Although the Colin Jost and Michael Che-hosted main event isn’t until next week, tonight saw the beginning of the two-evening presentation of the Creative Arts Emmys, i.e., all the ones that award show producers don’t think we want to watch get handed out on TV. That second-class statuette designation happens to include all of the awards handed out to animated shows, which is why you didn’t have a chance to see it tonight when Rick And Morty won a fucking Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program.
The Adult Swim series beat out a stacked roster of mostly adult-oriented animated fare, including Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, and South Park (plus the Big Hero 6 cartoon). Delighting online meme-shouters everywhere, the series won its award for “Pickle Rick,” the third-season episode that combined a series of increasingly inventive action sequences, a notable guest performance from Susan Sarandon, and a catchphrase perfectly suited for screaming out of the passenger window of a previously hotboxed Tesla, overpriced McDonald’s dipping sauce in hand, into a surprisingly emotional journey into the heart of the show’s consistent sci-fi madness.
The Creative Arts Emmys are currently ongoing—there’s more than 50 of the dang things—but other shows recognized tonight include Family Guy (Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance, for Alex Borstein), The Crown (Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series), and Genius: Picasso (Oustanding Cinematography For A Limited Series Or Movie).