LOS ANGELES, Sept. 13 (U.S.): “Succession” and Ted Lasso topped the Primetime Emmy Awards Monday, in a ceremony praising the impact of television and extending honors to global “Squid Game” troupe and winners who delivered messages of empowerment.
The boisterous tone of the evening, as expressed especially by Zendaya, Lizzo and Sheryl Lee Ralph, contrasted with the darkness that pervaded the tale of best drama series winner Succession and even winner of the comedy series Ted Lasso.
“Thank you for providing such a safe space for making this show so difficult,” Zendaya, who took second best actress in a drama for Euphoria, said of a group of teens coming of age.
“My biggest wish in Ecstasy was to help heal people. Thank you to everyone who shared your story with me. Zendaya said I carry it with me, and I carry it along with ‘Ru, her character.'”
The drama series “The Caliphate” is about a media empire run by a hard-line and barren family, with honors with “Squid Game,” the gritty South Korean drama about the unemployed rich turning the poor into recreational fodder.
Lee Jung-jae of Squid Game, who played the moral center of the show, became the first Asian to win an Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Dramatic Series.
Thank you for making the real-life problems we face so creatively come to life on screen,” Lee told “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series. In Korean, Lee thanked the audience in his home country for watching.
Behind the scenes, Hwang said this was an “important moment for us,” and Lee said he expects the awards to open doors for other Asian actors.
Jason Sudeikis and Jean Smart have won back-to-back acting awards, but several new Emmy winners have been minted, bringing together Lizzo, Quinta Bronson, and Sheryl Lee Ralph from Abbott Elementary Show.
Bronson, who created and stars in the Freshman series, won an Emmy for writing comedy series. ABC’s Abbott Elementary, which was also nominated for Best Comedy, is a rare bright spot for network broadcasting in the age of streaming and cable dominance.
Sudeikis won his second straight trophy for his role as an unexpected American coach for a British soccer team in the comedy “Ted Lasso,” with Smart matching that charge for her role as a veteran comedian in “Hacks.”
Sudeikis made a rare award show shout out to television consumers: “Thank you to the people who watched this show and dug into it as much as we do to make it happen.”
There was a flurry of backlash in the theater when “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong mentioned Britain’s new King Charles III, accepting the show’s trophy, and the actors were standing by.
“Great week of succession, a new king in the UK, that’s ours,” Armstrong said. “Clearly a little more vote in our victory than Prince Charles.” “I’m not saying we’re more legitimate in our position than him. We’ll leave that to other people.”
Ralph halted the Emmy Awards show by accepting the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for “Abbott Elementary” with a short but sexy affirmation song.
She said, “I’m an endangered species, but I don’t sing a victim song. I’m a woman, I’m an artist and I know where my voice is.” She then encouraged anyone who doubted their dream, “I’m here to tell you that this is what faith looks like.”
The audience, including Lizzo and many of television’s biggest stars, stood to cheer for Ralph.
When Lizzo herself accepted the Series Best Competitive Cup award for “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” she gave another spirited talk.
The music artist said, “When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media. Someone fat like me, black like me, beautiful like me.”
There was also cheers for presenter Selma Blair, who publicly discussed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis and used a cane on stage.
“Ted Lasso” co-star Brett Goldstein won supporting comedians, while “Succession” Matthew Macfadyen and Julia Garner of “Ozark” got a series of supporting dramas with actors.
“It is a great pleasure and privilege for me to play this wonderful gift for a role on such an amazing show,” MacFadden said in accepting the trophy for his role as a cunning member of a media empire family.
Garner was among the winners who took advantage of covering all the bases by thanking her husband and others in an on-screen message.
“The White Lotus” has received many accolades, including Best Limited Series or Anthology.
The achievements of “Squid Game,” “Abbott Elementary” and a few other shows haven’t changed the relative lack of diversity in this year’s nominations, which featured far fewer people of color than in 2021.
Host Kenan Thompson kicked off the Emmys Awards with a tribute on TV, calling Tik Tok a “little vertical TV,” and a musical number that revives the series’ songs from “Friends” to “The Brady Bunch” to “Game of Thrones.”
Once the music stopped, Thompson gave a moment of dropping a microphone announcing Oprah Winfrey as the number one presenter. Winfrey stepped onto the stage holding Amy’s figurine, declaring that tonight is a “Party!” The first night award went to Michael Keaton for his role in Dopesick. Winfrey and Keaton hug before handing him the trophy.
“It means something,” Keaton said of the award for the role of a medical professional entrapped by his patients by addiction. He continued to remember the “magic” of introducing him to television when his father won a group in a raffle and thanked his parents for not mocking his youthful attempts at acting.
Amanda Seyfried received the Lead Actress Award from the Limited Series for The Dropout, playing the ominous sizzling child of Silicon Valley Elizabeth Holmes. She thanked a bunch of her family, colleagues, and even her dog, Finn.
Murray Bartlett won Best Supporting Actor for The White Lotus, a tragicomedy set at a resort in Hawaii. Jennifer Coolidge, who won Best Supporting Actress on the show, delighted the audience by swaying to the music meant to interrupt her acceptance speech.
The award for Best Variety Talk Show went to “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” with “Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel” winning Best Writing for a Comedy Special.
“Good night, everyone. I’m going home. I’m not like a sore winner, but I’m going home because I can’t top this right now,” the beat-up Carmichael told the crowd.
The glamor is back with some metallic sparkle and plenty of bright color like Britt Lower from Another World, Old Hollywood Elle Fanning and their fellow paparazzi co-stars.