'Succession' and 'Squid Game' big winners at Emmys
Dysfunctional family saga "Succession" on Tuesday took top honors for best drama at the Emmys, television's biggest night of the year, as "Squid Game" made history when Lee Jung-jae was named best actor, a first for a non-English-language performer. The South Korean social satire about misfits and criminals competing for cash in twisted versions of schoolyard games had also been in the running for the top prize, but the Netflix hit was bested by HBO's latest awards darling. Accepting the best drama award, "Succession" creator Jesse Armstrong noted it had been a big week for successions – a reference to the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension to the British throne of her son. "Evidently [there's] a little bit more voting involved in our winning than Prince Charles," he quipped. "Succession", a Shakespearean drama about a family betraying each other for control of a media empire, led the nominations ahead of the gala with 25, winning four awards overall. Other big winners on the night were fellow HBO stablemate "The White Lotus", which won a total of 10 Emmys including best limited series, and Apple TV+ comedy favorite "Ted Lasso", again a winner for best comedy and best actor Jason Sudeikis. "Lotus", a stylish satire on wealth and hypocrisy set in a luxury Hawaiian resort, scooped up two acting prizes as well as directing and writing honors, plus other technical awards. But Netflix's "Squid Game" made a statement with its six Emmys – beyond Lee, the series won for best directing, best guest drama actress Lee Yoo-mi and three other technical categories. Zendaya repeated her feat as best actress in a drama for her turn in "Euphoria," two years after she became the youngest ever winner in the category for the first season of HBO's hard-hitting look at teenage life. The event was the first full-fledged gala honouring the best of the small screen since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.  After a virtual ceremony in 2020 and a scaled-back show last year, gowns and tuxedos were de rigueur at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles, where the glitterati arrived in bright sunshine. (AFP)