Emmy Awards 2021: Ted Lasso', ‘The Crown' and ‘The Queen's Gambit' Win Top Prizes

This is CNBC's live blog covering all the latest news on the 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards.

Netflix's "The Crown" was the big winner at Sunday's Primetime Emmy Awards, bringing home seven wins, the most of any show.

The success of that show helped push Netflix to the highest tally of all of the various networks and streaming services. It took home 10, trophies as "The Queen's Gambit" collected two awards, including outstanding limited series, and "Halston" earned one award.

Between premium cable channel HBO and streaming service HBO Max, the studio, owned by AT&T, took home nine awards. Its show "Mare of Eastown" garnered four wins, "Last Week Tonight" earned two, "Hacks" scored three and "I May Destroy You" secured one.

Apple TV+ earned four awards for "Ted Lasso," ViacomCBS tallied two from "RuPaul's Drag Race" and a Stephen Colbert election special. Both NBC and Disney scored one award each.

Host Cedric the Entertainer opened the night with a karaoke rendition of "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie, aided by Rita Wilson, LL Cool J and Lil Dicky.

The audience, which included about 500 nominees and guests, joined in, standing up, clapping and singing along. The energy level was contagious for the first hour of the show as "Ted Lasso" snagged two back-to-back acting awards, leading to emotional speeches from first-time winners Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein.

This year's ceremony took place at L.A. Live's Event Deck instead of the Microsoft Theater, which has been home to the Emmys since 2008. The relocation was due to the Covid pandemic. Typically, attendees would have been seated in rows in a theater, but were able to congregate at small tables.

Women sweep Emmy drama and comedy directing categories

Female directors hit a milestone Sunday night, as "The Crown's" Jessica Hobbs and "Hacks'" Lucia Aniello won the awards for outstanding directing for a drama series and a comedy series, respectively.

This is the first time that women have swept both directing categories in the same year.

Hobbs' win for "The Crown," marks only the fourth time in 67 years that the Emmy for outstanding directing of a drama series has gone to a woman.

“Not a lot of women have won this award so I feel I’m standing on the shoulders of some really extraordinary people,” she said on stage accepting the award. “I’m very grateful for the path they led, and I particularly would like to pay tribute to my mom who at 77 is still directing.”

Hobbs is the daughter of director Aileen O’Sullivan.

Aniello, who is also the co-creator of "Hacks," is the fifth woman to win the outstanding director award in the comedy category.

—Sarah Whitten

Netflix wins 10 awards, HBO 9 at 73rd Emmy Awards

It was a tight race between streaming service Netflix and the tag-team of HBO and HBO Max heading into the final award during the 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony Sunday night.

Netflix ultimately took home the most wins with 10, while HBO tallied nine.

Tallying the Creative Arts Emmys and Sunday's Primetime Emmy Awards here's how the top studios fared:

Netflix - 44
HBO/HBO Max - 19
Disney+ - 14
AppleTV+ - 10
NBC - 8
VH1 - 6

—Sarah Whitten

Conan O'Brien nearly steals the show with goofy outbursts

Conan O'Brien nearly stole the show with several laughter-inducing outbursts that got Twitter and the Emmy audience going crazy.

When Chairman and CEO of the Television Academy Frank Scherma introduced the Governors Award with a speech on diversity and representation, O'Brien ushered a salute and continued to applaud even after the audience subsided.

Celebrities and audiences alike took to Twitter to applaud O'Brien's goofiness, with some referring to the outbursts as sabotage.

O'Brien also crashed Stephen Colbert's acceptance speech for an award for his live election-themed special.

"Most of the people behind me really deserve this Emmy, right now," Colbert said, to which the audience chuckled.

O'Brien did not win an award, though he was nominated for variety talk series for his late-night show, which came to an end in June after a 28-year run. John Oliver gave a nod to O'Brien during one of his two acceptance speeches.

"Like many of us in this room, I was kind of rooting for Conan, so this is bittersweet," he said, thanking O'Brien for inspiring comedy writers.

—Samantha Subin

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

And the winner is..."The Queen's Gambit"

Also nominated:
"I May Destroy You"
"Mare of Easttown"
"The Underground Railroad"
"WandaVision"

Outstanding Drama Series

And the winner is..."The Crown"

Also nominated:
"The Boys"
"Bridgerton"
"The Handmaid's Tale"
"Lovecraft Country"
"The Mandalorian"
"Pose"
"This Is Us"

Outstanding Comedy Series

And the winner is..."Ted Lasso"

Also nominated:
"Black-ish"
"Cobra Kai"
"Emily in Paris"
"Hacks"
"The Flight Attendant"
"The Kominsky Method"
"Pen15″

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series

And the winner is...Don Roy King, "Saturday Night Live"

Also nominated:
Christopher Werner, "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"
Alexander J. Vietmeier, "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
Paul G. Casey, "Real Time with Bill Maher"
Jim Hoskinson, "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

And the winner is... "Hamilton"

Also nominated:

"Bo Burnham: Inside"
"David Byrne's American Utopia"
"8:46 - Dave Chappelle"
"Friends: The Reunion"
"A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote"

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)

And the winner is... "Stephen Colbert's Election Night 2020: Democracy's Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020"

Also nominated:
"Celebrating America – An Inauguration Night Special"
"The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards"
"The Oscars"
"The Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show Starring The Weeknd"

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

And the winner is...Josh O'Connor, "The Crown"

Also nominated:
Sterling K. Brown, "This Is Us"
Jonathan Majors, "Lovecraft Country"
Rege-Jean Page, "Bridgerton"
Billy Porter, "Pose"
Matthew Rhys, "Perry Mason"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

And the winner is...Olivia Colman, "The Crown"

Also nominated:
Uzo Aduba, "In Treatment"
Emma Corrin, "The Crown"
Elisabeth Moss, "The Handmaid's Tale"
Mj Rodriguez, "Pose"
Jurnee Smollett, "Lovecraft Country"

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

And the winner is...Ewan McGregor, "Halston"

Also nominated:
Paul Bettany, "WandaVision"
Hugh Grant, "The Undoing"
Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Hamilton"
Leslie Odom, Jr., "Hamilton"

Debbie Allen tells women: 'Claim your voice'

With tears in her eyes, Debbie Allen accepted the 2021 Governors Award, and shared a heartfelt tribute to women and the people that helped her become the "Debbie Allen that can get things done."

"It's taken a lot of courage to be the only woman in the room most of the time," she said, alluding to the struggles as a female working her way up in Hollywood. Allen also told the showrunners to shut the clock off so she could speak -- to which laughter erupted in the crowd.

She gave a nod to women in Texas and Afghanistan, and called on women worldwide to let the "moment resonate."

"It is time for you to claim your power, claim your voice, say your song, tell your stories," she said.

—Samantha Subin

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

And the winner is...Kate Winslet, "Mare of Easttown"

Also nominated:
Michaela Coel, "I May Destroy You"
Cynthia Erivo, "Genius: Aretha"
Elizabeth Olsen, "WandaVision"
Anya Taylor-Joy, "The Queen's Gambit"

RuPaul breaks record for the most Emmy wins by a person of color with 11

RuPaul made history on Sunday, winning his 11th Emmy award, the most wins by a person of color. The record was previously held by cinematographer Donald A. Morgan.

"RuPaul's Drag Race" took home the prize for outstanding competition program. It is the most-awarded reality competition show at the Emmys.

The Television Academy's chairman and CEO Frank Scherma celebrated the growth in diverse representation on TV during Sunday's telecast.

"It's so great to see that television and the stories that we tell are finally becoming a reflection of every part of our society," he said before announcing the recipient of the Governors Award.

"Voices of Black, Latinx, Asian American and Indigenous creators, along with the LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse and disabled communities are being heard by larger audiences than ever before," Scherma continued. "These stories touch all of us as part of our shared human experience."

—Sarah Whitten

Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

And the winner is...Michaela Coel, "I May Destroy You"

Also nominated:
Brad Ingelsby, "Mare of Easttown"
Scott Frank, "The Queen's Gambit"
Chuck Hayward, Peter Cameron, "WandaVision"
Jac Schaeffer, "WandaVision"
Laura Donney, "WandaVision"

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

And the winner is...Scott Frank, "The Queen's Gambit"

Also nominated:
Thomas Kail, "Hamilton"
Sam Miller, Michaela Coel, "I May Destroy You"
Sam Miller, "I May Destroy You"
Craig Zobel, "Mare of Easttown"
Barry Jenkins, "The Underground Railroad"
Matt Shakman, "Wanda Vision"

Outstanding Competition Program

And the winner is..."RuPaul's Drag Race"

Also nominated:
"The Amazing Race"
"Nailed It!"
"Top Chef"
"The Voice"

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

And the winner is...Jason Sudeikis, "Ted Lasso"

Also nominated:
Anthony Anderson, "Black-ish"
Michael Douglas, "The Kominsky Method"
William H. Macy, "Shameless"
Kenan Thompson, "Kenan"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

And the winner is...Jean Smart, "Hacks"

Also nominated:
Aidy Bryant, "Shrill"
Kaley Cuoco, "The Flight Attendant"
Allison Janney, "Mom"
Tracee Ellis Ross, "Black-ish"

John Oliver mocks Adam Driver once again

The Emmy for outstanding writing for a variety series went to "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver" and the acceptance speech was anything but ordinary.

The writers paid homage to Adam Driver, which John Oliver fans will recall is one of the show's long-running jokes.

"He knows what he did and we know what we'd like him to do," one writer joked.

John Oliver also won for variety talk series, where he paid tribute to Norm Macdonald, who died earlier this month at 61. Lorne Michaels also gave a nod to Macdonald after "Saturday Night Live" won for outstanding variety sketch series, who he called "one of the best we ever had."

"No one was funnier in the last 20 years than Norm Macdonald on late-night comedy," Oliver said.

Oliver also gave a shout out to Conan O'Brien, who also was nominated for variety talk series. O'Brien's late-night run came to an end earlier this year after nearly three decades.

—Samantha Subin

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

And the winner is...Lucia Aniello, "Hacks"

Also nominated:
James Burrows, "B Positive"
James Widdoes, "Mom"
Zach Braff, "Ted Lasso"
MJ Delaney, "Ted Lasso"
Declan Lowney, "Ted Lasso"
Susanna Fogel, "The Flight Attendant"

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

And the winner is...Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, "Hacks"

Also nominated:
Meredith Scardino, "Girls5eva"
Maya Erskine, "PEN15"
Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, "Ted Lasso"
Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, "Ted Lasso"
Steve Yockey, "The Flight Attendant"

Which department store is your vaccine?

After a star-studded karaoke introduction, Cedric the Entertainer opened the night poking fun at Covid-19 and vaccine misinformation.

"I got vaxxed," he quipped. "I did not have a reaction like Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend."

He also jokingly referred to each vaccine as a department store, calling Pfizer's the Neiman Marcus of vaccines, Moderna's was dubbed Macy's, and Johnson & Johnson's was equated to T.J. Maxx.

Cedric also drew attention to black representation in the nominations, pointing out his friend Anthony Anderson, who received his seventh nomination for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series. The lack of diversity in nominations is an issue that has come under stark criticism in recent awards shows in Hollywood.

—Samantha Subin

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

And the winner is..."Saturday Night Live" (NBC)

Also nominated:
"A Black Lady Sketch Show" (HBO)

Outstanding Variety Talk Series

And the winner is..."Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"

Also nominated:
"Conan"
"The Daily Show with Trevor Noah"
"Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series

And the winner is... "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"

Also nominated:

"A Black Lady Sketch Show"
"Saturday Night Live"
"The Amber Ruffin Show"
"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

And the winner is...Tobias Menzies, "The Crown"

Also nominated:
Michael K. Williams, "Lovecraft Country"
John Lithgow, "Perry Mason"
O-T Fagbenle, "The Handmaid's Tale"
Max Minghella, "The Handmaid's Tale"
Bradley Whitford, "The Handmaid's Tale"
Giancarlo Esposito, "The Mandalorian"
Chris Sullivan, "This Is Us"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

And the winner is...Gillian Anderson, "The Crown"

Also nominated:
Aunjanue Ellis, "Lovecraft Country"
Helena Bonham Carter, "The Crown"
Emerald Fennell, "The Crown"
Madeline Brewer, "The Handmaid's Tale"
Ann Dowd, "The Handmaid's Tale"
Yvonne Strahovski, "The Handmaid's Tale"
Samira Wiley, "The Handmaid's Tale"

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

And the winner is...Jessica Hobbs, "The Crown"

Also nominated:
Julie Anne Robinson, "Bridgerton"
Steven Canals, "Pose"
Benjamin Caron, "The Crown"
Liz Garbus, "The Handmaid's Tale"
Jon Favreau, "The Mandalorian"

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

And the winner is...Peter Morgan, "The Crown"

Also nominated:
Misha Green, "Lovecraft Country"
Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Steven Canals, Janet Mock, Our Lady J, "Pose"
Rebecca Sonnenshine, "The Boys"
Yahlin Chang, "The Handmaid's Tale"
Dave Filoni, "The Mandalorian"
Jon Favreau, "The Mandalorian"

'There's way too many of us in this little room,' Seth Rogen says

Seth Rogen has some questions for the Television Academy.

The actor took to the stage on Sunday to present the first award of the night, but took a moment to comment on the in-person ceremony.

"Let me start by saying there's way too many of us in this little room," he said. "What are we doing? They said this was outdoors. It's not."

The Television Academy swapped venues due to the coronavirus and is being held at L.A. Live's Event deck, a space that offers indoor and outdoor locations for the production. The event is quite a bit smaller than previous years, with only around 500 guests attending the ceremony in Los Angeles, compared with several thousand in previous years.

The Academy tested all participants and required vaccinations for all attendees.

"They lied to us," Rogen joked. "We are in a hermetically sealed tent right now. I would not have come to this. Why is there a roof? It's more important that we have three chandeliers than that we make sure we don't kill Eugene Levy tonight. That is what has been decided."

—Sarah Whitten

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

And the winner is...Evan Peters, "Mare of Easttown"

Also nominated:
Daveed Diggs, "Hamilton"
Jonathan Groff, "Hamilton"
Anthony Ramos, "Hamilton"
Paapa Essiedu, "I May Destroy You"
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, "The Queen's Gambit"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

And the winner is...Julianne Nicholson, "Mare of Easttown"

Also nominated:
Phillipa Soo, "Hamilton"
Renee Elise Goldsberry, "Hamilton"
Jean Smart, "Mare of Easttown"
Moses Ingram, "The Queen's Gambit"
Kathryn Hahn, "WandaVision"

A bid to boost Emmys ratings after last year's low

In the last decade, Hollywood's top award shows have faced declining viewership.

So, are people becoming bored with big award ceremonies or are they just watching them differently?

Some argue that the inundation of too many live award show ceremonies has saturated the market and made top-tier award shows like the Grammys, Emmys and Oscars less exciting to viewers.

Not to mention, younger viewers, many of whom have cut cable, aren't as willing to sit through the traditional 16 to 20 minutes of commercials per hour that comes with a live TV telecast. Nielsen data doesn't include figures for viewers who opted to watch any of the major award shows on streaming platforms.

Then there are also some who bemoan Hollywood, in particular, for using its award ceremonies to make political and social statements.

Last April's Oscars ceremony was watched by the smallest audience the award show has ever received.

And the same thing happened at last year's Emmy Awards. The show drew only 5.1 million total viewers, down 14% from last year's event, according to Nielsen.

— Sarah Whitten

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

And the winner is...Brett Goldstein, "Ted Lasso"

Also nominated:
Carl Clemons-Hopkins, "Hacks"
Kenan Thompson, "SNL"
Bowen Yang, "SNL"
Brendan Hunt, "Ted Lasso"
Nick Mohammed, "Ted Lasso"
Jeremy Swift, "Ted Lasso"
Paul Reiser, "The Kominsky Method"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

And the winner is...Hannah Waddingham, "Ted Lasso"

Also nominated:
Hannah Einbinder, "Hacks"
Aidy Bryant, "SNL"
Kate McKinnon, "SNL"
Cecily Strong, "SNL"
Juno Temple, "Ted Lasso"
Rosie Perez, "The Flight Attendant"

Elizabeth Olsen's red carpet look designed by older sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley

Elizabeth Olsen, who is nominated for her role as Wanda Maximoff in the Disney+ series "WandaVision," donned a white look on the Emmys' red carpet Sunday that was designed by her older sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley.

The twin actors launched their luxury fashion label called The Row in 2006.

"WandaVision" was nominated for 23 Emmy awards across the Creative Arts and Primetime ceremonies. The Marvel show took home three wins during the Creative Arts Emmys last weekend including outstanding production design for a half-hour narrative program, outstanding fantasy/sci-fi costumes and best original music and lyrics for "Agatha All Along."

Olsen's co-star Paul Bettany is nominated for outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for his turn as Vision, while Kathryn Hahn is nominated for outstanding supporting actress for her portrayal of Agnes aka villain Agatha Harkness.

—Sarah Whitten

The strange case of 'Hamilton' at the Emmys

There is no doubt that "Hamilton," a Tony Award-winning spectacle, is a masterpiece. However, many were confused when the filmed production nabbed 12 Emmy nominations in July.

Disney+, which streamed "Hamilton," was permitted to categorize the project as a prerecorded variety special, which it did for the technical Emmy categories. However, because there is no longer a variety performer category, the Television Academy allowed Disney to submit its actors and actresses under the TV movie umbrella.

"Hamilton" ultimately secured seven different acting nominations across the lead and supporting categories.

—Sarah Whitten

Cedric the Entertainer faces declining Emmy viewership

Cedric the Entertainer has been enlisted as this year's Emmy Awards' host. The stand-up comedian, who stars on "The Neighborhood" on CBS, has his work cut out for him.

For years, the award show has seen declining viewership, and this year's event, while in-person, boasts a pared back audience. The Television Academy plans to serve food and drink, and integrate musical performances, but attendees will sit at tables instead of typical rows.

"We want to do two things at once, make sure we have a safe environment for everyone who was attending the show, but also, let's get out of the kind of typical theater situation," executive producer Reggie Hudlin told Variety.

Cedric plans to take a laid back approach to the show. He recently told The New York Times he doesn't want the "Oscars feel."

—Samantha Subin

75% of the nominees for best comedy are new to the category

The Primetime Emmy Awards will feature 26 categories, including acting and writing and awards for comedies, dramas and talk shows. Shows are eligible for this year's ceremony if they were released between June 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021.

Among the closely watched categories will be the outstanding comedy, where a whopping 75% of the nominees are new to the category. The shows include "Cobra Kai," "Emily in Paris," "Hacks," "Pen15," "Ted Lasso" and "The Flight Attendant."

Additionally, there were 44 first-time performer nominations across the lead, supporting, guest and short form categories. Among them is Bowen Yang, pictured here, who is nominated for best supporting actor in a comedy series. Yang's nomination is the first time a "Saturday Night Live" featured player was nominated for an Emmy.

"Television has provided a lifeline for so many around the globe this year, delivering a constant source of entertainment, information and inspiration during some of our most difficult days," said Frank Scherma, the academy's chairman and CEO when the nominations were announced in July.

"We are thrilled to honor the diversity of storytelling in television today by recognizing talented artists, programs, producers, directors and craftspeople throughout our industry and celebrating their commitment to this extraordinary medium."

—Sarah Whitten

Netflix dominated the Creative Arts Emmys with 34 wins

Fueled by "The Queen's Gambit" and "The Crown," Netflix garnered 34 wins at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards last weekend.

The Creative Arts Emmy Awards are given out to behind-the-scenes personnel like production designers, video editors, cinematographers, casting directors and set decorators and are given out ahead of the primetime ceremony.

Disney+ took home the second-most awards with 13 and HBO and HBO Max tallied 10.

Netflix's "The Queen's Gambit" tallied nine wins while Disney+'s "The Mandalorian" and NBC's "Saturday Night Live" scored seven a piece.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal owns NBC.

—Sarah Whitten

How the Television Academy plans to pull off a socially distanced Emmys ceremony

With the coronavirus pandemic still raging, the Emmy Awards will once again break with tradition.

Since 2008, the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles has been the go-to venue for the annual television awards, but this year the ceremony will take place at L.A. Live's Event Deck, a space that offers indoor and outdoor locations for the production.

This year's red carpet will be smaller than previous years with only around 500 guests attending the ceremony in Los Angeles, compared with several thousand in previous years.

The show will also feature several satellite events that the telecast will cut to when necessary. The cast and producers of the Netflix show "The Crown" are holding their own Emmy ceremony in London, much like the team behind "Schitt's Creek" did during last year's telecast. Other shows that will be video conferencing into the ceremony include " Top Chef" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

Attendees will follow strict Covid-19 protocols throughout the ceremony that mimic safety measures put in place on Hollywood sets. This includes testing all participants, requiring vaccinations and ensuring that everyone is wearing a mask when they are not on camera.

These mandates are similar to ones instituted at previous awards ceremonies in the last year.

—Sarah Whitten

How to watch the 2021 Emmy Awards without cable

The 73rd Emmy Awards are set to kick off Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

For those that wish to tune into the annual awards show, but don't have cable, there are plenty of options.

The ceremony will be available to stream on:

• Hulu with Live TV
• YouTube TV
• AT&T TV
• Fubo TV
• Paramount+

—Sarah Whitten