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Eugene Levy was named best actor in a drama series for Schitt’s Creek
Schitt’s Creek has won several major awards at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, which are being held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The show won the best comedy series prize, with its stars Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy being named best comedy actress and actor respectively.
Daniel Levy and Annie Murphy, meanwhile, won the best supporting actor and actress trophies.
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel is hosting the ceremony from Los Angeles.
- Emmy Awards 2020: The winners and nominees
Schitt’s Creek broadcast its sixth and final season earlier this year. Its nine wins this year meant it broke the record for most wins in a single season for a comedy.
The Canadian comedy series, which was created by father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, follows the wealthy Rose family, who are forced to move to a motel in a small town after losing their fortune.
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Left to right: Schitt’s Creek stars Catherine O’Hara, Annie Murphy, Dan Levy and Eugene Levy
The show launched on Pop TV in 2015 but developed a strong fan following around the world after later being added to Netflix.
Its wins also included outstanding directing for a comedy series for Andrew Cividino and Daniel Levy, with the latter also winning outstanding writing for the finale episode Happy Ending.
“Our show, at its core, is about the transformational effects of love and acceptance, and that is something we need more of now than we’ve ever needed before,” said Dan Levy as he accepted the prize for best comedy series.
Paying tribute to his son, Eugene Levy added: “I want to thank this young man who took our fish-out-of-water story and transformed it into a story of inclusivity, a castigation of homophobia, and a declaration of the power of love, so thank you Daniel.”
Winners are accepting their awards from home, as the usual ceremony has been scrapped due to the pandemic.
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Oscar winner Regina King stars in HBO superhero series Watchmen
Regina King was named best actress in a limited series for her performance in Watchmen.
“This is freakin’ weird!” joked the star as the Emmy was presented to her at her home.
In her acceptance speech, she paid tribute to US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died over the weekend, and encouraged viewers to register vote in the forthcoming presidential election.
Her co-star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was also nominated for best supporting actor for his performance in the show.
Watchmen, an innovative reimagining of a superhero graphic novel that tackled racism in America, scored the most nominations this year.
It won a loyal following and critical acclaim last year during its nine-episode run.
Succession, Ozark, Watchmen and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel are among the other nominated shows this year.
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Jimmy Kimmel hosted the show, with the nominees dialling in from home
This year marks Kimmel’s third time hosting the Emmys, after he fronted the ceremony in 2012 and 2016.
The Creative Arts Emmys took place earlier this week, with winners announced in categories such as casting, hair, make-up, lighting and sound design.
But the most high-profile categories, such as best comedy and drama, as well as the acting categories, have been saved for Sunday night’s ceremony.
In a promotional advert broadcast earlier on Sunday, producers said the ceremony would be broadcast from 114 locations across the world.
“No-one goes home a loser, they’ll already be at home,” joked host Kimmel as the ceremony kicked off.
The most nominated shows:
- Watchmen – 26
- The Marvelous Mrs Maisel – 20
- Succession – 18
- Ozark – 18
- Schitt’s Creek – 15
- The Mandalorian – 15
More than 25,000 members of the Television Academy vote for the awards, which were first presented in 1949. The name Emmy derives from an early piece of TV equipment called the image orthicon camera tube – or the Immy.
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