‘Succession’ clean sweep? It could follow ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and ‘The Crown’ by winning all 7 top Emmys
The end of “Succession” after four seasons has been one of the biggest TV events of the year. And it’s one of the biggest Emmy stories too. The series racked up 27 nominations, more than it has ever gotten before. That includes noms in all of the big seven prime time telecast categories. Could the show win all seven? That’s not as improbable as it used to be. In fact, if “Succession” pulls it off, it would follow in the footsteps of other clean sweepers “Schitt’s Creek” and “The Crown.”
“Succession” is in the running for Best Drama Series, Best Drama Actor (Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, and Jeremy Strong), Best Drama Actress (Sarah Snook), Best Drama Supporting Actor (Nicholas Braun, Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck, and Alexander Skarsgard), Best Drama Supporting Actress (J. Smith-Cameron), Best Drama Writing (“Connor’s Wedding”), and Best Drama Directing (“America Decides,” “Connor’s Wedding,” and “Living+”).
As of this writing, based on the combined predictions of Gold Derby users, we’re already betting on “Succession” to win six of the seven. A few of those races are closer than others. For instance, in Best Drama Actor where Culkin is considered the man to beat, the show has to hope he and his two co-stars won’t divide support between them, opening the door for Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”) or Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”). Ditto Best Drama Directing where the show’s three episodes could cancel each other out in favor of “The Last of Us’s” “Long, Long Time” or “The White Lotus’s” “Arrivederci.”
But “Succession” is nevertheless favored to prevail in those races. The one category where the show is an underdog is Best Drama Supporting Actress, where Jennifer Coolidge seems to be an unstoppable force for her performance in “White Lotus.” She won the Emmy last year for season one, and since then she has claimed Golden Globe, SAG, and Critics Choice plaudits for her work in season two. However, Coolidge is nominated against four of her co-stars. That wasn’t a problem for her last year when “Wihte Lotus” competed as a limited series, but she didn’t have to go up against someone from “Succession” then.
Now Coolidge is up against J. Smith-Cameron. Because Sarah Snook opted to compete as a lead actress for “Succession” for the first time this year, Smith-Cameron is the lone “Succession” representation this year in the Drama Supporting Actress race. That could be a huge advantage when up against five nominees from one show. Given how much other support we’re expecting “Succession” to have, don’t be surprised if Smith-Cameron is able to complete that clean sweep much the way Tobias Menzies surprised us with his Best Drama Supporting Actor victory in 2021, carried to the podium by the overwhelming support “The Crown” received from voters that year. So look to this race as the most important sign of whether “Succession” can nab a perfect seven trophies on the night of the ceremony.
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