‘Schitt’s Creek,’ ‘Succession,’ Maya Rudolph Win at 2020 Creative Arts Emmys

Presented via various webcams over five nights, this year’s Creative Arts Emmy Awards may not look like any previous ceremony in the Television Academy’s history. But the honorees were no less deserving; the best technicians and behind-the-camera artists of the 2019–20 TV season accepted the medium’s most prestigious prizes from home. Beginning Sept. 14 and concluding with a ceremony to be aired on FXX Sept. 19, the 2020 Creative Arts Emmys are hosted by Nicole Byer, a nominee in the reality host category for Netflix’s “Nailed It!” 

The winners of the outstanding casting categories were Lisa Parasyn and Jon Comerford for Pop TV’s comedy “Schitt’s Creek” and Avy Kaufman for HBO’s drama “Succession.” Considering the casting categories’ typical correlation to the eventual outstanding comedy and drama series winners, and the fact that every actor behind the Rose family of “Schitt’s Creek” and the Roy family of “Succession” is Emmy-nominated, the casting results are a possible sign of things to come at the Sept. 20 Primetime Emmys ceremony. Meanwhile, “Star Wars” drama “The Mandalorian,” heralding the first Emmys for streaming platform Disney+, totaled five technical prizes including for Greig Fraser’s cinematography.

Goloka Bolte and Ethan Petersen earned the reality casting honor for VH1’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which is up for a total of 10 Emmys and took last year’s outstanding competition program prize. The reality hit also earned 2020 statuettes for makeup, contemporary hairstyling, and picture editing. Outstanding structured reality program went to Netflix’s “Queer Eye” for the third year running.

Maya Rudolph, Emmy-nominated for three performances this year, claimed her first statuette for Netflix’s “Big Mouth.” She faced stiff competition in the outstanding character voiceover category, from Hank Azaria and Nancy Cartwright for “The Simpsons,” Leslie Odom Jr. for “Central Park,” Wanda Sykes for “Crank Yankers,” and Taika Waititi for “The Mandalorian.” 
David Attenborough triumphed in the narration category for BBC America’s “Seven Worlds, One Planet.”

Earning recognition in the short form categories were actors Laurence Fishburne and Jasmine Cephas-Jones for Quibi’s “#FreeRayshawn.” This marks the debut year for the short form streaming platform, netting 10 total Emmy nominations. Outstanding short form comedy or drama series went to “Better Call Saul Employee Training: Legal Ethics With Kim Wexler” from AMC.com. In the variety series categories, HBO’s “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” claimed the writing prize and Don Roy King of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” won for his direction. For the fourth year in the row, “SNL” also earned the variety sketch series Emmy.

Further results will be unveiled Sept. 19, before the major category winners are announced at the 72nd annual Primetime Emmys ceremony Sept. 20, broadcast on ABC and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. For a full list of nominees and winners and more on TV’s biggest week, visit emmys.com.