The 4 Most Surprising Wins At The Emmy Awards This Year

A long time ago, perhaps about 10 years ago, I didn't much care for TV. I thought it was stupid, and nothing really interested me. I was more of a read-a-book-a-day, watch-a-handful-of-movies-in-a-weekend type of person.

Then I started "The O.C." And then "Nip/Tuck." And then "Gossip Girl" and "The Vampire Diaries" premiered.

All of a sudden, I was spiraling out of control and finding more and more shows to enjoy, and here I am now with too many shows to count and sometimes tired eyes and an aching brain.

But I don't mind. We've entered into such an amazing time for television.

And Hollywood knows it. They see the success of smart, well-written shows like "House of Cards" or "Narcos"(two of my personal favorites) causing networks to step up their game to compete. They want us to tune in and stay there. They want to keep us hooked.

Which was evident at last night's Emmy Awards.

The nominations really were all across the board. They included network television as well as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon shows. They had heavy hitters like "Veep" and "Downton Abbey" that clearly came to claim the trophies they knew were theirs, but they also had shows like "Master of None" that were a surprise.

Sure, we all knew "GoT's" "Battles of the Bastards" would sweep plenty of technical and writing awards because that was one of the most incredible hours of television in the last year, but there were four awards that stood out as extraordinary surprises that really wowed audiences.

Kate McKinnon

In case you've lived under a rock for the last few years, you know Kate McKinnon as one of  "Saturday Night Live's" greatest performers. With a complete lack of shame, this woman gives us some of the most absurd characters (see: the alien abduction sketches from last season that caused everyone to break) and the greatest impressions.

McKinnon embodies the heart and soul of what makes "SNL" so great and never fails to entertain. There was no one more deserving of this award. Her face of sheer surprise was so sweet and genuine and made the rest of us love her even more.

Rami Malek

If you're not watching "Mr. Robot," you're missing out on one of the smartest, mind-bending shows on TV right now. Malek plays genius hacker Elliot who wants to right the wrongs in the disastrous world we live in. He's anxious, he doesn't much like people and the audience is a made-up friend in his head whom he confesses everything to.

I know, right?

It was a shock to see him missing from the Golden Globes list earlier this year, and he was an obvious choice on this year's Emmy roster. He plays the part so well, sometimes you have a tunneled idea of what's going on because he makes you believe every word he says. He's relatable and smart and alarmingly riveting. I'll be surprised if we don't see him up there year after year.

Tatiana Maslany

OK, I'm sorry, but this is beyond long overdue. Orphan Black, a BBC America series focusing on a woman discovering she was part of a clone experiment, has Maslany playing multitudinous roles each with their own mannerisms and attitudes. And each season her roles continue to grow.

For her to not have had any award win apart from Critics' Choice was bananas. This show has a cult following with some incredibly smart, scientific writing. And the story is engaging. You never feel as if you don't entirely know what's going on. Heading into the show's last season, this is a well-deserved award for a spectacularly gifted actress.

"Master of None"

This is by far one of the most relatable shows for 20/30 somethings to watch. It follows Aziz and his friends as they navigate the world of not only dating, but further learning who they are in relation to their lives and the lives of others.

This was an unexpected win. The win came in the comedy writing category, and it was up against some major series. But the premise of the winning episode ("Parents") showed what it was like for firstborn Americans to understand the sacrifices their parents made before and after they came to America.

It was informative and creative, thought-provoking and insightful. Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang did such an incredible job on specifically this episode, as well as the show in general. And using Aziz's real dad was such a quality choice. He's a natural!

These winners were truly deserving of their awards and are beyond talented. In a night where we have a pretty good idea who is going to win what, it was refreshing to see these winners take home the trophies. It reminds us sometimes we can be surprised by people and embrace something different. I applaud you for that, Emmy voters.

Could you maybe send word to your Oscar voter friends?