Fleabag Wins Best Comedy Series at 2019 Emmys

The year of Hot Priest continues. Fleabag took home the award for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards.

Going into the ceremony, Emmy heavyweight Veep, which won Outstanding Comedy Series the most recent three years it was eligible, was favored to win for its seventh and final season. But British import Fleabag, created and written by star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, gathered momentum early in the night, nabbing Waller-Bridge a pair of wins, for Lead Actress in a Comedy and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Director Harry Bradbeer also won for Directing for a Comedy Series.

"This is just getting ridiculous," Waller-Bridge said when she returned to the mic. "Fleabag started as a one-woman show at Edinburgh Festival in 2014, and the journey has been absolutely mental to get here."

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The creator, writer, and star also recalled pitching the series to Two Brothers Pictures' Harry and Jack Williams, saying, "I told them two jokes over a pint and they said, 'We'll option you.'"

Fleabag earned widespread critical acclaim for its second season, which introduced a priest (Andrew Scott) whose forbidden chemistry with Fleabag (Waller-Bridge) captivated viewers. Waller-Bridge has said that Season 2 is likely the show's last.

In her acceptance speech, Waller-Bridge thanked Scott for his work on the series, saying the second season "would not have happened or exploded in the way it did if it wasn't for Andrew Scott, who came into our Fleabag world like a whirlwind and gave a performance of such depth and complexity that it just elevated the whole thing for all of us."

"Fleabag says thanks," she concluded.

Bradbeer also got laughs from the crowd when he took the opportunity to correct an omission from his earlier speech. "I forgot to thank my wife when I was up here," he said. "We've had a very difficult hour, so will you please give her a round of applause?"

The second season of Fleabag landed a total of 11 nominations, including Supporting Actress in a Comedy for Sian Clifford and Olivia Colman. At the Creative Arts Emmys, the series won for comedy casting and single-camera picture editing.

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In addition to Veep, Fleabag also triumphed over The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which won the category in 2018. The other nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series were Barry, Russian Doll, The Good Place, and Schitt's Creek.

Fleabag Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Amazon Prime Video.