Comment “Succession,” HBO’s gripping drama about a hugely wealthy and dysfunctional family that runs a media empire, earned the most nominations at the 74th Emmy Awards on Tuesday morning, with 25 total. The series won awards for best drama as well as a number of acting nominations for almost its entire main cast, including Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Nicholas Braun, Matthew Macfadyen, Sarah Snook and J. Smith-Cameron. Close behind with 20 nominations was “Ted Lasso,” the Apple TV Plus comedy starring Jason Sudeikis as the hot-headed American manager of a Premier League soccer team, as well as “The White Lotus,” HBO’s acclaimed limited series centered around a group of wretches. rich vacationing at a fancy resort in Hawaii. As usual, HBO (and HBO Max) continued to dominate, with 140 nominations in total, including honors for comedian-centric comedy “Hacks” and teen nightmare “Euphoria” with 17 and 16 nods, respectively. But in a win for Hulu, the streaming service’s comedy-mystery “Only Murders in the Building” also picked up 17 nominations, with acting nods for Steve Martin and Martin Short, although the Television Academy curiously snubbed co-star Selena Gomez . Netflix, of course, had a big presence among the nominees, with 105 nominations, including one story: “Squid Game,” the wildly popular Korean series about debt-fed people who sign up to compete in death games for money, is now the first non-English-language show to compete in the best drama category, along with “Succession,” “Euphoria,” “Better Call Saul,” “Ozark,” “Severance,” “Stranger Things” and “Yellowjackets.” And even as network shows increasingly get squeezed by the Emmys, ABC’s beloved freshman hit “Abbott Elementary,” set in an underfunded public school in Philadelphia, earned seven nominations, including character acting for Janelle James, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams and creator and star Quinta Brunson. NBC’s steady sketch-variety series “Saturday Night Live” had nine nominations, with Kate McKinnon picking up a nod for supporting actress in her farewell season, as well as Bowen Yang for supporting actor. Jerrod Carmichael was the only guest host to earn a nomination, for his memorable episode shortly after the infamous Oscar slap. The Emmy Awards will air Monday, September 12 on NBC. Read on for a list of 2022 contenders with our analysis. Back to menu “Better Call Saul” (AMC) “Dismissal” (Apple TV Plus) “Squid Game” (Netflix) “Stranger Things” (Netflix) “Yellowjackets” (View) Analysis: “Squid Game,” Netflix’s Korean juggernaut, is making history here, but it has plenty of competition in the category from departing academy favorites (“Better Call Saul” and “Ozark”) and newcomers (“Yellowjackets” and “Severance “) likewise. HBO’s “Euphoria” is a pleasant surprise, but only to an extent considering Zendaya’s big win at the 2020 ceremony. Note, however, the lack of network shows — apparently there was no love for “This Is Us” in the last of the season.
Excellent sitcom
Back to menu “Abbott Elementary” (ABC) “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO) “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu) “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus) “What We Do In the Shadows” (FX) Analysis: Fans of newcomers “Abbott Elementary” and “Only Murders in the Building” will be pleased to see the critically acclaimed shows appear in this category along with a slew of returning contenders. The other series has a decent shot at taking home the Emmy — “Hacks,” for example, managed a successful sophomore season — but if the academy has its finger on the pulse, it will likely go with either “Abbott” or “Only Murders” at the end.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Back to menu Laura Linney, Ozark (Netflix) Melanie Lynskey, “Yellowjackets” (Showtime) Zendaya, “Euphoria” (HBO) Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve” (AMC) Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve” (AMC) Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show” (Apple TV Plus) Analysis: This is the 13th Emmy nomination for Sandra Oh, who has yet to win a trophy. Could this after all be her year? The season veteran faces stiff competition from her co-star — Jodie Comer, who won the category three years ago — and Laura Linney, who has four Emmys to her name. Critics’ Choice winner Melanie Lynskey picking up another award for “Yellowjackets” would be a nice conclusion to a year that has been slow to catch on. Zendaya, who won the year after Comer, tends to get a lot of attention, but she really gave it her all on this past season of “Euphoria.” Reese Witherspoon, who beat out co-star Jennifer Aniston for a nod on the “Morning Show” this year, doesn’t seem likely to win.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Back to menu Jason Bateman, Ozark (Netflix) Brian Cox, “Succession” (HBO) Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game” (Netflix) Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul” (AMC) Adam Scott, “Severance” (Apple TV Plus) Jeremy Strong, “Succession” (HBO) Analysis: The Television Academy loves “Ozark” as much as it recognizes a series in its final season, so Jason Bateman’s nomination was a safe bet. “Succession” stars Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong have appeared in this category before — Strong won in 2020 — as has Bob Odenkirk, who has been nominated for “Better Call Saul” nearly every year since 2015. The most interesting nominations here are “Severance” star Adam Scott, best known for his comedies, and Critics’ Choice winner Lee Jung-jae of “Squid Game.”
Outstanding female lead in a sitcom
Back to menu Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary” (ABC) Issa Rae, “Insecure” (HBO) Jean Smart, “Hacks” (HBO Max) Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant” (HBO Max) Elle Fanning, “The Great” (Hulu) Analysis: Three cheers for first-time acting Emmy nominees Elle Fanning and Quinta Brunson, whose established comedic talent shines brightly on her network’s groundbreaking sitcom. This is a (much-deserved) farewell nomination for Issa Rae — previously nominated in 2018 for “Insecure,” which wrapped late last year — and a “keep doing what you’re doing” for Rachel Brosnahan, Jean Smart and Kaley Cuoco. all of them have been nominated and the first two have won these roles in the past. It’s a tight race pitting newcomers against comedy veterans. we’d like to see branson take home a trophy.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Back to menu Donald Glover, “Atlanta” (FX) Bill Hader, “Barry” (HBO) Nicholas Hoult, “The Big One” (Hulu) Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus) Analysis: The final season of “Atlanta” flew under the radar compared to the others, making Donald Glover’s nod a bit of a surprise. The ones we’ve been waiting to see? Bill Hunter and Jason Sudeikis, who have both won for the same roles in recent years, as well as “Only Murders” power duo Steve Martin and Martin Short, whose complementary performances propel the quirky series. Nicholas Hoult is a welcome addition, although unlikely to win.
Excellent limited edition
Back to menu “The White Lotus” (HBO) “Inventing Anna” (Netflix) Analysis: So, hello Hulu. Academy voters clearly loved “Dopesick,” the streamer’s thorough (and very heartbreaking) series about the opioid epidemic. They also showed love in “The Dropout,” which follows the rise and fall of Theranos (and Amanda Seyfried’s vocal chords). “Inventing Anna” and “Pam & Tommy” are the crazy wild cards here. But HBO’s “The White Lotus” may be a love-to-hate watch to top them all. We’re a little surprised we didn’t see “The Staircase,” which earned top acting nods, or the well-reviewed “Maid,” which gave Margaret Qualley a lead actress in the mix.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Back to menu Toni Collette, “The Staircase” (HBO Max) Julia Garner, “Inventing Anna” (Netflix) Lily James, “Pam & Tommy” (Hulu) Sarah Paulson, “Impeachment: American Crime Story” (FX) Margaret Qualley, “Maid” (Netflix) Amanda Seyfried, “The Dropout” (Hulu) Analysis: The talent in this category is top-notch, and several actresses — Colette, Garner and Paulson — have earned multiple nods from the academy over the course of their careers. Seyfried and James are newcomers to the Emmys race, and Qualley earns her most visible nomination (after a supporting actress nom in 2019 for “Fosse/Verdon”). Who will win is anyone’s guess, but there is a strong argument that Seyfried will lose the Emmy after rave reviews for her turn as Elizabeth Holmes.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Back to menu Colin Firth, “The Staircase” (HBO Max) Andrew Garfield, “Under the Banner of Heaven” (Hulu) Oscar Isaac, Scenes from a Wedding (HBO) Michael Keaton, “Dopesick” (Hulu) Himesh Patel, “Station Eleven” (HBO Max) Sebastian Stan, “Pam & Tommy” (Hulu) Analysis: Colin Firth and Sebastian Stan are classic Emmy nominees recognized for their portrayals of real-life figures familiar to audiences (convicted murderer Michael Peterson and musician Tommy Lee, respectively). Andrew Garfield and Michael Keaton are about halfway there, playing fictional characters in real, painful situations (the former a detective investigating a murder seemingly connected to the Mormon faith, the latter a doctor who unwittingly contributes to opioid epidemic in its early days ). “Scenes From a Marriage” was carried entirely by star performances from Juilliard classmates Jessica Chastain and…
