75th Emmy Awards: ‘Succession’, ‘The Last of Us’ vie for top awards

The 75^th Emmy Awards got off to a grand start on Tuesday morning (IST) at the the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, where the best of television is being honoured. Quinta Brunson of ‘Abbot Elementary’ took home the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Janine Teagues in the series, defeating the likes of Christina Applegate, Rachel Brosnahan, Natasha Lyonne and Jenna Ortega.

Ayo Edebiri, American actor and writer, meanwhile, won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sydney Adamu in the comedy series ‘The Bear’. 

American actor and comedian Anthony Anderson, who is hosting the show, completed his Emmy Awards look by wearing a few beaded red lilies with his tuxedo. 

Jason Bateman, Quinta Brunson, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, Jodie Foster, Marla Gibbs, Jon Hamm, Taraji P Henson, Rob Mcelhenney, Jenna Ortega, Pedro Pascal and Hannah Waddingham will present the awards at the ceremony. Selena Gomez, Camilla Morone, Dominque Fishback, Elizabeth Debicki, Camila Morrone and Katherine Heigl made some stylish statements as they walked the red carpet at the awards ceremony.

HBO’s ‘Succession,’ about the wealthy but miserable Roy family, is leading all nominees with 27 nods. It is widely expected to win its third best-drama trophy. Some awards watchers said ‘Succession’ also could sweep the four drama acting categories. Three ‘Succession’ actors – Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong – are competing against each other for best actor. That could pave the way for an upset by Pedro Pascal, star of dystopian video-game adaptation ‘The Last of Us,’ said Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. “He could benefit from a ‘Succession’ vote split.”

Pascal, who is Chilean-American, would be the first Latino actor to win best actor in a drama. In comedy contests, two-time series winner “Ted Lasso,” about the American coach of a plucky British football team, leads the pack again. While the third season of the Apple TV+ show divided fans, “clearly Emmy voters still love it,” Eng said, noting the show received 21 nominations, its most ever.

‘Lasso’ could be beaten, some prognosticators said, by Golden Globe winner ‘The Bear,’ the story of a haute cuisine chef trying to turn around his family’s Chicago sandwich shop. Amazon Freevee’s “Jury Duty,” about a real person who unwittingly takes part in a fake trial, also is in the mix.

‘Beef,’ Netflix’s road rage drama that claimed three Globes, is the favorite to win best limited series. Winners will be chosen by the roughly 20,000 performers, directors, producers and other members of the Television Academy. While the night could be a party for “Succession,” Davis cautioned that such a large group can make for unpredictable results. “Anything can happen, and sometimes anarchy ensues, and we just get a crazy night,” he said.