. Maisel,” which has filmed across Manhattan and shut down Washington Square Park in its premiere season, has already been renewed for its second and third seasons.
Another win for NYC came by way of “Happy Days” alum Henry Winkler, who won his first-ever Emmy for his role as Gene Cousineau in HBO’s “Barry.”
The Manhattan-born actor with a career spanning decades was nominated three times previously — in 1976, 1977 and 1978 — for his role as the famous Fonz. But it took a role as a passionate acting coach (unknowingly guiding a hit man) to lock in his win.
“I think I have the longest drought between nominations of anyone in the academy. I think over 7,400 people have been nominated between my last and tonight,” Winkler, 72, joked backstage with press. “It feels unbelievable.”
Winkler beat out Louie Anderson, of “Baskets,” and Alec Baldwin, nominated for his “Saturday Night Live” Trump role.
Speaking of “SNL,” the variety sketch series’ alums left their comedic mark all over the ceremony thanks to hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che, and pop-up appearances by Kate McKinnon, Kenan Thompson, Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen.
The late-night show, which totaled 21 nominations, took home the award for outstanding variety sketch series, making a little history of its own. “SNL” is now the first series to take home the prize in that category two years in a row.
Tiffany Haddish scored the series another win, for guest actress in a comedy, and “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” which films on 57th Street, also contributed to the city’s winners list.
The full winners’ list can be found at emmys.com.
