The recipients of the Television Academy Honors, which celebrates the achievements of projects released in 2015, were announced on Friday.
“Born This Way,” “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” “Homeland,” “The Knick,” “Mississippi Inferno” and “Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom,” are all among the top honorees.
Separate from the Emmy Awards, Television Academy Honors celebrate programming and programmers that explore and expose issues of concern to our society in compelling, poignant and insightful ways.
“By its very nature, television has a special ability to touch the hearts and minds of viewers and move the needle on social change. Each of this year’s honorees makes artful use of television’s distinct power to raise awareness, expand understanding and promote meaningful discussion of issues of importance,” Television Academy Chairman and CEO Bruce Rosenblum said in a statement.
The ceremony will be held on Wednesday, June 8, in Los Angeles. Dana Delaney will host the evening.
Born This Way (A&E) – This reality series is the first to bring the issue of Down syndrome and adults who have it to light. It follows a group of seven young adults as they pursue their passions and lifelong dreams, explore friendships, romantic relationships and work – all while defying society’s expectations. In their willingness and courage to openly share their lives through a lens that is not often shown on television, we learn they have high hopes like anyone else. (Produced by Bunim/Murray Productions)
· Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (HBO) – The documentary film, from multiple Emmy-winning documentarian Alex Gibney, draws attention to the plight of ex-Scientologists brave enough to blow the whistle. The heart of the film is a series of shocking revelations by former Scientology insiders, including high-ranking and recognizable members such as acclaimed screenwriter Paul Haggis (Crash), as they describe the systematic history of abuse and betrayal by Church officials, including the current leadership of the Church. (Produced by HBO Documentary Films in association with Sky Atlantic and Jigsaw Productions)
· Homeland (Showtime) – In its fifth season, this political thriller starring three-time Emmy winner Claire Danes tackles current affairs through plot lines involving surveillance, hacking and a security breach reminiscent of Edward Snowden’s unauthorized disclosures to focus on the globalized state of warfare today, positing that fighting in the Information Age involves higher stakes and a universal playing field. At a time when radicalization happens online and terrorists plot attacks in secret conversation, Homeland holds a mirror to our encrypted world. (Produced by Showtime Presents, Fox 21 Television Studios, Teakwood Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet)
· The Knick (Cinemax) – Set in 1901, The Knick Season 2 sees Dr. John Thackery (Clive Owen) returning from an unsuccessful stay at a hospital for addicts and drunkards, determined to use his skills as a physician and the resources of his hospital in a futile quest to find a definitive cure for addiction. The series reflects society’s ongoing struggle with addiction and the continued search for answers. (Produced by Cinemax Entertainment in association with Amberg Screen Products, Anonymous Content and Extension 765)
· Mississippi Inferno (Smithsonian Channel) – This documentary spotlights the largely unknown, yet critical role of black landowners and independent farmers in the Civil Rights movement – standing up against white supremacy and segregation. Narrated by Danny Glover, it features first-person accounts of the courageous individuals and families who risked their lives to end racial inequality in the most repressive state in the South — and wound up changing the course of history. (Produced by Thunk It Productions, Ltd. in Association with Mentorn Media)
· Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom (Netflix) – This Oscar-nominated film witnesses the formation of a new civil rights movement in Ukraine in 2014. It explores the universal values of democracy and freedom of speech as it captures the remarkable mobilization of nearly a million citizens across the country protesting the corrupt political regime that utilized extreme force against its own people. (Produced by Netflix, Afineevsky – Tolmor Production, UkrStream.TV and SPN Production, in association with Passio).
Donning a scruffy beard, tattered robe and questionable personal hygiene, host Samberg opened the show paying tribute to the way many of us are watching TV these days. Missed 151 episodes of "Castle"? Back in the bunker you go!
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Worst: What decade is it?
With jokes about Robert Blake, 1940s baseball player Jackie Robinson, and Dagwood from the newspaper comic strip “Blondie,” Andy Samberg’s uneven opening monologue often seemed like it could have been delivered by, well, Robert Blake back in the ‘70s.
Porn kind of sounds like "Portlandia," see? That's it. That's the whole joke.
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Best: Real life out "Veep"-ing "Veep"
"Veep" is in danger of getting out-satirized -- by real life, as the HBO star hilariously pointed out in her win for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy. Who said it: "Veep" or Donald Trump?
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Worst: Spoiler Alert!
Despite the good intentions of the montage paying tribute to all the shows that ended this season - from Letterman, Stewart and Colbert signing off from their late night shows to the last episodes of "Mad Men" and "Parks and Rec" - the package was still chock full of spoilers for every show you ever wanted to binge in the future.
Best: "Transparent" winners stand up for LGBT rights
Jill Solloway kicked things off by plugging TransEquality.org in her speech after winning Best Directing for a Comedy Series. Jeffrey Tambor picked up the mantle after winning Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, dedicating his award to the trans community and saying: “Thank you for your patience, thank you for your courage, thank you for your story, thank you for your inspiration, thank you for letting us be part of this change.”
Their dynamic on Fox's monster hit is explosive, but things got awkward when Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson teamed up to present an award. The most cringe-worthy moment came when Howard leaned over and laid a kiss on Henson's cheek, which she clearly did not enjoy.
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Best: HBO may regret letting people share passwords
Samberg took advantage of HBO's lackadaisical attitude towards people sharing their HBO Go passwords by calling their bluff - and sharing his account and password, live during the Emmys. Sure it's obviously fake, but don't lie, you totally tried it.
In the monotonous streak of "Olive Kitteridge" wins - great for the cast, crew and HBO, kinda boring for everyone else - Jenkins breathed some fresh air into the room when he took a moment to appreciate being handed his award by Lady Gaga As the singer-turned-actress covered her face and giggled over the attention, Jenkins continued to marvel. “‘So Dad, what did you do last night?'” he said, playing out the questions his family would ask him the following day.
You had nine years and seven nominations to prepare for this, and that was the best you could do? Don Draper was one of the coolest characters on TV, but Hamm's speech was easily the most boring of the night.
"Orange Is the New Black" star Uzo Abuda is, in fact, now the new Ed Asner, becoming the second in history to win an Acting Emmy in both the drama and comedy categories — thanks to the Netflix series switch to dramatic competition for 2015. Breaking records wasn't enough though, as the star also gave one of the most emotional, memorable speeches of the night.
It's impossible to include every notable TV personality who we lost in 2015, but how could the Academy possibly justify leaving out "Batgirl" Yvonne Craig, acting legend Christopher Lee, and pro-wrestling legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, among others?
Actress Viola Davis made history becoming the first black actress to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama for “How to Get Away with Murder. “ An emotional Davis thanked other actresses of color, including fellow nominee “Empire’s” Taraji P. Henson, “Scandal” star Kerry Washington, and Halle Berry. “Thank you for taking us over that line,” she said.
Tracy Morgan made a triumphant return to the Emmy stage on Sunday, and not just to show what good health he is in — but also brought laughs along with.
“God bless all of you and your love and your prayers," he said, before sparking laughter from the crowd. “I recently started to feel like myself again, which means a whole lot of y’all are going to get pregnant at the after party."
Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but timeliness is better than both of those things. The three-hour best-of-TV broadcast was long, but it ended right on time -- not a trait usually associated with awards shows. Now, west coasters can make it to their parties by 9 p.m. and east-coasters can make it to bed by midnight. Give that director a raise and the keys to the Oscars, Grammys, as well as every other live TV event.
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TheWrap reveals its highs and lows from TV’s biggest night at L.A.’s Microsoft Theater on Sunday
Donning a scruffy beard, tattered robe and questionable personal hygiene, host Samberg opened the show paying tribute to the way many of us are watching TV these days. Missed 151 episodes of "Castle"? Back in the bunker you go!