‘Succession’ makes Emmy history with 3 Best Drama Actor nominations

Kaitlin Thomas
·3 min read
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“Succession” is no stranger to the Emmys. A two-time Best Drama Series winner, the HBO show from creator Jesse Armstrong is gunning for a third win in the category for its fourth and final season, which concluded in May. But it could easily pick up a number of other Emmys along the way. On Wednesday, the show received a staggering 27 nominations, 14 of which were in the acting categories as it tied the acting nominations record it set last year. In doing so, the show made history as the first drama series to earn three nominations for Best Drama Actor in the same year.

Although his role was reduced this season, Brian Cox received his third nomination for portraying Logan Roy, the demanding patriarch of the wealthy Roy family whose death early in the final season initially united his children but created much inner turmoil with regards to who would take over as CEO of Waystar Royco, the major media conglomerate he founded and led for decades. While many expected Cox to move to the supporting race because of his reduced presence (he was ineligible for guest since he appeared in five episodes), he remained in lead, and now he’s part of history.

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Joining Cox are Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin, who portrayed two of Logan’s three sons (Alan Ruck, who portrayed eldest son Connor, actually received his first Emmy nomination in the supporting category). Strong took home the Emmy for Best Drama Actor in 2020 (after beating out Cox, incidentally) for his tortured performance as wannabe CEO Kendall. After a season in which Kendall attempted to fill his dad’s big, big shoes and prove he was capable of running the company in the long term, it’s hardly a surprise Strong has been rewarded with a third nomination. Meanwhile, following two noms in the supporting actor race for his turn as smarmy and intelligent youngest son Roman, Culkin scored his first bid for lead actor after taking on a more central role in the final season. In many ways, the show’s swan song belonged to Culkin, as he was given tremendous material throughout, from a memorable mountaintop confrontation with Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard) to an emotional breakdown at Logan’s funeral (it turns out that pre-grieving is not a thing).

While the show’s three bids for Best Drama Actor place it in the history books, they weren’t unexpected. Ahead of Wednesday’s nominations, Strong and Culkin sat in first and second place, respectively, in Gold Derby’s combined odds, while Cox was in fifth. Only two other shows have earned triple nominations in the lead categories. From 1986-89, “The Golden Girls” snagged bids for stars Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Betty White (they each won the first three years before losing to “Murphy Brown’s” Candice Bergen in 1989). Many years later, in 2005, “Desperate Housewives” saw Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman and Teri Hatcher do it too (Huffman won).

Joining the talented men of “Succession” on the Best Drama Actor ballot this year are Jeff Bridges (“The Old Man”), Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”) and Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”). 

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