Emmy Awards 2023: ‘Succession,’ ‘Last of Us’ and ‘Ted Lasso’ among top nominees
The Emmy nominations were announced on Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Television Academy honored several shows that ended their runs
- ‘Succession,’ ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Beef’ actors have a strong showing
- Diverse actors were represented in the nominations
- HBO and Netflix dominate the nominations
- Writers’ strike and SAG-AFTRA negotiations may affect the awards show
Television Academy honored several shows that ended their runs
As expected, the Television Academy showered “Succession” and “Ted Lasso” with much love when the nominations for the 75th Emmy Awards were unveiled Wednesday morning.
HBO’s “Succession,” which concluded with its fourth and final season this year, was well represented in the drama categories. In addition to its nomination for drama series, a majority of the cast of the corporate family melodrama are among the acting nominees. The lead actor race will see Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox duke it out, while half of the contenders in the supporting actor race also have been fielded by “Succession” (the other half is composed of the cast of “The White Lotus”). Sarah Snook and J. Smith-Cameron also notched nominations in their respective categories, actress and supporting actress.
On the comedy side, Apple TV+’s feel-good series “Ted Lasso” was among the top nominees. The series could pull off a hat trick if it takes the prize for comedy series for its third and final season. Series lead Jason Sudeikis was nominated for lead actor in a comedy series again, while the nominees for the supporting acting categories include Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein and Phil Dunster.
Juggernauts such as ‘Succession,’ ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Abbott Elementary’ ruled the Emmy nominations once again. Here’s the full list.
This year’s Emmy nominations arrive amid the ongoing labor dispute between the major Hollywood studios and the creatives who make our favorite TV shows. Members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since May 2 after negotiations for a new contract remained at an impasse. Meanwhile, members of SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors, have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if a new deal cannot be reached by Wednesday night‘s deadline.
The writers’ strike has already upended aspects of Emmy season, with writers unable to participate in their usual for-your-consideration events to appeal to voters. It remains uncertain how the TV Academy plans to move forward with its awards show if both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are on strike — at the very least this would mean there would be no writers to write the show, and no presenters to hand out awards. Fox, the network carrying the telecast, hasn’t commented, but people familiar with internal discussions at the network say that if either union is still on strike at the end of this month, the show would be postponed. For now, the Primetime Emmy Awards are scheduled to take place on Sept. 18.
The actors’ union and the studios agreed to ask a mediator to help facilitate talks. Tensions remained high as a strike threat remained.
The Television Academy also honored several other beloved series that released their final seasons during the eligibility window of June 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023, including comedies “Barry” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” as well as the drama series “Better Call Saul” (which has never won a single Emmy, much to Times awards columnist Glenn Whipp’s dismay). Top contenders also include HBO’s “The White Lotus” on the drama side, while ABC’s celebrated “Abbott Elementary” had a strong showing in the comedy categories.
Among the new series that broke through into a field crowded with returning favorites is HBO’s “The Last of Us,” the video game-based postapocalyptic zombie drama, as well as FX’s breakout culinary comedy series “The Bear.”
— Tracy Brown
‘Succession,’ ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Beef’ actors have a strong showing
The acting categories were dominated by shows that had their series finales in recent months, including “Succession,” “Barry,” “Ted Lasso,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Better Call Saul.”
Fittingly for a show about intense family rivalry, Strong, Culkin and Cox will compete against one another in the lead actor in a drama series category for their work in “Succession,” while a whopping four cast members — Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck, Alexander Skarsgård and Nicholas Braun — landed nods for supporting actor in a drama series. Their co-stars Snook and Smith-Cameron were nominated in their respective categories, lead actress and supporting actress in a drama series.
Bill Hader was nominated for lead actor in a comedy series for “Barry,” HBO’s (extremely) dark hitman comedy, while co-star and previous winner Henry Winkler was nominated for supporting actor in a comedy series along with Anthony Carrigan. Sudeikis, Waddingham, Temple, Dunster and Goldstein were nominated for the final season of Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso,” while Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein were nominated for the Prime Video series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
Awards columnist Glenn Whipp and television critic Lorraine Ali sound off on the best and worst of Wednesday’s nominations for the 75th Emmy Awards.
“Abbott Elementary” was once again the lone representative of broadcast TV in the main categories, with Quinta Brunson scoring a nomination for lead actress in a comedy series and Tyler James Williams for supporting actor. Sheryl Lee Ralph, who won supporting actress in a comedy series last year, is once again nominated along with Janelle James in that category.
But there was space for newcomers, including Jenna Ortega, the young lead of the Netflix hit “Wednesday,” who was nominated for actress in a comedy series. Jeremy Allen White was nominated for lead actor in a comedy series for his breakout role as a young chef in the FX sensation “The Bear,” while its Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach were nominated for supporting actress and actor in a comedy series, respectively.
Bella Ramsey, the teenage star of HBO’s postapocalyptic drama “The Last of Us,” was nominated for lead actress in a drama series while co-star Pedro Pascal was nominated for lead actor in a drama series. The Chilean American actor is the second Latino nominated in the category, and he also demonstrated his range with a nod for guest actor in a comedy series for his stint hosting “Saturday Night Live.”
The cast of “The White Lotus,” now competing in the drama category, also fared well. Fan favorite Jennifer Coolidge, who won an Emmy for her performance as a spacy heiress in Season 1 and was the only actor to reprise her role for Season 2, was nominated for supporting actress in a drama series. She is joined in the category by co-stars Aubrey Plaza, Meghann Fahy, Sabrina Impacciatore and Simona Tabasco. With F. Murray Abraham, Michael Imperioli, Theo James and Will Sharpe all getting nods, “The White Lotus” split the supporting actor in a drama series category with fellow HBO drama “Succession.”
The limited series categories were led by the road-rage drama “Beef” and the grisly true-crime saga “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” both from Netflix. “Beef’s” Steven Yeun and Ali Wong were nominated for lead actor and lead actress in a limited series or TV movie, respectively, while co-stars Joseph Lee, Young Mazino and Maria Bello were nominated in the supporting categories. Evan Peters was nominated for his convincingly creepy performance as the notorious serial killer in the divisive but widely watched “Dahmer,” as were Niecy Nash-Betts, for her powerful turn as the neighbor who tried to report him to the police, and Richard Jenkins, who portrayed the killer’s father.
The cast members from Apple TV+’s “Black Bird” and Hulu’s “Welcome to Chippendales” — both limited series revolving around real-life murderers — also were well represented in the limited series acting categories. Kumail Nanjiani, Murray Bartlett, Annaleigh Ashford and Juliette Lewis all earned nods for their roles in “Chippendales,” while “Black Bird’s” Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser and the late Ray Liotta were recognized.
Besides murder, Emmy voters had music on their minds this year. The stars of Showtime’s country music biopic “George & Tammy,” Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon, were nominated for lead actor and lead actress in a limited series or TV movie. Breakout star Dominique Fishback was nominated for lead actress in a limited series or TV movie for her portrayal of a young woman obsessed with a pop star in the Prime Video thriller “Swarm,” while Riley Keough, granddaughter of Elvis Presley, was nominated for portraying a Stevie Nicks-esque singer in “Daisy Jones & the Six.”
— Meredith Blake and Tracy Brown
Diverse actors were represented in the nominations
The Emmys historically have had a mixed record when it comes to honoring shows and creators with diverse cultural perspectives. This year’s nominations, however, feature more representation.
“Abbott Elementary,” the beloved ABC series about the quirky educators at an urban elementary school in Philadelphia, once again had an impressive showing in the marquee comedy categories. The show, which features mostly Black actors, scored a comedy series nomination, while Brunson and Ralph, who both won acting awards last year, also are nominated again. The series’ James and Williams also were nominated in supporting acting categories.
Brunson will face off in the lead actress category against “Wednesday’s” Ortega, who is Latina. The supporting actress race includes two newcomers, Ayo Edebiri of “The Bear” and Jessica Williams of “Shrinking.”
The most dominant contenders in the drama series categories, HBO’s “Succession” and “The White Lotus,” both center around upscale white people behaving badly in ultra-luxurious surroundings. However, Pascal in the more diverse ensemble of HBO’s “The Last of Us” did score a lead actor nomination — Jimmy Smits was the last Latino to receive a nod in the category for “NYPD Blue.” And Plaza, who is of Puerto Rican descent, landed a supporting actress nod for “The White Lotus.”
The limited series categories were much more culturally diverse, largely due to “Beef” and its predominantly Asian cast. The buzzy road-rage show from Netflix was nominated for outstanding series, and its stars, Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, were recognized in the lead actor and actress categories. Young Mazino and Joseph Lee scored supporting actor nods.
Nanjiani was nominated for lead actor for “Welcome to Chippendales,” while Fishback’s performance as an obsessed fan gone mad in “Swarm” earned her a lead actress nomination. Nash-Betts in “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” also landed in the supporting actress category. Both female performers received high praise for what critics called courageous performances.
— Greg Braxton
HBO and Netflix dominate the nominations
The Emmy rivalry between Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO and streaming behemoth Netflix continues this year as both outlets outpaced the competition in nominations. But the gap between the two leaders narrowed.
HBO nabbed 127 nods, down from 140 in 2022, propelled by the final season of “Succession,” the second installment of “The White Lotus” and its latest hit, postapocalyptic drama “The Last of Us.” The HBO total includes programs created for streaming service HBO Max, which has since been renamed Max.
Netflix came closer to HBO, scoring 103 nods, a slight decrease from the 108 the company received in 2022. The dark comedy “Beef” accounted for 13 of the company’s nominations.
While public interest in the Emmy telecast has declined — ratings have dropped precipitously over the last five years — the awards remain a vital marketing tool for streamers looking to distinguish themselves in a crowded marketplace.
For HBO, the awards have an added importance as the outlet tries to retain its reputation as the vanguard of creativity in TV while its debt-laden parent company Warner Bros. Discovery makes headlines on a regular basis with reports of cost-cutting across its divisions.
Netflix has a similar balancing act, as Wall Street is looking more closely at profitability instead of subscriber growth. The streamer needs acclaimed hits to remain a must-have for consumers, and the Emmy Awards are a tool to remind them of the service’s value amid a sea of choices.
The other streaming outlets were far behind the two leaders in nominations. Hulu, controlled by the Walt Disney Co., received 60 nominations, up from last year’s 58. Apple TV+, which saw another bounty of nods for its hit comedy “Ted Lasso,” earned 54. The company’s Disney+ service scored 40 nods, up from 34 in 2022.
Amazon’s Prime Video captured 41 nominations, thanks to the final season of its hit comedy “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which accounted for 14 of them.
Disney’s FX captured 37 nominations, thanks to “The Bear,” its hit series about a Chicago-based chef.
The second season of “Abbott Elementary” helped bring the nomination total for Disney’s ABC to 29, up from last year’s 23.
NBC scored 27 nominations, followed by CBS with 26.
— Stephen Battaglio
Writers’ strike and SAG-AFTRA negotiations may affect the awards show
Only once has a labor stoppage interfered with the presentation of the Emmy Awards, and it wasn’t pretty.
On Sept, 7, 1980, the Screen Actors Guild had been on strike for seven weeks when the 32nd Emmy Awards were held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Two days before the ceremony aired on NBC, the announced co-hosts — Bob Newhart, Lee Remick and Michael Landon — bowed out as part of a boycott by the actors.
Steve Allen and Dick Clark were lined up at the last minute to host (“The show must go on,” was Clark’s rationalization for not observing the boycott).
Only one star showed up to accept a trophy — Powers Boothe, who starred in “Guyana Tragedy,” a miniseries about suicide cult leader the Rev. Jim Jones, perhaps an apt metaphor for the evening. “Unknown Faces on Camera as Strike Dulls Emmy Show” read the headline on the Los Angeles Times review of the show by critic Cecil Smith.
“There was none of the usual cheers and breakdowns and blubbering thanks that usually enrich such affairs,” Smith wrote.
This year’s Emmy broadcaster, Fox, isn’t taking any chances on a similar debacle, which in 2023 would be magnified by social media snark.
While Fox is not commenting, people familiar with the network’s internal discussions say if members of either the Writers Guild of America or SAG-AFTRA are still walking the picket line at the end of this month, the Emmy telecast slated for Sept. 18 will be postponed to January.
The WGA has been on strike since May 2, and the deadline for SAG-AFTRA to reach a new agreement is Wednesday night.
The plan will stand even if one guild settles before that deadline. Fox executives learned their lesson in May at their upfront sales presentation for advertisers in New York — union solidarity means that if the writers remain on strike, actors will not cross the line.
The result was a less than star-studded event as cast members of Fox shows stayed away. The audience of ad buyers had to settle for reality show host Gordon Ramsay, who dropped multiple F-bombs from the stage, and executives boasting about the growth of Fox’s ad-supported streaming service Tubi.
— Stephen Battaglio
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