Creative Arts Emmy Recap

Hello everyone! In case you were unaware, last night was the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony (it will be broadcast on Reelz Channel later this week), and there were some big winners and shockers that could indicate what next Sunday's Primetime Emmys ceremony could bring. Let's check it out.

First, the big categories of the night were the guest acting categories. Kathy Bates took home the Emmy for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Two and a Half Men. Personally, I had her ranked fifth, and I'm surprised she won, but I guess I shouldn't be. Bates is a well-respected actress who has never won an Emmy, and voters may have wanted to reward her (which means her chances for winning a Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Harry's Law aren't as great anymore). I really thought Melissa McCarthy had this one in the bag, and if not her, then Maya Rudolph, another SNL guest host. SNL didn't go home empty-handed in the guest acting categories, however: Jimmy Fallon picked up an Emmy for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for hosting the SNL Christmas episode. He was my number one pick, so yay for me! Fallon's win here continues Saturday Night Live's hot streak in these categories; an SNL guest has won one of these categories since 2009. On the drama side of things, Jeremy Davies took home the award for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Justified. I had him ranked third, thinking one of the actors from The Good Wife would take home the prize, but (just as in the comedy category), the show was rewarded in another capacity: in one of the night's biggest surprises, Martha Plimpton took home the Emmy for Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role on The Good Wife. While I had her ranked third, I'm thrilled she picked up this award, finally earning some Emmy recognition (and I guess this makes up for her snub in the Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category this year).

In other news, the night's big winner was HBO's Game of Thrones, which picked up six awards, including Art Direction, Costumes, and Special Visual Effects. While that may be a good thing for the show heading to the primetime ceremony (where it is nominated for Best Drama Series and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series), remember that last year's Creative Arts winner, Boardwalk Empire, only picked up one extra award at the primetime ceremony. Still, keep an eye out on Game of Thrones for some potential upsets! Frozen Planet, Great Expectations, and Saturday Night Live followed close behind with four wins each. Boardwalk Empire picked up three wins, while Downton Abbey and Homeland each won two Emmys. Surprisingly, the two frontrunners for Best Drama Series (Mad Men and Breaking Bad) were shut-out of the Creative Arts Emmys, a first for Mad Men. I smell a serious chance of an upset in this category!

Out of the Best Comedy Series nominees, only three shows picked up one award (Girls, Modern Family, and Curb Your Enthusiasm), which doesn't really help make predicting this category easier. Two and a Half Men was the only comedy to pick up multiple awards but I'm thinking that won't make much of a change when it comes to Jon Cryer's nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. CBS comedies had a great showing this year: in addition to Men's two wins, 2 Broke Girls and How I Met Your Mother also picked up an Emmy each (HIMYM picks up it's second Emmy for Best Picture Editing for a Multi-Camera Series). CBS picked up thirteen awards, but HBO led the pack with 17. Check back later this week for more pre-Emmy hype as we count down to Sunday's ceremony!

Evan