The 2017 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which honor outstanding artistic and technical achievement in television, were presented September 9 and 10 in Los Angeles. The awards recognize programs airing June 1, 2016–May 31, 2017.
Among the weekend’s winners were The 70th Annual Tony Awards Ceremony (hosted by James Corden in 2016), which won for Outstanding Special Class Program, while NBC’s broadcast of Hairspray Live! took home three awards, winning for Outstanding Variety/Nonfiction Special Production Design (bringing home a second Emmy for Broadway designer Derek McLane), Outstanding Technical Direction, and Outstanding Multi-Camera Hairstyling.
In addition to sharing in the Tony Awards Emmy win, Corden also took home an Emmy Award for Carpool Karaoke Primetime Special 2017 (Outstanding Variety Special) for the second year in a row.
Glenn Weiss, who also earned an Emmy on Saturday night for executive producing the 2016 Tony telecast, scored a second win for the 89th Annual Academy Awards Telecast (Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special).
Veteran Broadway scenic designer Eugene Lee—the longtime head designer for Saturday Night Live since its 1975 premiere—took home his second Emmy. Lee and his team won for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety, Nonfiction, Reality or Reality-Competition Series for the February 11, 2017, episode, hosted by Alec Baldwin.
Jane Lynch, known for Glee and her turn in Broadway’s Annie, won an Emmy for her work on Dropping the Soap (Outstanding Actress – Short Form Comedy or Drama Series), while Alexis Bleidel, seen Off-Broadway last year in Regrets, won for her work on The Handmaid's Tale (Outstanding Drama Guest Actress). Veteran television actor Gerald McCraney, who made his Broadway debut in Horton Foote's Dividing the Estate, won his first Emmy Award for This Is Us (Outstanding Drama Guest Actor). Meryl Streep also picked up an Emmy for Netflix's The Price of Victory (Outstanding Narrator).
Hip hop artist Common, who appeared in NBC’s live broadcast of The Wiz, is now only a Tony Award away from completing the EGOT. The performer, writer, and producer won for the song “Letter to the Free” (Outstanding Music and Lyrics, shared with co-writers Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins) featured in the Netflix documentary 13th.
“I wanted to go to Broadway before I won any awards. I would love to do theatre,” he told the press room.
The Netflix series The Crown, created by playwright Peter Morgan based on his Queen Elizabeth II docu-play The Audience, won in the categories of Outstanding Period/Fantasy Costumes and Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period Program.
So You Think You Can Dance choreographer (and former contestant) Travis Wall, who made his Broadway debut at age 12 in the 2000 revival of The Music Man, took home his first Emmy Award (Outstanding Choreography), tying with fellow SYTCD choreographer Mandy Moore.
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(Updated September 11, 2017)
