The Handmaid's Tale was the Emmys' biggest loser


It was a great night for streaming services at the Emmys. Just not every streaming service.
This year's Emmys saw shows from streaming platforms dominate, with the three top series prizes going to Apple's Ted Lasso and Netflix's The Crown and The Queen's Gambit. These were the first best series wins for both Apple and Netflix. But Hulu didn't have as much luck. Its dystopian series The Handmaid's Tale was nominated for a whopping 21 awards, only three fewer than The Crown, but it failed to win a single one. This breaks the record for most Emmy losses in one year, Variety reports. The record was previously held by Mad Men, which won no Emmys in 2012 despite earning 17 nominations.
The Handmaid's Tale was in contention for the top award of Outstanding Drama Series, and numerous stars were up for Emmys, including lead Elisabeth Moss. Still, the show not only didn't get on the board at all during Sunday's broadcast, but it also didn't win anything at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
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Hulu wasn't the only non-Netflix and non-Apple streamer to have a disappointing night on Sunday. Disney+ failed to score two Emmys that pundits thought it would take for the first Marvel streaming series, WandaVision, which was nominated for 23 awards this year. Still, WandaVision at least earned a few Creative Arts Emmys prior to the main show, as did The Mandalorian, and Disney+ won a variety special Emmy for Hamilton.
But for The Handmaid's Tale, the Emmys showing was quite a reversal of fortune from 2017, when Moss won for her lead performance, Ann Dowd won for her supporting performance, and the show won Outstanding Drama Series in addition to best directing and writing. The show made history that year as the first best drama Emmy winner from a streaming service, long before Netflix would take the prize. Clearly, though, a lot can change in four years.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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