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Streaming video solidified its place as the vanguard for television creativity as Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" was honored with five statuettes, including drama series, at the 69th Emmy Awards.
The win in the drama category marks the first time a streaming series has earned the most prestigious prize at the awards, which were presented Sunday at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
The politically charged series based on the Margaret Atwood novel and produced by MGM Television, also won the drama categories for actress (Elisabeth Moss), supporting actress (Ann Dowd), direction (Reed Morano) and writing (Bruce Miller). With its wins at the Creative Arts Emmys last week, it won a total of eight awards, the second most of any show.
"Saturday Night Live" won the most of any show -- nine -- including for actors Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon for their brilliant impersonations of President Trump and Hillary Clinton, wins that underscored the sometimes-funny, sometimes-fierce political tenor of the awards.
HBO's "Veep" won for comedy series for the third consecutive year while its star Julia Louis-Dreyfus was cited for lead actress in a comedy for the sixth time, a record for any performer in the same role.
The wins for Hulu, which had not won an Emmy in a major category before, reflect the stunning rise of streaming video which has upended the television industry and also ushered in a boom in television production and diversity of offerings for consumers.
Streaming giant Netflix also scored wins for its anthology series "Black Mirror: San Junipero," which was honored for television movie. It also earned a direction win in the category for Charlie Brooker. Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe earned wins in comedy writing for its series "Master of None," and John Lithgow won for supporting actor honor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in "The Crown."
In commenting on the rapid rise of Netflix and streaming, Emmy host Stephen Colbert noted that "five years ago their hottest show was a scratched DVD of 'Finding Nemo.' "
Premium cable network HBO was the big winner overall on the night with 10 awards, even though its major piece of Emmy artillery "Game of Thrones" was not eligible this year and one of its most nominated series,...