Huge Emmy nomination achievements: Departing shows stronger than ever, TV movies comeback, Pedro Pascal x3 …

Daniel Montgomery
·4 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

“Succession” led all programs when the 75th Annual Primetime Emmy Award nominations were announced on Wednesday, July 12. It received 27 nominations including Best Drama Series. But that’s not the only noteworthy program achievement from the list of nominations.

SEE2023 Emmy nominations: Complete list of nominees

“Ted Lasso” and “Succession” do better than ever in their farewell (?) seasons

That question mark is because “Ted Lasso” has been coy about whether its third season actually was its farewell, but assuming it was, that was one big goodbye hug the show got from Emmy voters. After 20 nominations in season one and 20 nominations in season two, the show managed to do even better in season three with 21 bids including Best Comedy Series. Less surprisingly, “Succession” outdid itself too. Its swan song earned it 27 nominations, two better than it received last year. These are looking like your front-runners for Best Comedy and Best Drama.

More from GoldDerby

“Succession” ties its all-time acting record

The corporate drama made history in 2022 when it earned 14 acting nominations, more than any other program ever earned before in a single year. This year it submitted even more actors on the Emmy ballot, but while it didn’t manage to break its own record, it did manage to tie it. “Succession” is once again nominated for 14 acting awards, which make up more than half of its nominations total.

TV movies make a comeback

Last year only one of the nominees for Best TV Movie had any nominations outside of Best TV Movie: “Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas” had an extra bid for its choreography. For a while it seemed like TV movies were doomed to suffer under the shadow of their limited series counterparts, but what a difference a year makes! In 2023 every single contender for Best TV Movie has multiple nominations. They’re led by “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” with eight bids including notices for its lead actor Daniel Radcliffe and writers Al Yankovic and Eric Appel. “Fire Island” picked up a writing nom. “Prey” was recognized for writing and directing. “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas” is in the running for its costumes, and “Hocus Pocus 2” is cited for its costumes and music composition.

SEEEmmy nominations reactions from our forums: What fans are saying

“The Last of Us” redeems zombies and video game adaptations

With 24 nominations, the post-apocalyptic drama about a fungal infection that turns people into mindless monsters just got more recognition in one season than “The Walking Dead” received in its entire 11-season run. That includes the Best Drama bid that long eluded the AMC series. The Emmys have mostly gotten over their bias against sci-fi, horror, and fantasy, but until now they never embraced zombies the way they did dragons (“Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon”), parallel dimensions (“Stranger Things”), or space opera (“The Mandalorian” and “Andor”). It appears that there is no barrier to entry for quality dramas anymore when it comes to genre. “The Last of Us” simultaneously proved that you can make a video game adaptation that’s worthy of awards. Successfully translating interactive media into a traditional narrative form had eluded Hollywood for decades.

Pedro Pascal scores a hat trick

Among the nominations for “The Last of Us” is Best Drama Actor for Pedro Pascal. The internet’s preeminent crush is actually nominated three times this year, indicating abundant love from the television academy. In addition to his “Last of Us” recognition, he’s nominated for guest hosting “Saturday Night Live” and narrating “Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World.” Is he destined to win at least one of those awards?

“The White Lotus” improves in its move to drama

It won 10 Emmys out of 20 nominations in 2022 when it competed as a limited series. But it was renewed for season two and brought back Jennifer Coolidge, which meant the show had to be considered a drama and not a true anthology. Would it do anywhere nearly as well when up against shows like the aforementioned “Succession” and “The Last of Us”? As it turns out, “The White Lotus” did even better. It’s nominated 23 times (three more than last year), including nine bids for acting (one more than last year). Indeed, judging from the nominations, you might think “White Lotus,” “Last of Us,” and “Succession” were the only TV programs on the air this past season.

Best of GoldDerby

Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.