Hulu won an Emmy, is there trouble for other streaming services?

Hulu got an Emmy

At this Sunday’s 69th Annual Primetime Emmys, Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” swept up several awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, upsetting the hold that cable and premium networks like HBO and AMC have had on the Emmy awards for years.

“The Handmaid’s Tale,” which was competing for the title against AMC’s “Better Call Saul;” Netflix’s “House of Cards,” “The Crown,” and “Stranger Things;” NBC’s “This is Use;” and HBO’s “Westworld,” is the first dramatic series produced by a streaming service to win the top award for a drama series.

Cable dominated

In recent years, the drama category has been dominated by HBO’s “The Sopranos” and “Game of Thrones,” AMC’s “Mad Men,” and Showtime’s “Homeland.”

The show was nominated for eleven awards, and snagged trophies in the drama category for lead actress, supporting actress, directing, writing, guest actress, production design, and cinematography.

Upon receiving the coveted Outstanding Drama Series award, the cast and crew of “The Handmaid’s Tale” received a standing ovation. The show has been met with enthusiastic critical acclaim and audience devotion, and is already preparing to film a second season.

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Never a streamer

So far, neither Netflix nor Amazon have taken the top drama award at the Emmy’s. “The Handmaid’s Tale” has helped Hulu graduate from an underdog playing mostly nostalgic reruns, to an admirable and competitive content producer that other streaming services should watch out for.

The Emmy win, and the critical acclaim around “The Handmaid’s Tale” has already given Hulu a more competitive edge.

Said Craig Erwich, Hulu’s vice president of content, “It’s not that you’ve won an Emmy. It’s that you’ve created a place where people can win Emmys – that’s how you compete…When you’re in line at Starbucks and people are talking about your show, you know you’ve succeeded.”

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