‘Succession’ tops Emmy nominations

LOS ANGELES — “Succession”, the HBO drama about an ultra-wealthy family fighting for control of a sinister media empire, led the nominations for the Emmys — television’s version of the Oscars.

The show’s critically adored final season earned a whopping 27 nods, including best drama, in an announcement overshadowed by the threat of a Hollywood actors’ strike that could derail the industry’s entire awards calendar.

Topping the Emmys nominations for a second year in a row, “Succession” dominated the acting categories, becoming the first ever show to earn three of the six available slots for best lead actor in a drama.

Echoing their characters in the series, Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin will now battle each other for the award, while their co-star Sarah Snook is the favourite for best lead actress.

“Succession”, which has twice won best drama series at the Emmys, was followed in this year’s nominations count by two more shows from HBO, which claimed 127 nods overall.

“The Last of Us” became the first live-action video game adaptation to earn major nominations, with 24, including best drama and acting nods for Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

“The White Lotus”, a stylish satire on wealth and hypocrisy which switched from the limited series categories to drama after returning for a second season set in Sicily, earned 23 nods.

Apple TV+’s feel-good “Ted Lasso” topped the comedy section with its third and possibly final season, taking 21 nominations.

Netflix’s “Beef” and “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” led the limited series category with 13 nods apiece.

‘Swift resolution’

Nominations were announced by “Community” star Yvette Nicole Brown, in a live-streamed ceremony hosted by Frank Scherma, chairman of the Television Academy, which organises the awards.

After a final round of voting by the Television Academy’s 20,000-odd members, the 75th Emmy Awards are scheduled to take place on September 18. 

‘Look like the devil’

Actors took to picket lines outside studio headquarters from California to New York on Friday as movie and television production ground to a halt in the most serious Hollywood strike in decades.

Hundreds of strikers marched with placards at the Netflix building on Los Angeles’ famed Sunset Boulevard, as well as at Disney, Paramount, Warner and Amazon premises, with passing drivers honking their horns in support.

In New York, Jason Sudeikis and Susan Sarandon were among A-listers who showed up for demonstrations, triggered by the refusal of studio bosses to meet actors’ demands for better pay and job security.

“The studios are tone-deaf and greedy, and they need to wake up — because we are the ones that made them rich,” actress Frances Fisher, who starred in “Titanic”, told AFP while marching outside Paramount Pictures.

Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) members joined writers who have been on strike for weeks, triggering the first industry-wide walkout for 63 years and effectively shutting down Hollywood.

“We’ve been out here for about 80 days... The fact that SAG-AFTRA went on strike brought a lot of energy, and there’s incredible solidarity,” said “Friends” co-creator Marta Kauffman.

The studios “look like the devil”, she told AFP, at the picket line outside Netflix. 

Actors formally went on strike at midnight Thursday after negotiations to reach a new deal with production studios ended without an agreement.

Record votes

Other shows that proved popular with voters included Amazon Prime’s period comedy “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, which earned 14 nods, and “The Bear”, a cult hit that takes viewers inside the astonishingly stressful kitchen of a run-down Chicago sandwich shop, with 13.

Disney+’s “Star Wars” series had a successful morning — “The Mandalorian”, “Andor” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” earned 22 nods between them. 

In the battle of the mega-budget fantasy series, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” (eight nominations) bested Amazon Prime’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” (six).

Perennial Emmy winners “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” and “Saturday Night Live” will go head-to-head in the new scripted variety series category, while “RuPaul’s Drag Race” returns as favourite for best reality competition programme.

“In these dark political times, the Television Academy’s gracious recognition of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ is a bright light. Thank you for the love,” said host RuPaul Charles.