The 2020 Emmy Awards have come and gone, much like HBO's unfortunately short-lived Watchmen series. But the show still made a substantial mark on the multi-night ceremony, flying away with 11 awards including best limited series. Not bad for a single season, eh?
The show's best limited series award is already notable enough, as it makes Watchmen the first comic book property to win one of the "best in its category" Emmys. But the hard-hitting gritty superhero show was already turning heads long before the ceremonies even began. Boasting 26 total nominations (more than any other series this year), Watchmen would have ended the week in style no matter the outcome.
Aside from the best limited series award, their other notable wins included best actress in a limited series or movie for Regina King (Angela Abar/Sister Night) and best supporting actor in the same category for Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Cal Abar). Writers Cord Jefferson and Damon Lindelof took home recognition for their work in the form of a best writing in a limited series or movie award, while Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were awarded as well for the show's soundtrack.
It's worth noting that this award technically puts the two composers one award away from the coveted EGOT, both having won Grammy Awards and Oscars for their work on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network, respectively. This comes in the same year they both landed an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails. Nice to see 2020 is going well for someone.
The show scored several other wins over both ceremonies with best cinematography, best sound editing, best sound mixing (yes, they're different things), best picture editing, and best fantasy/sci-fi costumes. Anyone who's seen the show likely won't dispute any of those awards, since its multi-faceted quality is readily apparent.
While it's a tragedy knowing that Watchmen has no intention of continuing past its stellar single season, one can't deny the impact it made. More than just a flash in the pan, it could be more accurate to liken it to a kitchen fire (in a good way). It did justice to the original story while telling its own (while restoring Rorschach's overt racism and misogyny that was curiously toned down in Zack Snyder's 2009 Watchmen film in favor of making the extremely un-heroic character seem more like a good guy).
It also taught audiences some legitimate history that many didn't know about, by way of its portrayal of the Tulsa massacre. That alone should be enough to immortalize Watchmen as an important piece of media. In a world where racial tensions are high and violence against marginalized groups is often downplayed, sometimes the most heroic thing to do is simply tell the truth. So kudos to Watchmen for teaching some real lessons and clearly looking good while doing it.
Source: Variety