‘Succession’ and ‘Ted Lasso’ reign at the Emmys

This is how he documented firsthand the suffering of migrants 1:18 (CNN) — “Succession” and “Ted Lasso” returned as champions at the 74th annual Emmy Awards, on a night that leaned toward proven winners while it spread the wealth in a way that seemed to celebrate the diversity between talent, platforms and content. After Netflix’s record-breaking performance in 2021, HBO reasserted its dominance in its now-annual battle with Netflix for supremacy in the prestige television arena. The pay network was headlined by the limited series “The White Lotus,” whose five wins on Monday night, along with a handful of technical awards at previous Creative Arts ceremonies, allowed it to close out the season with 10 wins overall. , more than any other program. HBO collected 12 of the 25 statuettes handed out at Monday’s ceremony. That included a second win for “Succession,” which was left out last year due to the eligibility window, leaving the door open for “The Crown” to sweep the drama vote. “Ted Lasso” became the consecutive winner for comedy, along with its stars Jason Sudeikis and Brett Goldstein, an increasingly rare feat, if only because shows now take longer breaks between seasons. Though denied the chance to make history as the winner of a non-English-language drama, as “Parasite” did at the Oscars, Netflix’s social media sensation “Squid Game” garnered awards for its star Lee Jung-jae and best direction. The show had previously scored a quartet of wins at the Creative Arts ceremony. Adding up the previous ceremonies with the one on Monday night, HBO totaled 38 Emmys this year, well ahead of second-place Netflix with 26. Apple’s “Ted”-powered presentation left the streaming service with nine overall, tied with Disney+ and behind Hulu, with 10, thanks in no small part to its fact-based miniseries. (Like CNN, HBO is a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery.) After a sleepy start to the show, Sheryl Lee Ralph woke up the audience by becoming the second black woman to win the award for supporting actress in a comedy for ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” a win 35 years after she Jackee Harry broke through with “227”. The Broadway star then sang part of her speech (thanking the executives in a script that ran across the bottom of the screen), bringing the crowd to its feet. Quinta Brunson, the show’s star and producer, was also honored for writing the sitcom about teachers, a boost ahead of its second season next week. Ralph energized a transmission that probably could have gotten more out of it. Hosted by “Saturday Night Live”‘s Kenan Thompson (and including a mini-reunion with former co-star Kel Mitchell), the ceremony unfolded at an awkward pace. Politics played a low-key role on the night, and efforts to celebrate the breadth of television sometimes felt as if it came at the expense of actual awards time. There was, as usual, a fair amount of repetition and many censored words. The first included the seventh consecutive award for “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” and another trophy for the long-running show “Saturday Night Live.” Oliver’s HBO show has taken over that category, much like Jon Stewart did in his old home, “The Daily Show.” Zendaya claimed her second lead actress award for HBO’s somber high school drama “Euphoria,” and Julia Garner received her third Emmy for her supporting role as Ruth in Netflix’s somber drama “Ozark.” Jean Smart joined the repeat winners with HBO Max’s comedy about comedians, “Hacks.” Still, other first-time winners broke through as well. Matthew Macfadyen took home the award for supporting actor for “Succession,” this year’s most nominated show, along with miniseries stars Michael Keaton for “Dopesick” and Amanda Seyfried for another Hulu production, “The Dropout,” and her portrayal of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. First-time nominees Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge were also recognized for “White Lotus,” with the latter having to beat out four of her co-stars in the generous cast. Coolidge had his microphone turned off during her effervescent acceptance speech, after a few other winners spoke about the musical bumper. Mike White also won for writing and directing the series. Amazon’s “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” also garnered all three of its Emmys this awards season by winning as a competition show, prompting one of the most emotional acceptance speeches from its host. HBO’s strong performance followed a year in which Netflix tied a 47-year record (originally set by CBS) with a total of 44 Emmys in all categories. That included sweeping the major drama categories with “The Crown,” which did not air during this year’s eligibility period. HBO was the most awarded network in 2019 and 2020, tying with Netflix the previous year. The presentation began with a tribute to television musical themes and a standing ovation for Oprah Winfrey, who presented the first award of the night. After record low ratings in 2020 with a virtual ceremony, Emmy audiences rebounded last year to an estimated 7.4 million viewers, still low by historical standards but a marked improvement over the two. previous years. Linear television ratings have generally declined, and the Emmys are perceived to have suffered from the nomination of fewer widely popular shows, as online streaming has taken over the awards competition. Television rights to the Emmy Awards rotate among the four major broadcast networks. This year’s show was moved from its usual Sunday broadcast because it airs on NBC, which airs “Sunday Night Football.”