Los Angeles — It was a massive night for Hulu at the Emmys in Los Angeles, the dark drama The Handmaid’s Tale showing that the streaming network is ready to compete with its more decorated competitors. Handmaid’s Tale took the top drama prize, and outstanding lead actress in a drama series went to Elisabeth Moss.
Other awards for the show were outstanding writer for a drama series for Bruce Miller, best supporting actress in a drama for Ann Dowd, and outstanding directing for a drama, which went to Reed Morano.
As expected, HBO also had a huge night, with Big Little Lies claiming a bunch of awards, and Veep taking top comedy. Laura Dern won for top supporting actress in a limited series, and thanked the “incredible tribe of fierce women” in the Big Little Lies cast.
Related: HBO Tops 2017 Creative Arts Emmys
NBC’s Saturday Night Live also came up strong, with outstanding supporting actor in a comedy winner Alec Baldwin saying of mastermind Lorne Michaels, “Thank you to Lorne—always Lorne.”
NBC’s rookie smash This Is Us had a winner in Sterling K. Brown for best actor in a drama.
FX comedy Atlanta also saw Donald Glover on the stage a couple times, for outstanding directing and for lead actor in a comedy. Glover thanked his parents, the city of Atlanta and FX, among others.
HBO won 10 Emmys Sept. 17, while NBC and Hulu got 5 and Netflix 4.
Handmaid’s Tale and Big Little Lies both won 5, while Saturday Night Live got 4.
Netflix’s Stranger Things, a favorite going into Emmys night, did not win anything Sept. 17. Black Mirror: San Junipero won two for Netflix. Netflix had three series in the top drama category.
Warren Littlefield, executive producer on Handmaid's Tale, called Hulu “fearless,” and said no one at studio MGM ever told the producers to “pull it back.”
“Streaming has arrived,” Littlefield added. “We’re here to say, what a wonderful journey.”
Ann Dowd may have been speaking for everyone at Handmaid’s Tale, and at Hulu, when she said, voice full of emotion, “This is a dream.”
