How the Death of ‘Succession’ Will Change the 2023 Emmy Awards Categories

(The following contains spoilers for “Succession” Season 4, Episode 3.)

Logan Roy’s death not only throws the remaining seven episodes of “Succession” Season 4 into a frenzy, the shocking plot point also calls into question what the acclaimed HBO drama’s Emmy campaign plans are now that Brian Cox is presumably ineligible for a third. Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

As tragic as it is to see the imposing patriarch fall so early in the show’s final season, it does open the door to even more interesting new fare for the “succession.” For example, there has already been a lot of talk about Alan Ruck playing his oldest son, Connor Roy, and he ended up in Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, never nominated for his work over the last three seasons of the show.

Now, Cox also seems the most likely to make a bid in that category. Although creator Jesse Armstrong likes to keep mum about what’s next for the “succession” characters, Cox said. Vulture, “I’m going to jump back and later have a couple of scenes that are flashbacks.” If he appears in two more episodes, the 76-year-old star would likely be ineligible for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, a category that HBO’s award-winning strategists would avoid entering anyway, since that award is not presented in the main game. At the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, and given the circumstances, they would like to televise Cox’s first Emmy and her acceptance speech for the series.

Connected

Connected

However, Kieran Culkin, Nicholas Braun and Matthew Macfadyen are the leads in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category, with all three nominated for seasons 2 and 3, the latter winning last year. . Again, we don’t know what the rest of the season has in store for their characters, but as things are heating up, it’s safe to assume that Braun and Macfadyen will stay in that category. Those two, plus Ruck and Cox, would give the show four highly viable contenders for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, which is why it would be smart for Culkin to turn in the lead role now.

So far, “Succession” has only won two acting Emmys: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Jeremy Strong in Season 2, and the aforementioned Supporting Actor for Macfadyen after Season 3. The series was not nominated in any of the acting categories. the first season, but the following seasons really messed with the show’s central dynamic between Logan and Kendall, so Cox and Strong were cast twice as the main characters in a drama competition.

However, Season 4 has so far focused more on the Roy kids than a unit (sans Connor). Since Logan’s death automatically pushed Roman to play a bigger role in the narrative, it’s only fair that Culkin’s Emmy submission reflects that. Casting him in the leading role would give even more “succession” actors the chance to win their first Emmys on the show.

Courtesy of David M. Russell/HBO

Yes, Emmys history dictates that Strong and Macfayden are more likely to win again rather than a new star from the show, but given that this is its final season, the proposed lineup sparked the idea of Among Emmy voters that may have been overlooked. Culkin and Cox too many times, so they should be given an Emmy when they leave.

How the show’s women apply for the Emmys is more complicated. Sarah Snook, who plays Shiv Roy, Logan’s only daughter, was nominated twice for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, but lost both times to Ozark star Julia Garner. With the show ending last season, you’d think Snook would finally win the category if she signed up for supporting cast again, but now she has to deal with the cast of “The White Lotus” Season 2.

Although it competed as a limited series last year, it was telling that the Mike White vacation drama took home five out of seven supporting actress nominations, and the Emmy still went to Jennifer Coolidge. And “The White Lotus” season 2 not only had more developed female characters, but it was better and more widely received. While Snook’s role in the final season of “Succession” seems like she might warrant a role as the dramatic lead, Jennifer Coolidge’s swan song “The White Lotus” does as well. If HBO ultimately decides who submits where, it would be best to place the latter actress in Lead, as she would be the most competitive against the ladies of “Yellowjackets,” another already established buzzy spring drama. on the radar of the TV Academy.

That would pave the way for this year’s race for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series to be between Snook, her Succession co-star J. Smith Cameron, and maybe even Justine Lupe if Season 4 continues strong. White Lotus stars like Aubrey Plaza and Meghann Fahy and Yellowjackets actresses like Christina Ricci and Simone Kessell.

Several people from other shows can become excellent supporting cast members of the drama series, a prime example of which is “The Crown” star Elizabeth Debicki. But the main wild cards will be “Better Call Saul” star Rhea Seehorn — also out — who is in contention for her show’s final season to land the lead role. And let’s not forget the ladies of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” who have dominated the nominations in the category before, with Ann Dowd even winning after the Hulu series’ first season. Although it seems fans were less than engaged with the 2017 Outstanding Drama Series winner’s most recent penultimate season.

When all is said and done, Logan Roy’s death ensures that the “succession” will keep Emmy predictions on their toes long after the beloved series ends in May.

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