Succession tops Emmy nominations, Squid Game also scores

Succession received a leading 25 Emmy nominations on Tuesday, but the satirical drama about the rich and ruthless has a landmark rival in Squid Game, the first non-English language series to vie for television’s top honour.

Squid Game, a South Korea-set drama in which the poor are fodder for brutal games, earned a best drama nomination and 13 other bids for September’s Emmy Awards. Succession captured the best drama trophy and eight other awards when it last vied for Emmys, in 2020.

The others follow

Ted Lasso was the top comedy series nominee with 20 bids and has the chance to earn its second consecutive best comedy trophy.

Other top nominees included the tropical resort-set anthology dramedy The White Lotus, which also received 20 nominations; the comedies Hacks and Only Murders in the Building with 17 bids each, and teenage dysfunction drama Euphoria. Its star, Zendaya, was crowned best actress in 2020 was nominated again.

Departing series that might have expected salutes were instead snubbed, including the beloved family drama This Is Us, which received one bid, for original music and lyrics. Ozark, which wrapped its run last season, fared better, with 13 bids, including best drama series.

The final season for Insecure earned a lead comedy actress bid for its creator-star Issa Rae, while the return of Atlanta brought its creator and lead Donald Glover a shot at a best actor trophy . The crowd-pleasing and acclaimed Abbott Elementary made a splashy debut in its first year, earning a best comedy nod and a lead acting bid for its creator, Quinta Brunson. The other nominees for best comedy series are Barry, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hacks, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Only Murders in the Building, Ted Lasso and What We Do in the Shadows.

Dramatic turn

Best drama series nominees include Better Call Saul, Euphoria, Severance, Stranger Things and Yellowjackets. Only Murders in the Building, a cheery crime romp headed by the charmingly unlikely trio of Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short, earned best comedy actor bids for its veteran stars but left Gomez off the list. The other nominees for best comedy series actress are Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant), Elle Fanning (The Great), Issa Rae (Insecure) and Jean Smart (Hacks). Other nominees for actor in a comedy series include: Bill Hader (Barry), Nicholas Holt, (The Great), Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso), Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building) and Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building). The nominees for drama series actor are: Jason Bateman (Ozark), Brian Cox (Succession), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Adam Scott (Severance) and Jeremy Strong (Succession).

The best drama series actress nominees are: Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Laura Linney (Ozark), Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets) Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show) and Zendaya (Euphoria). The Emmy ceremony is set for September 12 and will air on NBC with a host whose name is yet to be announced. —AP