Succession, the story of a dysfunctional wealthy family jockeying for power, and feel-good comedy Ted Lasso have taken out the top honours at the Emmy Awards in Hollywood.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Both shows were repeat winners, while Australian actor Murray Bartlett picked up his first Emmy with a best supporting actor award for The White Lotus.
Succession was named best drama series, an award it had won in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted its production schedule.
The show, which secured four trophies overall, tells the story of the wealthy and back-stabbing Roy family as members jockey for power.
Australian Sarah Snook, missed out on the best supporting actress award for her part in the show, with that recognition instead going to Ozark's Julia Garner.
Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso was also a repeat winner, claiming best comedy for the second straight year for its tale of an American football coach leading a British soccer team.
Its stars Jason Sudeikis and Brett Goldstein were second-time winners of best comedy actor and supporting actor respectively.
Voters honoured Euphoria star Zendaya for best drama actress and Jean Smart of Hacks for best comedy actress. It was the second win for each in those categories.
One newcomer among the major honorees was Lee Jung-jae, who was named best actor in a drama for his role on South Korean drama Squid Game.
The dystopian thriller about cash-strapped contestants risking their lives for wealth became a global sensation after its release on Netflix a year ago.
The most-lauded show of the night was The White Lotus. It won 10 awards including best limited series and acting trophies for Jennifer Coolidge and Australia's Murray Bartlett.
A third Aussie actor, Toni Collette, missed out on a best actress award for The Staircase, with Amanda Seyfried taking the honours for The Dropout.
Host and Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson kept a celebratory tone throughout the show, saying it was time to appreciate one of the world's favourite pastimes.
"What would we do without television? Read books?", he joked, before joining dance numbers to theme songs ranging from classic sitcom Friends to current best drama nominee Stranger Things.
Singer Lizzo earned an award for competition series for Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.
The musician said that as a little girl she had always wanted television to feature "someone fat like me, black like me, beautiful like me".
"I'm going to go back and tell a little Lizzo something ... you're going to be that person," she said.
Sheryl Lee Ralph appeared shocked when her name was called as the winner of best supporting actress in a comedy for Abbott Elementary, a show about a predominantly Black school in Philadelphia.
The actress began her acceptance speech by singing a rousing, a capella excerpt of the song Endangered Species.
"I am a woman, I am an artist, and I know where my voice belongs," she sang, prompting a standing ovation.
Among other winners, Michael Keaton was named lead actor in a limited series for playing a small-town doctor who becomes addicted to painkillers in Dopesick.
Australian Associated Press
