Emmy Awards: Succession won, but The Squid Game made history

Everyone will see the glass half full or half empty when they cast their eyes on the winners of the Emmy, which were delivered last night at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. In the most important area, Succession it was the best drama series, but the game of squid won Best Actor (Lee Jung-jae) and Best Director (Hwang Dong-hyuk) awards, making history.

It is that a leading actor had never won an Emmy for a performance spoken in a language other than English. OK, the grand prize once again went to the HBO series about the Roy family, who run a media empire and hate each other as much as they love each other, but …

But if there is a big, huge loser it is Better to call Saul. The series, a spin-off that takes place before the events of breaking Badhis series “mother” received no statuettes last night, with the aggravating circumstance that he never, never in his six seasons won an Emmy.

fan of Better to call Saul they must want to cut their veins with a biscuit like those of the game of squid. Bob Odenkirk did not win in the category of best actor in a drama series: as we have pointed out, he was won by the Korean Lee Jung-jae.

In this edition Better… I had seven questions and nothing. In total, over the course of its history, it has had 46 nominations and has never won anything.

In the balance between winners and losers, it deserves a separate paragraph The white lotuswhich won in all the categories in which the HBO miniseries was nominated: best miniseries, directing, supporting actors and screenplay.

And another, Disney +. With Only murders in the building he aspired to win a lot and last night he got nothing. Of the 17 nominations, she won three in non-television awards.

In the final tally of the prizes awarded last night (not counting the statuettes previously awarded, in non-television articles), the miniseries The white lotus led with 5 figurines, followed by series ted lasso (4), Succession (3) and the game of squid (2), the same as Elementary Abbot.

repeated figurines

Of course, members of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the United States have their preferences. And they keep them, year after year, edition after edition.

So much so that sometimes the ceremony seemed to have a retro air, a Already seen. Haven’t we seen it already? Jason Sudeikis and Brett Goldstein, Best Actor and Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for ted lassowhich also won Best Comedy Series, Zendaya for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series (euphoria), Jane Smart, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Tricks.

And what about Julia Garner, Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Ozark for the third time, again for the impressive performance of Ruth, and Jesse Armstrong as Best Screenwriter for Succession (He has already won it for each of the three seasons of the series) … Are you playing it safe?

There have been many who have revalidated titles and awards, and others who have taken the Emmy stage for the first time to thank their award.

The fight in the background

In the fight between HBO and Netflix, which has made it to the top of the nominations, it’s clear that the streaming giant is struggling to earn accolades. Last year he was mad at The crown (and we will have to prepare for next year’s edition: the fifth season will debut in November), we must no longer get confused because breaking Bad It won Best Drama Series for the second consecutive year in 2014, but it’s not produced by Netflix, but by ACM. That it is in the Netflix catalog is another thing.

HBO maintains a clear predominance over the past decade, with Succession now awarded for the second time, e game of Thrones on four occasions (2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019).

The best moments

The best did not come from the driver. Pretty routine was the Emmy ceremony this year. There were no major monologues from the driver, Kenan Thompson, remembered for his humorous participation Live Saturday nightand except for the joke about the next winner Zendaya, she didn’t particularly shine.

“Zendaya just turned 26 last week. Happy birthday, Zendaya, “he began. He’s 26. It’s a strange age in Hollywood, you can still play a teenager, but now you’re too old for Leonardo DiCaprio,” he said, of the Titanic actor’s fondness for women. much younger than him.

Another great moment was played by Lizzo. And yes, it had to be her. Lizzo woke everyone up at the delivery, and those of us who followed her on TV. Her speech was by far the most moving – and heartfelt – of the night.

“When I was a girl I dreamed of seeing someone like me on television, someone fat like me, someone black like me, someone beautiful like me,” she said when she accepted the Emmy for best reality show is for Lizzo beware of the Big Grrrlswho beat the eternal RuPaul’s Endurance Race.

Another? Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay, protagonists of the legendary Law and orderthey acted as if they were chasing a hooded thief, who had stolen an Emmy, before handing it over to Jason Sudeikis.

To follow, other winners that we had anticipated: Michael Keaton and Amanda Seyfried, Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for TV, for drug addict Y The abandonment, Elementary Abbotwho took a script for a comedy series and added a supporting actress for Sheryl Lee Ralph, one of the teachers in this production about teachers at one of the worst public schools in the United States.

Something will have to change when thinking about awards ceremonies, so they aren’t just an announcement followed by thanks. And that goes for both Emmys and Oscars, which continue to drop in ratings year after year.