Succession, Ted Lasso win big at Emmy 2022; Squid Game bags best actor, director
Netflix and HBO dominated the list of nominees in 2022, as they have for the past six years
The HBO favourite, Succession, comedy drama White Lotus and Apple TV’s comedy series Ted Lasso won big at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards 2022 on Monday (September 12) night. The Emmy Awards, which is one of the major American awards for performing arts and entertainment on television, was held at Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.
Netflix and HBO dominated the list of nominees in 2022, as they have for the last six years. However, it was HBO and its streaming affiliate HBO Max, which picked up the most awards at the 2022 Emmy and remains the ‘gold standard’ among its peers, despite changing owners twice in the last decade. It won best drama series four times for “Game of Thrones” and now twice for “Succession.”
The flagging fortunes of Netflix made the company the perfect target for the Emmy’s host, longtime Saturday Night Live cast member, Kenan Thompson.
“‘Squid Game is a contest you enter when you’re in massive debt and desperate for money. Joining the cast next season? Netflix,” Thompson joked at the start of the Emmy’s award show, later adding that he would donate his salary for the night’s show to the company.
The 2022 Emmy Winners
Succession, which centers on the dysfunctional owners of a global media and entertainment conglomerate, and their fight for the control of the company, has won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama series. This is the second Emmy win for the series. It beat Better Call Saul, Euphoria, Ozark, Severance, Squid Game, Stranger Things and Yellowjackets to lift the key prize of the night. The writer of the series, Jesse Armstrong won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.
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Commenting that it is a “big week for successions”, coming after the death of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles becoming King Charles III, Armstrong took a dig at King Charles in his acceptance speech.
“Evidently a little bit more voting than in our winning than for Prince Charles. I’m not saying we’re more legitimate in our position than he is. We’ll leave that to other people. But we are incredibly grateful to have this is a wonderful honor. This group is an extraordinary. It’s a team effort,” he added. His roast of King Charles III surprised the audience and his team members.
In 2020, Succession won for its second season, while its first season was beaten by the final season of Game of Thrones. The series, which bears some resemblance to the real-life Murdoch and Redstone families, is so popular that it is heading into its fourth season, which will feature 10 episodes. Matthew Macfadyen, who plays the treacherous son-in-law bagged his first Primetime Emmy win in the category for Best Supporting Actor, Drama Series.
Also read: Lord of the Rings inspired us to make Krrish, says Hrithik Roshan
Win for Squid Game actor
Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama series award went to South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae, who was winning his first Emmy, for his role of a contestant in a deadly and brutal contest in Netflix drama Squid Game. He is the first Asian to win the award.
Squid Game also won the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. The director Hwang Dong-hyuk took to the stage without his translator and gave a perfect speech in English.
American teen drama ‘Euphoria’ gets attention
Zendaya, the protagonist of high-quality production American teen drama television series, Euphoria, which follows a group of high school students as they navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma and social media, bagged the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series. This is her second Emmy for the actor, who plays the role of 17-year-old drug addict – Rue.
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The 26-year-old made history by being the youngest-ever two-time acting winner. And, according to some news reports, became the first Black woman to win the Emmy for lead actress in a drama series twice. Zendaya previously won her first Emmy in 2020 for her lead role in Euphoria. The Emmy contenders she bested this year included Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets), Laura Linney (Ozark), Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show) and the Killing Eve duo of Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh.
This HBO/Disney+Hotstar show returned for its second season in January and was renewed for a third the following month. It has established itself as the most-watched in HBO’s history, behind only the epic fantasy series Game of Thrones.
White Lotus
White Lotus, a series on a bunch of wealthy, privileged and two-faced vacationing guests at an upmarket Hawaiian resort, which debuted on July 11, has won the Emmy for Best Limited Series. The series also bagged showrunner and creator Mike White the best award for directing and another award for writing for a limited series. Veteran Hollywood actor Jennifer Coolidge, won the trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for her role in this series. Murray Bartlett, who plays the addiction besotted resort manager, also won the Outstanding Supporting Actor for the same series. The show won 10 prizes in total.
Best Comedy series
Ted Lasso, the tale of a US football coach taking command of a British soccer team has now won the prize two years in a row. It wins Best Comedy Series in Emmy 2022, while MJ Delaney wins Best Writing in a Comedy series, Jason Sudeikis picks up the Best Lead Actor award in a Comedy series. Finally, by the end of the night, Ted Lasso earned four prizes on Monday night, including for direction. Here is a list of the big winners at the Emmys 2022:
Best actress in a comedy series
Jean Smart took home the Emmy for best actress in a comedy series for her performance in Hacks at the 74th annual Television Academy Awards. A comedy drama, Hacks, circles around a dark mentorship that springs up between a legendary Las Vegas comic and a 25-year-old comedy writer.
Smart won for Hacks Season 2, which aired on HBO Max beginning in May. The show was renewed for a third season in June shortly after the second season debuted. This is Smart’s second consecutive win in the category after her victory for ‘Hacks’ Season 1 last year.
Best Comedy
“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)
Best Drama
“Succession” (HBO)
Best Limited Series
“The White Lotus” (HBO)
Best Actress, Comedy
Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Best Actor, Comedy
Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Best Actress, Drama
Zendaya, “Euphoria”
Best Actor, Drama
Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game”
Best Actress, Limited Series or TV Movie
Amanda Seyfried, “The Dropout”
Best Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie
Michael Keaton, “Dopesick”
Supporting Actress, Drama
Julia Garner, “Ozark”
Supporting Actor, Drama
Matthew Macfadyen, “Succession”
Supporting Actress, Limited Series or a Movie
Jennifer Coolidge, “The White Lotus”
Supporting Actor, Limited Series or Movie
Murray Bartlett, “The White Lotus”
Variety Talk Series
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
Writing for a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary” (“Pilot”)
Writing for a Drama Series
Jesse Armstrong, “Succession” (“All the Bells Say”)
Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Drama Special
Mike White, “The White Lotus”
Directing for a Comedy Series
MJ Delaney, “Ted Lasso” (“No Weddings and a Funeral”)
Directing for a Drama Series
Hwang Dong-hyuk, “Squid Game” (“Red Light, Green Light”)
Directing for a Limited Series or Movie
Mike White, “The White Lotus”
Documentary Or Nonfiction Series
“The Beatles: Get Back” (Disney+)
Documentary Or Nonfiction Special
“George Carlin’s American Dream” (HBO)
