After a four-month postponement caused by strikes in Hollywood, the Emmy Awards scrupulously followed the script: the series "Succession" and "The Bear", the big favorites, both triumphed unquestionably.
Without any suspense, the final season of "Succession" pocketed the award for best drama series for the third time, after its coronations in 2020 and 2022. She swept six awards during the night.
Dark and gritty, this HBO production follows the internal squabbles of the Roys, a wealthy family at the helm of a vast media empire. This is reminiscent of the power of influence of a certain Rupert Murdoch in the United States. "In our show, it's true, some things are quite close to American life and politics," the screenwriter admitted, citing the name of the Australian mogul, who owns Fox News and the Wall Street Journal.
The series deals with "the family but also the fact that (...) partisan news coverage intertwines with divisive right-wing politics," he added, on the same night that Donald Trump won the Republican primary in Iowa.
The show's cast has captured most of the acting drama awards: best actor for cheeky family actor Kieran Culkin, best actress for Sarah Snook, the Roys' only female heiress, and best supporting actress for her on-screen husband, Matthew Macfadyen.
In addition to the swan song of "Succession," the drama categories honored Jennifer Coolidge, best supporting actress in "The White Lotus," a chic and gritty satire on the hypocrisy of the rich.
Comedy 'The Bear' Confirms
On the comedy side, "The Bear: Dine-in or Take-Out" confirmed its status as a revelation of the American cathode ray landscape, with six awards on Monday night.
Its first season, which delves into the hectic underbelly of a Chicago restaurant's kitchen, won Best Comedy, as well as Best Direction and Best Writing.
Its stars, Jeremy Allen White (Best Actor), Ayo Edebiri (Best Supporting Actress) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Best Supporting Actor), also won most of the acting awards in the comedy categories.
In the face of this steamroller, only "Abbott Elementary," a mockumentary parody about the lack of resources of a predominantly African-American elementary school in Philadelphia, has managed to exist. Its heroine Quinta Brunson received the award for Best Actress.
In the hotly contested category of mini-series, limited to one season, the Netflix production "Relentless" dominated the debates. The series, which follows the killing game between two angry motorists after a collision in a Los Angeles parking lot, was voted best miniseries and allowed its two stars, Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, to win the acting awards.
The Emmy Awards, the equivalent of the Oscars for American television, usually take place in September, but strikes by Hollywood actors and screenwriters have completely disrupted their schedule. The industry was completely paralyzed for six months, with actors banned from promotion during the social movement, forcing the ceremony to postpone its evening in January.
The Emmy Awards will be back next September, this time to reward series broadcast from fall 2023.