Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Hollywood satire “The Studio,” office sci-fi drama “Severance” and teen murder saga “Adolescence” were among the early Emmy Awards winners Sunday, at a ceremony where “Hacks” actor Hannah Einbinder delivered a rare political statement.
“The Studio” co-creator Seth Rogen won best actor in a comedy for his role as a floundering movie executive, and best director. His Apple TV+ series is both a love letter to the industry, and a searing send-up of its many moral failings. The best comedy actress Emmy again went to Jean Smart — her fourth for “Hacks.” Einbinder finally won best supporting actress as the long-suffering assistant to Smart’s late-night comedian. Einbinder used her speech to describe the agency behind most of President Donald Trump’s recent immigration raids with an expletive — muted by broadcasting network CBS — before adding “Free Palestine.” Television’s equivalent of the Oscars had promised to steer clear of politics.
In the drama categories, “Severance” and medical procedural “The Pitt” will vie for the highly coveted best series prize, with pundits saying the race is too close to call. “Severance” — a psychological thriller set largely in the near-future offices of a shadowy corporation — had the most nominations of any show this year with 27. The premise: the “innie” employees of Lumon Industries quite literally leave their outside lives, memories and personalities at the door, thanks to a dystopian new mind-splitting technology. “Severance” star Britt Lower took best actress in a drama. But “The Pitt” also scored an early win for supporting actress Katherine LaNasa. It is a medical drama reminiscent of “ER,” with the twist that all 15 episodes are set consecutively during the same unbearably stressful shift at an inner-city Pittsburgh hospital. Tackling everything from abortion rights to mass shootings, “The Pitt” has become a word-of-mouth sensation. “ER” veteran Noah Wyle is the favorite to win best drama actor for his performance as the emergency room’s haunted leader.
“Adolescence,” arguably this year’s most talked-about TV hit, is the clear favorite to win best limited series — awarded to shows that end after one season. The show follows a 13-year-old schoolboy arrested on suspicion of murdering a female classmate with a knife. Owen Cooper, the 15-year-old who plays the boy, became the youngest ever male actor to win an Emmy, taking best supporting actor in a limited series. “Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to be even in the United States, never mind here,” he said. The series earned a whopping 140 million views in its first three months on Netflix, and drew rave reviews as well as countless water-cooler discussions. Each of its four episodes are shot in a stunning single take, and together form a timely and tragic examination of the impact of toxic masculinity on young boys. It took other early prizes for best directing and writing. “We never expected our little program to have such a big impact,” said star and co-creator Stephen Graham.
The Emmys began with a comedy sketch poking fun at television and the awards themselves. Pretending to predict the future of TV as its long-ago inventor, host Nate Bargatze joked that “most people will watch football and ‘Yellowstone'” rather than the high-brow shows typically honored by television’s equivalent of the Oscars. Delivering his opening monologue, Bargatze set out a novel way to keep things succinct. The comedian pledged to donate $100,000 of his own money to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The catch? He will deduct $1,000 for every second that a winner’s acceptance speech exceeds the allotted 45 seconds — and add money back on for speeches that run short. A money counter ran on-screen throughout the gala. “Don’t go crazy, because I am paying for this,” he quipped.
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