US: Amazon's Marvelous Mrs. Maisel takes 5 Emmys

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel walked away the big winner from Monday night's 70th Emmy awards.

The streaming program racked up five wins, including best comedy, writing and directing. It was followed by FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which took home three Emmys including best actor.

In a night that sought to shine the spotlight prominently on the #MeToo movement and criticism over Hollywood's lack of diversity, the festivities were capped in many ways by Glenn Weiss's surprise proposal when he took the stage to accept the Emmy for directing the Oscars telecast.

“You wonder why I don’t want to call you my girlfriend? It’s because I want to call you my wife,” he told his girlfriend Jan Svendsen while onstage, sending the audience into hysterics.

He formally asked for Svendsen's hand in marriage when she joined him before a packed Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

But from the opening monologue on, it was clear that the night would be dedicated to discussing the powerful #MeToo movement, which has seen powerful men toppled from positions of power, particularly in Hollywood, as well as the industry's lack of diversity and the growing might of streaming services in television programming.

Beyond Amazon's Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Netflix's the Crown took lead actress in a drama series for Claire Foy's performance, as well as best directing for a drama series (Stephen Daldry, for the episode Paterfamilias).

Still, network television vanguards HBO and FX laid claim to some of the night's most coveted awards.

HBO's Game of Thrones won for best drama series and supporting actor in a drama series (Peter Dinklage). The premium cable network also won best variety talk series for John Oliver's Last Week Tonight, and its show Barry snagged two Emmys: one in the lead actor in a comedy series for Bill Hader and supporting actor in a comedy series for Henry Winkler.