by Sam H.
Anyone who knows me is that the Emmys are essentially my Super Bowl. I love making predictions about who’ll win awards, going so far as to research past winners to figure out who has a great chance of winning. Every year, on the document where I keep my predictions, I also have a list of actors or series I would like to win that year. I’ve always rooted for series starring actors of color to win awards because representation is extremely important, and winning awards can help increase awareness about the state of representation. Historically, names of actors of color have only stayed in this category, rarely ever being on the “winning” list or “predicted winners” list, as the wins in every category are mostly for series featuring white actors. However, this year, the Emmys defied my expectations in the best way possible by spotlighting actors of color.
Admittedly, the drama wins were mostly for Succession and white actors, which isn’t surprising because as much as I think it’s important to prioritize supporting diversity on-screen, it’s undeniable that Succession is an incredible television show deserving of praise and esteem. However, across other categories, the wins were much more diverse. For example, RuPaul’s Drag Race won again for Best Outstanding Competition Program, and Trevor Noah’s The Daily Show won Best Outstanding Talk Series. Ayo Edebiri won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, and Quinta Brunson won Best Actress in a Comedy, both wins that I quite literally jumped for joy for. Furthermore, Niecy Nash-Betts won for her performance in Dahmer–Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story. Last year, Sheryl Lee Ralph won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, and these increasing wins for Black women are incredibly important to recognize, especially since both Edebiri and Brunson are not only acting onscreen but also involved in writing and producing comedy shows, thus increasing representation behind the screen as well.
The limited series category wins were impressive, as Beef took home 5 wins, spotlighting the Asian American community. Beef winning led me to feel some conflicting feelings. Of course, I’m so happy that the Asian American community is finally getting recognition in the industry at a prestigious level. Since 2018, I have wished that the Asian American representation being recognized in recent years’ Oscars could also be recognized in the Emmys. But Beef winning and breaking records for recognition of Asian American representation in television is a complicated matter when considering the sexual harassment allegations against one of the actors on the show and the showrunners’ and lead actors’ response defending him. So, while I’m glad that Asian Americans are winning awards, it’s important to recognize the industry’s dismissal of sexual misconduct and how these allegations do nothing to deter people from supporting those accused of such crimes, letting them continue to have careers without so much as a slap on the wrist. Similarly, it’s disappointing that Anthony Anderson was chosen as a host despite his sexual misconduct allegations.
Not only did the wins recognize the state of racial diversity, but the show itself recognized series with Black actors that haven’t been recognized or awarded in the past, like Martin, and how monumental they were to shaping the state of representation on television. Thus, many presenters were actors of color, which is the bare minimum, but it’s worth mentioning. Additionally, even though this was only a brief moment, I’m glad that the Emmys decided to feature GLAAD and that the organization called for better representation of trans people. My only issue with that is that there’s a trend of streaming services canceling shows featuring queer characters or implied queer characters, which makes giving such an award to GLAAD seem disingenuous and performative, but highlighting the GLAAD organization is a great start toward improving queer representation.
The possibility to increase and improve representation should still be at the forefront of the industry’s goals. Just because more actors of color have been winning awards for their work on television doesn’t mean there isn’t more work to do, especially when considering diversity behind the screen. We need more series created and written by people of color, especially in drama, which nearly always fails to recognize dramas starring people of color. Increased diversity will also lead to a wider range of stories and perspectives shared, making for better television overall. I’m excited and hopeful for representation in the future, but it’s essential that organizations like GLAAD and research like the yearly diversity reports that UCLA publishes continue holding the industry accountable for what it can continue to do to improve representation in television.