Succession, HBO’s powerhouse drama about a family squabbling for control of a media empire, and The Bear, FX’s comedy about a successful chef returning home to help run his family’s sandwich shop, dominated the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards Monday evening, collecting six prizes each, including the honors for best drama and comedy series.
In addition to its prize for best drama series, Succession earned prizes for best actor for Kieran Culkin, best drama series actress for Sarah Snook, drama series supporting actor for Matthew Madfaycen, directing for Mike Mylod, and writing for Jesse Armstrong.
Culkin, accepting his first career Emmy, thanked the entire Succession cast and showrunner Jesse Armstrong, while also thanking my mom for giving me life and my childhood, which was great, so thank you for that. He also praised his beautiful wife Jazz (Charton), saying, Thank you for sharing your life with me and giving me two beautiful kids.
Snook, also with her first Emmy win, also hailed the cast and crew of the show, noting that the bar was set so high. She also gave thanks to her newborn daughter, noting that she was pregnant while filming the show’s final season.
It’s very easy to act when you’re pregnant because you’ve got hormones raging, she joked. … It’s all for you from here on out!
Matthew Macfadyen’s win for supporting actor in a drama series was his second consecutive win.
The win was the second consecutive and third overall prize for best drama series for Succession.
The only drama series Emmy that didn’t go to Succession went to best supporting actress winner Jennifer Coolidge for another HBO series, The White Lotus. Coolidge also won the supporting Emmy for The White Lotus last year, in the category of a limited or anthology series.
The Bear enjoyed identical success on the comedy side of the awards, missing out on only one category.
The show won prizes for best comedy series, Christopher Storer for directing and writing, while Jeremy Allen White was named outstanding actor in a comedy series, and the supporting actress and actor prizes went to Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, respectively.
The Emmys were all first-time wins on first-time nominations for White, Edebiri, and Moss-Bachrach.
I am so proud, I am so full of gratitude to be standing in front of you all, White said as he accepted the best actor award. I love the show so much. It gave me a passion. It set a fire in me. … Thank you to all those who stayed close to me, especially in this past year, … I love you, I love you.
The Bear spoiled the end-of-run party for Ted Lasso, which won the best comedy series Emmy the past two years but was shut out during Monday’s Emmy ceremony.
Quinta Brunson was the only comedy-category winner from a show other than The Bear. She was named best actress in a comedy series for her role as a teacher at an off-beat Philadelphia school in Abbott Elementary. It was her first Emmy win for acting. She previously won for writing the series’ pilot episode.
Beef, the gripping limited series about a dark feud between two people sparked by a road rage incident, was named best limited or anthology series and also collected four other prizes on the night.
Steven Yeun scored his first Emmy as he took home the prize for best actor in a limited or anthology series for Beef, while co-star Ali Wong was named best actress. It was also the first career Emmy win for Wong.
Beef also earned prizes for best director and writer for creator Lee Sung Jin.
Niecy Nash-Betts collected her first career Emmy, winning for supporting actress in a limited series or movie for her work in Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
I’m a winner baby! she shouted as she was handed the statuette. In an energetic speech that brought the crowd to its feet, she included herself in the list of people to thank.
I want to thank me for believing in me and doing what they said I could not do, she said.
Paul Walter Hauser also earned his first Emmy for supporting actor in a limited series or movie for Black Bird.
HBO’s Last Week Monday evening with John Oliver won the prize for outstanding scripted variety series, and it also won its eighth consecutive prize for best writing for a variety series.
Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium was named outstanding live variety special. The famed musician was not at Monday night’s ceremony, but the show’s win elevated him to show business royalty by completing an EGOT, meaning he has now won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.
The prize for best talk series went to The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
RuPaul’s Drag Race, meanwhile, won its fifth Emmy for an outstanding reality competition program.
During the ceremony, the LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD was presented with the Television Academy’s 2023 Governors Award, honoring its work to ensure fair and accurate representation of the LGBTQ community in the media and entertainment industries.
The Academy’s Governors Award honors an individual, company, or organization — chosen by the Academy’s Board of Governors — that has made a profound, transformational and long-lasting contribution to the arts and/or science of television.
The ceremony at the Peacock Theater at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles, hosted by Anthony Anderson, included reunions of cast members from several classic TV series, including Cheers, Ally McBeal, The Sopranos, and All in the Family, with Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers paying tribute to show creator and legendary producer Norman Lear, who died in December at age 101.
The ceremony was originally scheduled for Sept. 18 of last year, but it was postponed due to the then-lingering strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA actors union.
