With another year comes another Primetime Emmy Awards honoring the previous year’s achievements in television. On Monday, Sept. 12, the industry’s biggest stars and creators gathered in the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, for a glitzy annual ceremony to celebrate the best of what the silver screen has to offer, and the 2021-2022 eligibility season particularly was an embarrassment of riches with some truly revolutionary television.
The Television Academy’s propensity to coast on traditional favorites instead of treading new ground, though, was particularly blatant this year, with many nominees going completely goose-egged. It’s not that these winners were necessarily bad, but spreading the wealth would have been beneficial for such a dense landscape. Oh, Severance, Better Call Saul, Only Murders in the Building and Barry, how I mourn for you!
And despite host Kenan Thompson’s palpable charisma, the insipid production of the show compounded this for a very uneven ceremony overall. This year’s production was inundated with middling bits that often registered as counterintuitive. From Thompson’s interpretive dance set against famous television theme songs to a baffling genre-spanning sketch that turned out to be an extended commercial for Kia, the show was ostensibly produced to extol the medium of TV but simply came off as disingenuous and contrived.
Beyond relishing in all the glamor of standard awards shows, viewers invest in them to witness their favorite artists be honored, and in reducing the speech times for all recipients to make space for gaudy theatrics, the Emmys fundamentally undermined this. I want to bask in Jennifer Coolidge finally getting her roses (more on that later), certainly not “witty banter” that doesn’t live up to its name.
Winners analysis is broken in three separate sections in congruence with the Comedy, Drama and Limited Series categories.
Comedy Categories:
Last year’s champion Ted Lasso, the wholesome Apple+ series about a chipper American soccer coach (Jason Sudeikis) who attempts to revitalize a down-trodden London team and forges an endearing makeshift family with them, successfully defended its title in the Outstanding Comedy Series category against hefty competition, most notably the sophomore season of show business satire Hacks and especially this year’s buoyant breakout hit Abbott Elementary.
As expected, Ted Lasso‘s Brett Goldstein repeated in Comedy Supporting Actor for his dynamic performance as the caustic soccer player Roy Kent, and Sudeikis also prevailed once more in Comedy Actor against the projected winner Bill Hader, who had won for the first two seasons of acclaimed HBO crime tragicomedy Barry.
Ted Lasso was also crowned with the Comedy Directing award over the “710N” episode of Barry, also helmed by Hader; the latter’s kinetic motorcycle chase theatrics were considered the most staggering directorial feat of the year.
However, the most sizable surprises of the evening came in Abbott Elementary’s wins, particularly Sheryl Lee Ralph (as the studious older teacher Barbara) in the Comedy Supporting Actress category. Not only were last year’s winner Hannah Waddingham (as the giddily morose team owner Rebecca in Ted Lasso) and Hannah Einbinder (whose riveting performance as comic prodigy Ava Daniels in Hacks was even more lauded this year) extremely daunting competition, but Janelle James’ exuberant and showy work as the riotous Principal Ava in Abbott Elementary was presumed to be the more viable contender.
Ralph was clearly flabbergasted, and her jubilant and livewire speech, which mainly consisted of belting the song “Endangered Species,” is what makes televised awards so special. It was simply marvelous to see the subtle precision of a seasoned veteran be heralded.
Renaissance woman Quinta Brunson, who went from internet sketch comedy to creating, writing, producing and starring as the lead in Abbott Elementary, was crowned with the Comedy Writing award for her show’s sensational pilot. Brunson is the talk of Tinseltown right now for exceedingly valid reason, so it was momentous for her to be recognized. Annoyingly, co-presenter Jimmy Kimmel somewhat undermined her accomplishments with an asinine bit where he feigned a drunken torpor on stage, including during Brunson’s acceptance speech.
Despite Abbott’s rising stock, Hacks star Jean Smart was not dethroned from her Comedy Actress standing from last year and received a second Emmy for her monumental and bitingly poignant performance as disaffected 70-something comedienne Deborah Vance. Smart could follow in the esteemed footsteps of Julia Louis-Dreyfuss in Veep and win several successive Emmys for the HBO Max hit, because, yes, her role really is that good.
Drama Categories:
Traditional favorites also reigned supreme with some exceptions. After it swept the 2020 awards, HBO’s mordant capitalism drama Succession, which follows the dysfunctional, affluent Roy clan as each member tries to usurp the family’s fruitful media conglomerate from their ailing patriarch (Brian Cox), once again triumphed in Outstanding Drama Series and Drama Writing and added Drama Supporting Actor (for Matthew Macfadyen) to its repertoire.
The English actor’s win is particularly notable in a stacked lineup, which also included his co-stars Kieran Culkin and Nicholas Braun, previous winner Billy Crudup for The Morning Show, and the multi-facetted O Yeong-su from Squid Game. Macfadyen’s tightly modulated work as the affable yet cunning Tom Wambsgans was a major highlight of Succession’s third season, and the Television Academy specifically honoring his performance underlines how deeply invested they are in the show.
After a one-year hiatus, Zendaya was bestowed with her second Drama Actress trophy for her incandescent leading effort as the drug-addled teenager Rue in HBO’s surrealist high school mosaic Euphoria. The show may be divisive, but the megawatt star presence of the 26-year-old actress is understandably irresistible to voters, beating out Laura Linney for her final bow and now officially unrecognized role in Netflix’s crime epic Ozark and Melanie Lynskey in runaway Showtime hit Yellowjackets.
Ironically enough, Ozark’s Julia Garner transcended immense competition, including fan-favorite Rhea Seehorn for Better Call Saul, SAG winner HoYeon Jung from Squid Game, and Golden Globe winner Sarah Snook for Succession, to claim her third Supporting Actress statue for portraying the volatile Ruth Langmore.
Nonetheless, the Drama categories drew fresh blood with the groundbreaking wins of the socioeconomic thriller and Netflix Korean import Squid Game, becoming the first non-English program to succeed at the Emmys in main categories. The show potently tapped into the current zeitgeist and global climate to great notice, and that was reflected in it receiving Drama Directing for the now-iconic “Red Light, Green Light” episode and Drama Actor for Lee Jung-jae as the assured lead. Succession is a stellar program, but I have to admit that Squid Game going all the way to Outstanding Drama Series would have been euphoric, especially considering that the former has won before.
Limited Series Categories:
As host Kenan Thompson quipped, the Emmys nominates many series in accordance with the immense television landscape, but they often fixate on a handful in terms of wins. HBO’s mirthfully scathing social hierarchy satire The White Lotus, which centers on the machinations of the upper class guests and strained employees at a luxury tropical resort, essentially performed a clean sweep, taking the top prize.
In the supporting categories, three actors and five actresses, respectively, from the show’s robust ensemble cast were nominated, indicating a deep fervor for the miniseries. Murray Bartlett prevailed in Supporting Actor for his prickly, enthralling portrayal of the resort’s mercurial and deeply sympathetic manager Armond (this may be my favorite work of the season), and beloved character actress Jennifer Coolidge finally received mainstream awards recognition by winning Supporting Actress for her devastatingly funny performance as grieving socialite Tanya. However, the ceremony exasperatingly attempted to play off Coolidge during her speech, truncating what should have been one of the most rapturous moments of the evening.
And White Lotus writer-director Mike White won, well, both the Writing and Directing awards for his trenchant passion project against the likes of Hulu’s sobering opioid crisis chronicle Dopesick.
Michael Keaton, though, expectedly nabbed Lead Actor for the aforementioned limited series for playing an anguished doctor and addict at the center of the epidemic; his harrowing work was simply undeniable, and this is the veteran actor’s first major industry award after infamously losing the Oscar for Birdman.
Lastly, Amanda Seyfried has seemed to finally break out of her Mean Girls and Mamma Mia! mold to be taken seriously as an actress, because she took home Lead Actress for her uncanny performance as Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu’s biographical The Dropout against performers like Lily James in Pam & Tommy and Margaret Qualley in Maid.
The full list of Winners (indicated in bold) and Nominees for the 74th Emmys is as follows:
Outstanding Comedy Series
“Abbott Elementary”
“Barry”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
“Hacks”
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Ted Lasso”
“What We Do in the Shadows”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Donald Glover, “Atlanta”
Bill Hader, “Barry”
Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”
Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”
Elle Fanning, “The Great”
Issa Rae, “Insecure”
Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Carrigan, “Barry”
Brett Goldstein, “Ted Lasso”
Toheeb Jimoh, “Ted Lasso”
Nick Mohammed, “Ted Lasso”
Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”
Henry Winkler, “Barry”
Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”
Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live”
Sarah Niles, “Ted Lasso”
Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”
Juno Temple, “Ted Lasso”
Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”
Directing for a Comedy Series
“Atlanta”- “New Jazz”
“Barry”- “710N”
“Hacks”- “There Will Be Blood”
“The Ms. Pat Show”- “Baby Daddy Groundhog Day”
“Only Murders In the Building”- “The Boy From 6B”
“Only Murders In the Building”- “True Crime”
“Ted Lasso”- “No Weddings And A Funeral”
Writing for a Comedy Series
“Abbott Elementary”- “Pilot”
“Barry”- “710N”
“Barry”- “starting now”
“Hacks”- “The One, The Only”
“Only Murders In the Building”- “True Crime”
“Ted Lasso”- “No Weddings And A Funeral”
“What We Do In the Shadows”- “The Casino”
“What We Do In the Shadows”- “The Wellness Center”
Outstanding Drama Series
“Better Call Saul”
“Euphoria”
“Ozark”
“Severance”
“Squid Game”
“Stranger Things”
“Succession”
“Yellowjackets”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Brian Cox, “Succession”
Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”
Adam Scott, “Severance”
Jeremy Strong, “Succession”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”
Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Melanie Lynskey, “Yellowjackets”
Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve”
Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show”
Zendaya, “Euphoria”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nicholas Braun, “Succession”
Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
Kieran Culkin, “Succession”
Park Hae-soo, “Squid Game”
Matthew Macfadyen, “Succession”
John Turturro, “Severance”
Christopher Walken, “Severance”
Oh Yeong-su, “Squid Game”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Patricia Arquette, “Severance”
Julia Garner, “Ozark”
Jung Ho-yeon, “Squid Game”
Christina Ricci, “Yellowjackets”
Rhea Seehorn, “Better Call Saul”
J. Smith-Cameron, “Succession”
Sarah Snook, “Succession”
Sydney Sweeney, “Euphoria”
Directing for a Drama Series
“Ozark”- “A Hard Way To Go”
“Severance”- “The We We Are”
“Squid Game”- “Red Light, Green Light”
“Succession”- “All the Bells Say”
“Succession”- “The Disruption”
“Succession”- “Too Much Birthday”
“Yellowjackets”- “Pilot”
Writing for a Drama Series
“Better Call Saul”- “Plan And Execution”
“Ozark”- “A Hard Way To Go”
“Severance”- “The We We Are”
“Squid Game”- “One Lucky Day”
“Succession”- “All the Bells Say”
“Yellowjackets”- “F Sharp”
Outstanding Limited Series
“Dopesick”
“The Dropout”
“Inventing Anna”
“Pam & Tommy”
“The White Lotus”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Colin Firth, “The Staircase”
Andrew Garfield, “Under the Banner of Heaven”
Oscar Isaac, “Scenes from a Marriage”
Michael Keaton, “Dopesick”
Himesh Patel, “Station Eleven”
Sebastian Stan, “Pam & Tommy”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Toni Collette, “The Staircase”
Julia Garner, “Inventing Anna”
Lily James, “Pam & Tommy”
Sarah Paulson, “Impeachment: American Crime Story”
Margaret Qualley, “Maid”
Amanda Seyfried, “The Dropout”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Murray Bartlett, “The White Lotus”
Jake Lacy, “The White Lotus”
Will Poulter, “Dopesick”
Seth Rogen, “Pam & Tommy”
Peter Sarsgaard, “Dopesick”
Michael Stuhlbarg, “Dopesick”
Steve Zahn, “The White Lotus”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Connie Britton, “The White Lotus”
Jennifer Coolidge, “The White Lotus”
Alexandra Daddario, “The White Lotus”
Kaitlyn Dever, “Dopesick”
Natasha Rothwell, “The White Lotus”
Sydney Sweeney, “The White Lotus”
Mare Winningham, “Dopesick”
Directing for a Limited Series or TV Movie
“Dopesick”- “The People vs. Purdue Pharma”
“The Dropout”- “Green Juice”
“The Dropout”- “Iron Sisters”
“Maid” (All Episodes)
“Station Eleven”- “Wheel Of Fire”
“The White Lotus” (All Episodes)
Writing for a Limited Series or TV Movie
“Dopesick”- “The People vs. Purdue Pharma”
“The Dropout”- “I’m In A Hurry”
“Impeachment: American Crime Story”- “Man Handled”
“Maid”- “Snaps”
“Station Eleven”- “Unbroken Circle”
“The White Lotus” (All Episodes)
Outstanding Reality/Competition Series
“The Amazing Race”
“Top Chef”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls”
“The Voice”
“Nailed It!”
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
“Late Night With Seth Meyers”
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
“A Black Lady Sketch Show”
“Saturday Night Live”
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special
“Ali Wong: Don Wong”
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers The Globe – Hungary For Democracy”
“Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel”
“Nicole Byer: BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo)”
“Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special”
Photo Credit/Television Academy
