Netflix wins its 1st drama series Emmy with The Crown

Netflix hasn't yet taken home a Best Picture Oscar. But after years of attempts, the streamer has finally nabbed a best series Emmy.

At Sunday's Emmys, the award for Outstanding Drama Series went to Netflix's royal drama The Crown, which won over nominees including Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale and Disney's The Mandalorian. This was the first time ever that Netflix earned one of the top Emmys for best comedy or drama series.

The streamer has been in contention for those awards for years, having garnered its first drama series nomination for the debut season of House of Cards in 2013. But HBO has been mostly dominating in the Emmys' drama series category in recent years with wins for Game of Thrones and, in 2020, for Succession. Netflix isn't the first streamer to ever win Outstanding Drama Series, though. That distinction goes to Hulu, which won for The Handmaid's Tale in 2017.

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Even outside of the top category, The Crown swept Sunday's Emmys, with wins in all four of the major acting categories, as well as for directing and writing. Meanwhile, Apple's sports comedy Ted Lasso, another streaming show, won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series on Sunday. Amazon previously won the comedy series award for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Fleabag, but Netflix has yet to win in that category. This was the first year both the comedy and drama awards went to streaming shows.

If Netflix hopes to repeat this major Emmys success next year, though, it can expect some stiffer competition. After all, while it didn't air a new season in time for the 2021 Emmys, HBO's Succession is returning next month and will likely be back in the mix in 2022.