“Succession,” HBO’s operatic saga about a media dynasty and a two-time best drama winner, scored 27 Emmy nominations for its farewell season on Wednesday morning, the biggest haul of any series. Here’s what to know:
That tally helped propel HBO, a perennial Emmys heavyweight, to one of its strongest years. In addition to “Succession,” HBO landed best drama nominations for the second season of “The White Lotus,” as well for its popular video game adaptation, “The Last of Us,” and “House of the Dragon,” its “Game of Thrones” prequel. It was the first time since 1992 that a single network landed four nominations in the best drama category.
The timing of this year’s announcement was awkward: More than 11,000 television and feature film writers have been on strike for 72 days. The union representing 160,000 actors could declare a strike as soon as its contract expires later on Wednesday. The strike — or strikes — could postpone the September ceremony.
This year’s best actor in a comedy category will be closely watched. Jason Sudeikis, who has won two years in a row for playing the title role in “Ted Lasso,” faces competition from Jeremy Allen White of “The Bear.”
Here are the nominees in some of the most closely-watched categories.
HBO’s moment of triumph is coming at a time of transition for the network, which since last year has been run by a debt-ridden parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. The network is now part of a streaming service that removed its call letters in May (bye HBO Max, hello Max). And, for the first time, HBO is in the process of licensing revered older series — “Insecure,” and soon, “Six Feet Under,” “Band of Brothers,” “True Blood” — to its archrival, Netflix, in an attempt by Warner Bros. Discovery to drum up cash.
Frank Scherma, the chair of the Television Academy, which organizes the Emmys, alluded to the labor disputes right before presenting the nominations on Wednesday morning.
“We hope the guild negotiations can come to an equitable and swift resolution,” he said.
Content Source: www.nytimes.com