‘Succession,’ ‘Ted Lasso’ win big at 2022 Emmys, but ‘Abbott Elementary’ takes home some trophies

“Ted Lasso” is still running up the score at the Emmys.

The Apple TV+ favorite about an English football team and their folksy American coach, played by Jason Sudeikis, took home the top comedy award at the Emmys Monday, the second year in a row.

Sudeikis also won for lead actor in a comedy, while co-star Brett Goldstein failed in his promise to not swear during his acceptance award for supporting actor in a comedy. Instead, the British actor, marking his second straight win in that category as the brutally honest Roy Kent, joked that the hardest part of his job is “being in a scene with anyone in this cast and not ruining it by just staring at them and saying, ‘God, you’re good.’”

On the other side of the aisle, “Succession” was a predictable win for outstanding drama, while star Matthew Macfadyen took home the trophy for supporting actor as the hapless Tom Wambsgans, which he called a “bonkers gift of a role.”

The 74th annual prime-time TV awards, moved to Monday this year to accommodate NBC’s Sunday Night Football, return to Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater for the first time since 2019, upended for three years by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emmys host Kenan Thompson kicked off the festivities by honoring the magic of TV, the “greatest invention in the history of mankind.”

Without TV, the “Saturday Night Live” comedian asked, what else would you do?

“Read books? No one in this room has read a book in the last 50 years,” Thompson deadpanned. “Watch TikTok? Oh, you mean tiny, vertical television? Have sex? Gross!”

The opening monologue then gave way to a dance number set to the theme songs for “Friends,” “The Brady Bunch,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Stranger Things” and “Game of Thrones.”

Thompson also took shots at streaming services Peacock, which was airing the Emmys, Netflix and Showtime, plus a dig at newly single Leonardo DiCaprio by telling Zendaya, who turned 26 last year, that she’s “young enough to play a high schooler but too old to date” the “Titanic” star.

“Abbott Elementary” star Sheryl Lee Ralph brought down the house with a stunning rendition of Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Woman” during her acceptance speech for supporting actress in a comedy series for playing the stern yet dedicated Ms. Howard in the ABC sitcom about an inner-city Philadelphia school.

“To anyone who has ever, ever had a dream and thought your dream wasn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t come true, I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like,” the 56-year-old actress said in her acceptance speech.

“This is what striving looks like, and don’t you ever, ever give up on you, because if you get a Quinta Brunson in your corner, if you get a husband like mine in your corner, if you get children like mine in your corner and if you’ve friends like everybody who voted for me, cheered for me, loved me, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Ralph is just the second Black actress to win in the category and the first since Jackee Harry won in 1987 for “227.”

Zendaya also made history, becoming the first Black woman to win an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series twice and the youngest two-time winner of any Emmy for her role as the teenage drug addict Rue.

“My greatest wish for ‘Euphoria’ was that it could help heal people,” she said while accepting her award.

“Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae scored a historic win for best lead actor in a drama series, making him the first Asian man to win the award and the first actor to win for a non-English-speaking role.

Michael Keaton took home the first award of the night for lead actor in a limited series for his heartbreaking role as Dr. Samuel Finnix in Danny Strong’s “Dopesick,” the true story about the forces behind the opioid crisis.

“I want to thank all those people in my family for never making me feel foolish, because I went to do that myself several times,” the 71-year-old actor said. “I’m glad I made a fool of myself again and again.”

In one of the more competitive categories of the night, Amanda Seyfried won outstanding actress in a limited series or movie for the true-to-life role as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in “The Dropout.”

“The White Lotus” was a voter’s dream, winning trophies for limited series or anthology, supporting actor for Murray Bartlett and supporting actress for Jennifer Coolidge in Mike White’s farcical show about a Hawaiian resort and the awful people who populate it.

Julia Garner, one of the hottest youngest actresses working today, won for supporting actress in a drama for “Ozark,” in which she plays Ruth Langmore. She previously won the same award in 2019 and 2020.

A tearful Lizzo accepted the award for outstanding competition program for “Lizzo’s Watch Out For the Big Girls,” in which 13 women battle to be her backup dancers.

“The stories that they share, they’re not that unique, they just don’t get the platform,” the singer said.

“When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media, someone fat like me, someone Black like me, someone beautiful like me. If I could go back and tell little Lizzo something, I’d say, ‘b—, it’s going to have to be you.’”

As always, the Emmys also ushered in gorgeous outfits on gorgeous people.

Ralph stunned in a strapless black velvet gown with a high slit that showed off an orange interior fabric, while “Inventing Anna’s” Laverne Cox also went with black in Jean Paul Gaultier couture with a spiral-cone top sure to draw comparisons to Madonna’s cone bra.

Kaitlyn Dever, who played the heartbreaking opioid addict Betsy Mallum in “Dopesick,” went with a sparkly red number and “The White Lotus” star Natasha Rothwell broke out a similar color in a full gown. “Ozark” star Laura Linney was breathtaking in a ruffled black and white dress and “The Great’s” Elle Fanning channeled old Hollywood in strapless black and pink satin, created by the costume designer on the Hulu period piece.

Zendaya, who always lives up to the moment, turned heads again, giving Audrey Hepburn in strapless Valentino, and copper dresses shone on “Yellowjackets” star Christina Ricci, “Abbott Elementary” creator and star Quinta Brunson and “Pam & Tommy” star Lily James.

The men turned out as well, with “Better Call Saul’s” Bob Odenkirk flashing sunglasses and a scruffy beard to match his navy blue suit, while Colman Domingo, who won a Creative Emmy for guest actor in a drama for “Euphoria” earlier this month, somehow pulled off a see-through black shirt with a gold brocade suit and matching gold jewelry. “Under the Banner of Heaven’s” Andrew Garfield, “Succession’s” Nicholas Braun all “Pam & Tommy’s” Seth Rogen braved all-white suits under the brutal Los Angeles sun.

The cast of “Ted Lasso,” which always seems to have the most fun at award shows, was a vision outside of the football jerseys, none moreso than Hannah Waddingham, towering above the red carpet in pink tulle.

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