"Succession," "The Bear," and "Beef" Continue to Dominate the Awards Circuit
/At the 29th annual Critics' Choice Awards and 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, television's most critically loved shows continued their sweeps of the year's biggest events.
HBO's "Succession" and FX/Hulu's "The Bear" picked up six Emmys each, including Best Drama and Best Comedy, respectively. "Succession" also picked up three acting awards, for lead actor Kieran Culkin, lead actress Sarah Snook, and supporting actor Matthew Macfadyen. Culkin and Snook also won at the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Awards. Macfadyen won at last week's Globes ceremony but fell to Billy Crudup of "The Morning Show" at the Critics' Choice Awards.
"The Bear" earned three of its stars Emmys – lead actor Jeremy Allen White, supporting actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and supporting actress Ayo Edebiri. All three also cleaned up at the Critics' Choice Awards, while White and Edebiri additionally took home statuettes at the Golden Globes. The Globes does not separate supporting performances into drama and comedy categories, putting Moss-Bachrach and Macfadyen in direct competition.
Both shows also won the top prize in their respective categories at the Globes and Critics' Choice Awards. Speaking of shows that swept the major award shows, the Netflix limited series "Beef" won five Emmys and four Critics' Choice Awards over the weekend, including the top award for a limited series at both shows and statuettes for stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. Supporting actress Maria Bello also earned a Critics' Choice Award for her performance.
All three programs also swept the writing and directing awards at the Emmys. The only major winner for a network series was Quinta Brunson, who won Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for ABC's "Abbott Elementary."
In celebrating this year's 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, the ceremony included many cast reunions, including "Cheers" and (in a tribute to Norman Lear) "All in the Family," as well as several nonagenarian presenters, including Marla Gibbs of "The Jeffersons" and "227," Joan Collins of "Dynasty," and Carol Burnett.
The Critic's Choice Awards also recognized the best of this year's films, with Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer," Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," and Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers" winning multiple awards.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph added another trophy to her shelf for her supporting role in "The Holdovers." She and lead actor Paul Giamatti won Golden Globes a week ago, and over the weekend she picked up the Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress while Giamatti beat out fellow Globes winner Cillian Murphy for Best Actor. In fact, both Golden Globe winners in the lead acting comedy categories won the top acting prizes at the Critics' Choice Awards over their drama counterparts, with "Poor Things" star Emma Stone winning over "Killers of the Flower Moon" lead Lily Gladstone. Robert Downey, Jr. also won another award for "Oppenheimer," making him the clear frontrunner to win Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars, and Randolph the favorite for Best Supporting Actress.
"Barbie" was awarded with Best Comedy, and Margot Robbie presented the eighth annual "SeeHer" Award to her co-star America Ferrera. The film also won Best Hair and Makeup, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Song for "Just Ken," and Best Original Screenplay. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has ruled the film ineligible for Best Original Screenplay, so it will instead compete as an adapted screenplay at the Oscars. "American Fiction" took home that award at the Critics' Choice ceremony.
"Oppenheimer" continues to be the favorite for Oscar gold. On top of Downey's win, the film also won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Acting Ensemble, and multiple technical awards for its cinematography, editing, score, and visual effects.
The Critics Choice Association also presented a Career Achievement Award to Harrison Ford, and the immensely popular veteran film star received a long standing ovation and gave a teary acceptance speech during the night's event.
