Succession cleans up at the 2023 Emmys – along with The Bear and Beef
Succession has done it again, taking home the night’s biggest prizes at the Emmys just a week after big wins at the Golden Globes.
The fourth and final season of the critically acclaimed series, following the saga of a media mogul and his empire, was named best drama – while Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook, who play squabbling siblings Roman and Shiv Roy, took the prizes for best actor and actress respectively.
In the comedy categories, it was the claustrophobic chef’s kitchen series The Bear that dominated, while road-rage comedy-drama Beef was the big winner in the limited series group.
Elsewhere, Sir Elton John was also among the winners for a televised live stream of one of the shows from his farewell tour, putting him in the exclusive EGOT club of stars who have won all four major entertainment awards in the US – an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony. However, he was unable to attend the ceremony after having a knee operation.
Succession star Brian Cox, who plays fearsome patriarch Logan Roy and was also nominated in the best actor category, got a kiss on the lips from Culkin as his Emmys win was announced.
Culkin then announced on stage in his speech that he would like more children with his wife, Jazz Charton, while Snook, who was pregnant while filming, thanked her young daughter as she accepted her award.
Jesse Armstrong, creator of the HBO/Sky Atlantic series, told the audience: “It was a great sadness to end the show, but it was a great pleasure to do it.”
The series also picked up the trophies for dramatic writing and directing, and best supporting actor for British star Matthew Macfadyen, taking home six in total.
Celebrating the best in television at a ceremony in LA on Monday night, the 2023 ceremony had been pushed back from September due to the US actors’ and writers’ strikes.
The Bear was named best comedy series for its first season, with stars Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri winning the awards for lead actor, supporting actor and supporting actress respectively.
The show follows White’s fine-dining chef Carmy as he tries to turn around his family’s Chicago sandwich shop.
“Thank you for believing in me when I had trouble believing in myself,” said White as he accepted his prize, while Edebiri said: “This is a show about family and found family and real family, and my parents are here tonight – I’m making them sit kind of far away from me because I’m a bad kid.”
Moss-Bachrach shared a comical on-stage kiss with co-star Matty Matheson as they collected the main comedy series prize.
Like Succession, The Bear also won six awards, including prizes for writing and directing.
Abbott Elementary star and creator Quinta Brunson was named best actress in a comedy, becoming teary as she was presented the award by industry legend Carol Burnett.
“I don’t know why I’m so emotional – I think it’s the Carol Burnett of it all,” Brunson said. “I’m so happy to be able to live my dream.”
Jennifer Coolidge took home her second supporting actress gong for her performance in The White Lotus, taking the opportunity to thank “all of the evil gays” – in reference to a line from the show about those involved in a murder plot against her character.
‘I am not Elton John’
Road rage comedy-drama Beef was also a big winner, taking home the award for best-limited series and scoring wins for stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun in the acting categories and also for directing and writing.
Creator and director Lee Sung Jin made three speeches, also picking up best writing and directing of a limited series, and told the audience: “I’m really grateful and humbled by anyone who watched the show and reached out about their own personal struggles, it’s very life-affirming.”
Sir Elton’s award was accepted by a spokesperson, who told the audience: “I am not Elton John, sadly he had a knee op. He’s absolutely fine but wanted to send his love and thanks…
“We knew this show would be historic, because it was going to be Elton’s last ever show in North America on tour. We knew it would be historic because it was Disney’s first live global stream.
“We didn’t know it would be historic because it was going to win a man – who has navigated the soundtrack to our lives he’s done so much great for society who is all of our heroes – we didn’t know it would win him an EGOT.”
‘Being together brings back some great memories’
Organisers used the milestone event – the 75th Emmy Awards – to honour classic television shows with cast reunions.
Host Anthony Anderson opened the ceremony with a choir singing theme songs, with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker joining to play the drum solo from Phil Collins’s In the Air Tonight, a song that aired during a pivotal moment in 1980s hit Miami Vice.
Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman and other stars of Cheers gathered around a recreation of the iconic bar set before presenting the outstanding directing in a comedy series award.
With Danson standing behind the bar in a nod to his character Sam Malone, John Ratzenberger, who played Cliff Clavin, said: “Ted, don’t you just think about it as a long overdue class reunion, huh? Being together brings back some great memories from a show we’re all very proud of.”
Grey’s Anatomy actresses Katherine Heigl and Ellen Pompeo spoke from a hospital room set, while other series including The Sopranos, Game Of Thrones and Dynasty – with an appearance from Dame Joan Collins – were also celebrated.