(Los Angeles) The series Succession, a dark and gritty chronicle of a powerful family tearing itself apart to take control of a media empire, arrived at the top of the Emmy Awards nominations on Wednesday, announced the day before a probable strike. actors who could cripple Hollywood.
Highly acclaimed by critics, the drama’s final season was nominated in 27 categories for this television equivalent of the Oscars. An auspicious harvest for HBO’s flagship program, which has already been voted best drama series twice.
She will face in particular the post-apocalyptic road-movie The Last of Us and The White Lotus, whose second season follows the neuroses of luxury vacationers in Sicily. Also produced by HBO, these two series garnered 24 and 23 nominations respectively.
On the comedy side, Ted Lasso, who follows the adventures of an American football coach parachuted into an English football team, is in the lead with 21 nominations.
For miniseries, two Netflix productions stand out with 13 nominations each: Relentless, a Los Angeles killing game between two pissed-off Asian motorists, and Dahmer: Monster-The Story of Jeffrey Dahmer, based on the story. of a famous American serial killer.
Announced live on television, this year’s nominations take place against a backdrop of great uncertainty: screenwriters have been on strike for more than two months in Hollywood and actors could join this social movement as early as Wednesday evening at midnight, Los Angeles time. .
A comedians’ strike would mean a boycott by all Hollywood stars of the 75th Emmy Awards, originally scheduled for September 18.
Succession stars Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong, all three nominated for Best Actor in a Drama Series and members of the actors union, SAG-AFTRA, would not step on the red carpet, in solidarity with the 160,000 guild members.
Just like their counterpart Sarah Snook, tipped as a favorite to win the prize for best actress.
Faced with this prospect, the production is already considering postponing the event to November, or even to next year, according to the American press.
“We hope that the ongoing negotiations […] will quickly lead to an equitable solution,” said Frank Scherma, president of the Academy of Emmy Voters.
The talks seem to be off to a bad start, however, despite last-minute mediation by federal government mediators, called to the rescue by some studio and streaming platform bosses.
If SAG-AFTRA has consented to this mediation, the actors’ union seems to remain on a war footing.
The organization denounced a “cynical scheme” by employers in a statement on Tuesday evening, “aiming to obtain an extension” while studios and platforms “have had more than enough time to reach a fair agreement”.
“We are not convinced that the employers intend to negotiate,” the union added.
Like the screenwriters, the actors are demanding better compensation to fight inflation and guarantees against potential upheavals linked to artificial intelligence, such as voice cloning.
They are protesting in particular against the drop, linked to streaming, of their so-called “residual” remuneration, resulting from each rerun of a film or series.
Significant during a television appearance, because based on the advertising model, these fees are much lower for streaming platforms, which do not communicate their audience figures and pay a flat rate, regardless of the popularity of the program.
Among other notable Emmy nominations on Wednesday, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel series did well with 14 nominations.
With 13 nominations, The Bear: Eat in or Take Out confirmed its status as a chef’s surprise: A grueling and exhilarating dive into the kitchens of a ramshackle Chicago sandwich shop, this Netflix series had established itself as the revelation of the ‘last summer.
Voters also enjoyed Disney series based on the Star Wars universe: The Mandalorian, Andor, and Obi-Wan Kenobi: Return of the Jedi amassed 22 nominations between them.
On the fantasy side, Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon edged out Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power with 8 nominations to 6.
Here is the list of nominations in the main categories for the 75th Emmy Awards, unveiled Wednesday in Los Angeles.
