HBO dominated Wednesday morning's Emmy nominations, with the elite trio of "Succession," "The White Lotus" and "The Last of Us" combining for a whopping 74, but the dominant theme darkening the scene is the ongoing writers strike and the looming possibility that actors may join them in as little as a day.
"Succession" and its deeply dysfunctional dynasty of 1 percenters led all Emmy nominees in its fourth and final season with 27, including best drama, which it has won two of the past three years. It got three nominations for best actor in a drama, with Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin all getting nods for playing men of the Roy clan, and Sarah Snook getting a best actress nomination. It also got four nominations for best supporting actor in a drama.
The cursed vacationers at a Sicilian resort from the second of "The White Lotus" truly dominated the supporting categories, however, landing five nominations for best supporting actress in a drama — including nods for Jennifer Coolidge and Aubrey Plaza — and four more for best supporting actor.
Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, the duo on a fungus-filled quest in " The Last of Us," each got lead acting nominations. The show, an adaption of the popular Playstation video game, was second behind "Succession" with 24 nominations. "The White Lotus" had 23.
"Ted Lasso" was tops among comedies with 21 nominations, including best comedy series and best actor for Jason Sudeikis.
The nominations suggested that HBO can still dominate even as streaming-only outlets have taken over so much of elite TV — though the distinction is increasingly blurred, with a huge segment of viewers watching "Succession" and the cable channel's other offerings on the streaming service now known as Max.
Cox, 77, got his best actor in a drama nod despite appearing in fewer than half of this season's "Succession" episodes, though as the Roy family patriarch he loomed just as large over the episodes he didn't appear in. A win would be his first in three nominations for the role, though he won an Emmy for best supporting actor in a TV movie in 2001.
Strong won in 2020 for playing "eldest boy" Kendall Roy. Culkin got his first nomination for best actor after two previous nominations in the supporting category.
Other nominees:
Drama series: "Andor"; "Better Call Saul"; "The Crown"; "House of the Dragon"; "The Last of Us"; "Succession"; "The White Lotus"; "Yellowjackets."
Comedy series: "Abbott Elementary"; "Barry"; "The Bear"; "Jury Duty"; "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"; "Only Murders in the Building"; "Ted Lasso"; "Wednesday."
Anthology series: "Beef"; "Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story"; "Daisy Jones & the Six"; "Fleishman is in Trouble"; "Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Best actress in a drama series: Sharon Horgan, "Bad Sisters"; Melanie Lynskey, "Yellowjackets"; Elisabeth Moss, "The Handmaid's Tale"; Bella Ramsey, "The Last of Us"; Keri Russell, "The Diplomat"; Sarah Snook, "Succession."
Best actor in a drama series: Jeremy Strong, "Succession"; Bob Odenkirk, "Better Call Saul"; Kieran Culkin, "Succession"; Pedro Pascal, "The Last of Us"; Brian Cox, "Succession"; Jeff Bridges, "The Old Man."
Best actor in a comedy series: Jeremy Allen White, "The Bear"; Jason Sudeikis, "Ted Lasso"; Bill Hader, "Barry"; Martin Short, "Only Murders in the Building"; Jason Segel, "Shrinking."
Best actress in a comedy series: Quinta Brunson, "Abbott Elementary"; Rachel Brosnahan, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"; Christina Applegate, "Dead to Me"; Jenna Ortega, "Wednesday"; Natasha Lyonne, "Poker Face."
Best supporting actress in a comedy series: Sheryl Lee Ralph, "Abbott Elementary"; Ayo Edebiri, "The Bear"; Janelle James, "Abbott Elementary"; Hannah Waddingham, "Ted Lasso"; Juno Temple, "Ted Lasso"; Jessica Williams, "Shrinking."
Best supporting actor in a comedy series: Anthony Carrigan, "Barry"; Brett Goldstein, "Ted Lasso"; Phil Dunster, "Ted Lasso"; Henry Winkler, "Barry"; James Marsden, "Jury Duty"; Tyler James Williams, "Abbott Elementary"; Ebon Moss-Bachrach, "The Bear."
Best supporting actor in a drama series: F. Murray Abraham, "The White Lotus"; Nicholas Braun, "Succession"; Michael Imperioli, "The White Lotus"; Theo James, "The White Lotus"; Matthew Macfadyen, "Succession"; Alan Ruck, "Succession"; Will Sharpe, "The White Lotus"; Alexander Skarsgård, "Succession."
Best supporting actress in a drama series: Jennifer Coolidge, "The White Lotus"; Elizabeth Debicki, "The Crown"; Meghann Fahy, "The White Lotus"; Sabrina Impacciatore, "The White Lotus"; Aubrey Plaza, "The White Lotus"; Rhea Seehorn, "Better Call Saul"; J. Smith-Cameron, "Succession"; Simona Tabasco, "The White Lotus."
Actors joining movie and television writers on strike would further shut down the industry and be the first time since 1960 that two Hollywood unions are on strike. While show and film releases will continue, work on upcoming projects would cease and the promotional interviews and appearances by actors to support the projects would cease.
The possibility of an industry debilitated by two strikes could dampen any joy for those nominated and could put the damper on the ceremony scheduled for September 18 on the Fox network.
The nominations were announced by "Community" star Yvette Nicole Brown and Television Academy CEO Frank Scherma, who referenced the labor disputes before at the top of Wednesday's livestream.
"We hope the ongoing guild negotiations can come to an equitable and swift resolution. We are committed to supporting a television industry that stands strong in equity and where we can continue to honor all the incredible work you do," Scherma said.
