Two heavyweights shared the honors at the Emmy Awards on Monday: HBO’s juggernaut “Succession” was voted best drama series, while the South Korean series “Squid Game” made history in the competition with a best actor award for its main interpreter, Lee Jung-jae.
Playing off the title of his program, ‘Succession’ creator Jesse Armstrong remarked that it was a ‘holy week’ for Dynasties, alluding to the death of Queen Elizabeth II of England and the arrival on the throne of his son. “Obviously, there were a few more votes for our accession (to the throne) than for that of Prince Charles,” he joked.
Already rewarded with the major trophy in 2020, this black and grating chronicle of a powerful family which is torn to take control of a media empire (uncannily resembling that of billionaire Rupert Murdoch), also won three other awards this year. , in particular for its screenplay and that of the best supporting role, awarded to Matthew Macfadyen.
“Squid Game” goes down in history
Despite its 25 nominations, the American program had to share the limelight with the South Korean phenomenon “Squid Game”, a dark and violent denunciation of the excesses of capitalism, in which destitute people kill each other during cruel children’s games with the hope to win millions.
Produced by Netflix, this global success has won six awards, and in particular has written a new page in the history of the Emmy Awards, equivalent to the Oscars of American television, thanks to the award for best actor in a drama series awarded to its star. principal, Lee Jung-jae. A first for an interpreter playing in a language other than English.
The series thus confirms the growing success of South Korean cinema in Hollywood: in 2020, “Parasite” by director Bong Joon-ho won the Oscar for best film.
Rewarded for his achievement, the mastermind behind “Squid Game”, Hwang Dong-hyuk was very honored.
“I don’t think I wrote a page of history myself, because it was you who opened the doors to + Squid Game +”, launched the director. “We made history together and I really hope +Squid Game+ won’t be the last Korean series at the Emmys.”
Second victory for “Ted Lasso”
In the drama genre, actress Zendaya confirmed her status as a new darling of Hollywood, winning the best actress award for her role as a drug-addicted teenager in “Euphoria” (HBO), as in 2020.
The hilarious series “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV +) also re-emerged as best comedy of the year, after its victory in 2021. Jason Sudeikis, who plays an American football coach parachuted into an English football team, also won the Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy.
Among the mini-series, “The White Lotus”, which tackles the ambient hypocrisy of a Hawaiian luxury hotel, dominated the evening with 10 awards, including that of the best production of the genre – which brings together the series of a single season. Michael Keaton, for his part, received the Emmy for best actor in this category, for his role in “Dopesick”, a mini-series which examines the murderous addiction of the United States to opioids.
Far from the sudden slap given by Will Smith to presenter Chris Rock during the last Oscars, the return of the Emmys to a theater (a first since the pandemic), hosted by comedian Kenan Thompson, took place without great surprise.
Diversity in the spotlight
The most significant moments of the ceremony were those celebrating diversity on screen, a central theme where Hollywood has been trying to improve for several years.
Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”) sent shivers down the spine by singing African-American jazzwoman Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Species” to accept her award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.
“When I was a little girl, all I wanted was to see myself in the media. A person fat like me, black like me, beautiful like me, “said singer Lizzo to applause, wearing a majestic red tulle dress, rewarded for her reality TV show where she recruits plus-size dancers for accompany him on stage.
“We’ve made a lot of progress, but there’s still a lot of work to be done,” replied actress Geena Davis, who won her institute’s work for better representation. “Television can often directly influence how people see themselves and how they feel about themselves,” she insisted.