Well, this is awkward — Hulu just did something Netflix hasn’t been able to do at the Emmys
The 69th Annual Emmy Awards has come and gone, and the big winners have been crowned. Big Little Lies took home the top prize, as did Veep, and we expected both of those shows to win. As for Outstanding Television Drama, that prize went to The Handmaid’s Tale, which was also very much deserved — it’s great, have you seen it?
Handmaid’s win was certainly a celebrated one, and it’s the first time a Hulu series has snagged a top prize. It’s also kind of a big deal, because Hulu just beat Netflix to winning Outstanding Drama, and Hulu did it on their first try. (Because, correct me if I’m wrong, they haven’t received a drama nomination before.)
Netflix has been around a little bit longer than Hulu, and has certainly been creating original content longer than Hulu. Since 2013, Netflix has been nominated for Outstanding Drama eight times — for House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, The Crown, and Stranger Things. So far, none of them have won. Netflix has also never clinched Outstanding Comedy series, even though Orange is the New Black (yes, it’s been nominated in both categories), Kimmy Schmidt, and Master of None have all received nominations.
Things don’t look better over in the acting categories, either. Elizabeth Moss took home Outstanding Actress for her role as Offred. Meanwhile, Robin Wright has been nominated five times for her role as Claire Underwood.
This irony was not lost on the internet: false false
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/909613070955270144
Hulu’s content budget is still smaller than Amazon and Netflix’s but this type of win is what gets creators to sign deals.
— Christina Warren (@film_girl) September 18, 2017
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/909613117398704128
Whew, Hulu just kicked Netflix's ass tonight at the Emmys. "Handmaid's Tale" wins for Outstanding Drama series.
— Rebecca Theodore-Vachon 🇭🇹 🇩🇴 🇺🇸 (@FilmFatale_NYC) September 18, 2017
It’s certainly very impressive, and all the congrats to Handmaid’s and Hulu on their much deserved win. But let’s not forget the fact that Game of Thrones couldn’t be nominated for ANY awards Sunday night, because Season 7 premiered after Emmys voting closed for submissions. How would Offred have faired against Daenerys Targaryen? That’s something we’re going to be asking ourselves in 2018, and may the best television drama win.
