Medieval drama “Game of Thrones” closed its run with a fourth Emmy award for best drama series while British comedy “Fleabag” was the upset winner for best comedy series on Sunday on a night that rewarded newcomers over old favorites.
Billy Porter, the star of LGBTQ series “Pose,” became the first openly gay black man to win a best dramatic actor Emmy, while British newcomer Jodie Comer took the Emmy for her lead actress role as a psychotic assassin in the quirky BBC America drama “Killing Eve.”
“I am so overjoyed to have lived long enough to see this day,” said Porter, 50, crowning a standout year in which he made waves on red carpets at the Oscars and the Met Gala for his gender-fluid outfits.
The Emmys are Hollywood’s top honors in television, and the night belonged to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the star and creator of Amazon Studios’ “Fleabag” who also created “Killing Eve.”
Waller-Bridge took the trophy for best comedy actress, beating out six-time “Veep” actress winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus as well as last year’s Emmy champ Rachel Brosnahan for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Waller-Bridge also won an Emmy for comedy writing.
“This is just getting ridiculous!,” Waller-Bridge said as she accepted the comedy series Emmy.
“It’s really wonderful to know, and reassuring, that a dirty, pervy, angry, messed-up woman can make it to the Emmys,” Waller-Bridge added.
Already the most-awarded series in Emmy history with 38 wins, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” went into Sunday’s awards show as the clear front runner, despite a fan uproar over the conclusion of the series.
It emerged from the Emmys with a leading 12 wins, with Soviet nuclear accident drama “Chernobyl” taking 10 and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” winning eight, including for supporting actors Tony Shalhoub and Alex Borstein.