Golden Globes voters threw away their shot to award Hamilton earlier this year. But at the Emmys, it was a different story.
Hamilton, the filmed version of the hit musical that hit Disney+ last year, on Sunday won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded). Its competition in the category included Bo Burnham's Netflix comedy special Inside, as well as the Friends reunion that was released on HBO Max.
During an acceptance speech, star Renée Elise Goldsberry described the filmed version of Hamilton as reflecting the "synergy between the mediums of television and theater," also paying a tribute to Broadway, which is reopening after pandemic shutdowns.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ever since the filmed version of Hamilton was released last year, there had been debate about whether it should qualify for major awards shows, given it isn't exactly a movie and the original musical already swept the Tony Awards. The Oscars disqualified it, but the Golden Globes allowed it to compete as a film, with voters nominating it for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Still, that award ended up going to Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
The Emmys took a different approach, nominating Hamilton as a variety special. According to the Emmy's rules, "programs exclusively originated for or derived/adapted from a medium other than television or broadband" are eligible in this category. At the same time, Hamilton's stars were nominated in the limited series or TV movie categories, with actors including Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. competing with stars from shows like WandaVision and The Queen's Gambit. None of these Hamilton actors won in their respective categories, but with the variety special award, Hamilton fans can still come away from the Emmys satisfied.
-
5 Post Office-approved cartoons about mail-in votingCartoons Artists take on reverse logic, Putin's election advice, and more
-
The battle of the weight-loss drugsTalking Point Can Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly regain their former stock market glory? A lot is riding on next year's pills
-
Sudoku medium: August 24, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
