Emmys 2021 RECAP: Winners & Biggest Moments

Netflix’s “The Crown” was the big winner at Sunday’s Primetime Emmy Awards, bringing home seven wins, the most of any show.

The success of that show helped push Netflix to the highest tally of all of the various networks and streaming services. It took home 10, trophies as “The Queen’s Gambit” collected two awards, including outstanding limited series, and “Halston” earned one award.



Between premium cable channel HBO and streaming service HBO Max, the studio, owned by AT&T, took home nine awards. Its show “Mare of Eastown” garnered four wins, “Last Week Tonight” earned two, “Hacks” scored three and “I May Destroy You” secured one.

Apple TV+ earned four awards for “Ted Lasso,” ViacomCBS tallied two from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and a Stephen Colbert election special. Both NBC and Disney scored one award each.

Host Cedric the Entertainer opened the night with a karaoke rendition of “Just a Friend” by Biz Markie, aided by Rita Wilson, LL Cool J and Lil Dicky.

The audience, which included about 500 nominees and guests, joined in, standing up, clapping and singing along. The energy level was contagious for the first hour of the show as “Ted Lasso” snagged two back-to-back acting awards, leading to emotional speeches from first-time winners Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein.

This year’s ceremony took place at L.A. Live’s Event Deck instead of the Microsoft Theater, which has been home to the Emmys since 2008. The relocation was due to the Covid pandemic. Typically, attendees would have been seated in rows in a theater, but were able to congregate at small tables.

Women sweep Emmy drama and comedy directing categories
Female directors hit a milestone Sunday night, as “The Crown’s” Jessica Hobbs and “Hacks’” Lucia Aniello won the awards for outstanding directing for a drama series and a comedy series, respectively.



This is the first time that women have swept both directing categories in the same year.

Hobbs’ win for “The Crown,” marks only the fourth time in 67 years that the Emmy for outstanding directing of a drama series has gone to a woman.

“Not a lot of women have won this award so I feel I’m standing on the shoulders of some really extraordinary people,” she said on stage accepting the award. “I’m very grateful for the path they led, and I particularly would like to pay tribute to my mom who at 77 is still directing.”

Hobbs is the daughter of director Aileen O’Sullivan.

Aniello, who is also the co-creator of “Hacks,” is the fifth woman to win the outstanding director award in the comedy category.

Netflix wins 10 awards, HBO 9 at 73rd Emmy Awards
It was a tight race between streaming service Netflix and the tag-team of HBO and HBO Max heading into the final award during the 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony Sunday night.

Netflix ultimately took home the most wins with 10, while HBO tallied nine.

Tallying the Creative Arts Emmys and Sunday’s Primetime Emmy Awards here’s how the top studios fared:

Netflix - 44
HBO/HBO Max - 19
Disney+ - 14
AppleTV+ - 10
NBC - 8
VH1 - 6