For HBO, Emmy Awards night was a sweet, sweet set of victories. “Succession” won Best Drama, “White Lotus” Best Limited Series, Jean Smart for Best Actress in a Comedy– “Hacks”, plus a raft of other awards.
HBO put together around 29 wins including for shows like “Barry” and “Late Night with John Oliver.”
Zendaya won Best Actress in A Drama for HBO’s “Euphoria,” beating a number of older, more accomplished actresses like Laura Linney for “Ozark.”
Netflix didn’t do too badly, either. “Squid Game” and “Stranger Things” led them to 11 wins. Lee Jung Jae won Best Actor in A Drama for “Squid Game,” probably because Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox split the vote from “Succession.”
Jennifer Coolidge won Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for “White Lotus.” Murray Bartlett won Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series for “White Lotus.” The series itself won 10 awards, the most of any show.
The only show on broadcast TV to make a dent in the Emmys was ABC’s breakout hit, “Abbott Elementary” which picked up three awards including Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for Sheryl Lee Ralph. It was much deserved and long overdue.
Music stars like The Beatles, Adele, and Lizzo picked up awards for their specials and documentaries.
Apple TV Plus once again hit it big with “Ted Lasso,” which was Best Comedy Series. Jason Sudeikis and Brett Goldsmith won Best Actor and Supporting Actor in a Comedy. Apple also won a couple of awards for “Severance.”
The most glaring snubs were for Showtime’s “Billions,” which could have had at least 10 nominations if the CBS owned cable network would show some initiative. One of the great Emmy scandals of the last six years is no love for Paul Giamatti, who should be Best Actor in a Drama.