LOS ANGELES: “Succession” received a leading 25 Emmy nominations Tuesday, but the satirical drama about the rich and ruthless has a landmark rival in “Squid Game,” the first non-English language series to vie for television’s top honor.
Netflix’s “Squid Game,” a South Korea-set drama in which the poor are fodder for brutal games, earned a best drama nomination and 13 other bids for September’s Emmy Awards. HBO’s “Succession” captured the best drama trophy and six other awards when it last vied for Emmys, in 2020.
Series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk said he appreciated that “Squid Game” was chosen as the “first milestone” for a Hollywood and U.S. change of attitude.
“Instead of just exporting the content around the world, it is now shifting to become a participant in the global content realm to facilitate exchanges of cultures around the world,” he told The Associated Press through a translator.
“Ted Lasso” was the top comedy series nominee with 20 bids and has the chance to earn its second consecutive best comedy trophy, as academy voters proved undeterred by its sophomore season turn to the emotional dark side.
Other top nominees included the tropical resort-set anthology dramedy “The White Lotus,” which also received 20 nominations; the comedies “Hacks” and “Only Murders in the Building” with 17 bids each, and teenage dysfunction drama “Euphoria.” Its star, Zendaya, was crowned best actress in 2020 and is nominated again.
Departing series that might have expected salutes were instead snubbed, including the beloved family drama “This Is Us,” which received one bid, for original music and lyrics. An equally beloved family comedy, “black-ish,” earned costume and hairstyling nominations. “Ozark,” which wrapped its run last season, fared better, with 13 bids including best drama series.
The final season for “Insecure” earned a lead comedy actress bid for its creator-star Issa Rae, while the return of “Atlanta” brought its creator and lead Donald Glover a shot at a best actor trophy to bookend his 2017 award.
