At the 72nd Emmys awards ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 20, the show began with comedian Jimmy Kimmel on the stage, telling jokes to a laughing audience of well-known television stars. It seemed like any other normal ceremony…until Kimmel himself showed up, seated in the audience, laughing at his own material. This revealed the truth: The real stars were at home on their couches, while Kimmel told his jokes to an audience of cardboard cutouts. While it was very different this year, The 2020 Emmys was still funny, ground-breaking, and even record-breaking.

This year, only one comedy show won any awards. “Schitt’s Creek”, created by Eugene and Daniel Levy, not only received all of the comedy genre awards, but also broke the record for most wins in one season. Even Sir Elton John commended the Levys’ show by announcing it for nomination for best comedy (other celebrities, including Shaquille O’Neal, Morgan Freeman, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, announced other shows in this category). Based on its awards, many people believe that Eugene and Daniel Levy created a fantastic show.

The Governors Award is a commendation given to one person each year for their inspiring work in the television industry. This year, the award went to Tyler Perry, a prolific creator of movies and television shows. Despite racial barriers, Perry pushed on and created productions celebrating minorities. Oprah and Chris Rock narrated the story of the obstacles he faced in the television industry, and Perry gave a moving speech about his grandmother and a quilt she gave him, which he took for granted, until he realized how much it really meant. 

Moving on to the serious part of the night, the drama shows. The most notable winner of this genre was Zendaya, who won best actress in a drama for “Euphoria” and became the youngest actress to do so. Best Actor went to Jeremy Strong for “Succession,” the show that also won best drama. 

For the limited series genre, the show “Watchmen” took home, well they received it at their home, the best limited series award, and two people from the series, Regina King and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, received best actress and best supporting actor, respectively. Mark Ruffalo won best actor for “I Know This Much Is True”, and Uzo Aduba won best supporting actress for “Mrs. America.” The award for best variety talk show went to “Last Week With John Oliver” and the one for best reality/competition series went to “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Between awards, DJ D-Nice played music for the ceremony. Other music came from H.E.R., who played a tear-jerking cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Prince for the “In Memoriam” video, which included names such as Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Chadwick Boseman. 

Throughout the ceremony, there were many references to Black Lives Matter and celebrities urging citizens to vote. In addition, Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, and America Ferrera each told a story about an obstacle they faced and how they overcame it. There were a few hilarious highlights, including stars showing what they have been up to in quarantine, a small “Friends” reunion, Reese Witherspoon’s “New Year’s Eve Party,” and Randall Park having to present with an alpaca.

All in all, the show, while not the same as it was in past years, was an experience filled with laughter, tears, and hope. It’s important not to discount this year just because there’s a pandemic going on, and this year’s Emmys was a good representation of that. It is incredible to see all different kinds of people awarded for their hard work in creating stories that people will never forget.