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  • Emmy Winners 2022

    Emmy Awards 2022

    Monday evening was what the ceremony always describes as “television’s biggest night” – when the industry hands out the Emmy Awards to a select few from the hundreds of eligible shows and performers.

    The ceremony itself ran relatively smoothly, with ‘Saturday Night Live’ veteran Kenan Thompson hosting, kicking off the evening with a medley of re-imagined classic TV theme tunes. There was the usual stilted banter between presenters (though a few, such as Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez of ‘Only Murders in the Building’ elevated theirs), celebrations of TV genres such as police and medical dramas and the In Memoriam segment.

    But what everyone was there for were the awards themselves. And while there were several repeat winners (‘Succession’, ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Hacks’ Jean Smart), there remained room for fresh faces and welcome surprises.

    Quinta Brunson’s ‘Abbott Elementary’ took home Best Writing for a Comedy Series, while cast member Sheryl Lee Ralph won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Ralph’s speech in particular, a blend of surprise, joy and encouragement for others, was a highlight of the show.

    Quinta Brunson on ABC's 'Abbott Elementary.' Photo Courtesy of ABC's YouTube Channel.
    Quinta Brunson on ABC’s ‘Abbott Elementary.’ Photo Courtesy of ABC’s YouTube Channel.

    Mike White’s ‘The White Lotus’ dominated the limited series category (though given that season 2 arrives next month with an almost totally new cast, it more closely fits into the anthology part of its category), winning overall show and both writing and directing for White. Actors Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge went home with well-deserved trophies.

    And ‘Squid Game’ made history for Asian creators and performers, as lead Lee Jung-jae won Best Actor in the drama category, while show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk saw his decade-long effort to get it made rewarded with Best Director, drama.

    Though everyone thought ‘Ted Lasso’ might sweep even more than it did given its haul of nominations, it still won plenty of awards, including Brett Goldstein becoming the first back to back winner in the Supporting Actor, comedy category since 2007.

    Of those who missed out on awards, there was disappointment for the ‘Better Call Saul’ team, which has its last chance to turn its many nominations into awards next year. Will the power of a great show’s legacy make voters think kindly of it? And when a show as superbly written and performed as ‘Only Murders in the Building’, which balances comedy and mystery adeptly can’t get any love, you’ve got to wonder at the choices.

    Charles (Steve Martin), Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short) on Hulu's 'Only Murders In The Building'.
    (L to R) Charles (Steve Martin), Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short) on Hulu’s ‘Only Murders In The Building’. Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu.

    Here is the full list of winners.

    BEST DRAMA SERIES

    ‘Succession’ – Winner
    ‘Better Call Saul’
    ‘Euphoria’
    ‘Ozark’
    ‘Severance’
    ‘Squid Game’
    ‘Stranger Things’
    ‘Yellowjackets’

    BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

    Zendaya (‘Euphoria’) – Winner
    Jodie Comer (‘Killing Eve’)
    Laura Linney (‘Ozark’)
    Melanie Lynskey (‘Yellowjackets’)
    Sandra Oh (‘Killing Eve’)
    Reese Witherspoon (‘The Morning Show’)

    BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

    Lee Jung-jae (‘Squid Game’) – Winner
    Jason Bateman (‘Ozark’)
    Brian Cox (‘Succession’)
    Bob Odenkirk (‘Better Call Saul’)
    Adam Scott (‘Severance’)
    Jeremy Strong (‘Succession’)

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

    Julia Garner (‘Ozark’) – Winner
    Patricia Arquette (‘Severance’)
    Jung Ho-yeon (‘Squid Game’)
    Christina Ricci (‘Yellowjackets’)
    Rhea Seehorn (‘Better Call Saul’)
    J. Smith-Cameron (‘Succession’)
    Sarah Snook (‘Succession’)
    Sydney Sweeney (‘Euphoria’)

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

    Matthew Macfadyen (‘Succession’) – Winner
    Nicholas Braun (‘Succession’)
    Billy Crudup (‘The Morning Show’)
    Kieran Culkin (‘Succession’)
    Park Hae-soo (‘Squid Game’)
    John Turturro (‘Severance’)
    Christopher Walken (‘Severance’)
    Oh Yeong-soo (‘Squid Game’)

    BEST COMEDY SERIES

    ‘Ted Lasso’ – Winner
    ‘Abbott Elementary’
    ‘Barry’
    ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’
    ‘Hacks’
    ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’
    ‘Only Murders in the Building’
    ‘What We Do in the Shadows’

    BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

    Jean Smart (‘Hacks’) – Winner
    Rachel Brosnahan (‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’)
    Quinta Brunson (‘Abbott Elementary’)
    Kaley Cuoco (‘The Flight Attendant’)
    Elle Fanning (‘The Great’)
    Issa Rae (‘Insecure’)

    BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

    Jason Sudeikis (‘Ted Lasso’) – Winner
    Donald Glover (‘Atlanta’)
    Bill Hader (‘Barry’)
    Nicholas Hoult (‘The Great’)
    Steve Martin (‘Only Murders in the Building’)
    Martin Short (‘Only Murders in the Building’)

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

    Sheryl Lee Ralph (‘Abbott Elementary’) – Winner
    Alex Borstein (‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’)
    Hannah Einbinder (‘Hacks’)
    Janelle James (‘Abbott Elementary’)
    Kate McKinnon (‘Saturday Night Live’)
    Sarah Niles (‘Ted Lasso’)
    Juno Temple (‘Ted Lasso’)
    Hannah Waddingham (‘Ted Lasso’)

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

    Brett Goldstein (‘Ted Lasso’) – Winner
    Anthony Carrigan (‘Barry’)
    Toheeb Jimoh (‘Ted Lasso’)
    Nick Mohammed (‘Ted Lasso’)
    Tony Shalhoub (‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’)
    Tyler James Williams (‘Abbott Elementary’)
    Henry Winkler (‘Barry’)
    Bowen Yang (‘Saturday Night Live’)

    BEST LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES

    ‘The White Lotus’ – Winner
    ‘Dopesick’
    ‘The Dropout’
    ‘Inventing Anna’
    ‘Pam & Tommy’

    BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR ANTHOLOGY

    Amanda Seyfried (‘The Dropout’) – Winner
    Toni Collette (‘The Staircase’)
    Julia Garner (‘Inventing Anna’)
    Lily James (‘Pam & Tommy’)
    Sarah Paulson (‘Impeachment: American Crime Story’)
    Margaret Qualley (‘Maid’)

    BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR ANTHOLOGY

    Michael Keaton (‘Dopesick’) – Winner
    Colin Firth (‘The Staircase’)
    Andrew Garfield (‘Under the Banner of Heaven’)
    Oscar Isaac (‘Scenes from a Marriage’)
    Himesh Patel (‘Station Eleven’)
    Sebastian Stan (‘Pam & Tommy’)

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE

    Jennifer Coolidge (‘The White Lotus’) – Winner
    Connie Britton (‘The White Lotus’)
    Alexandra Daddario (‘The White Lotus’)
    Kaitlyn Dever (‘Dopesick’)
    Natasha Rothwell (‘The White Lotus’)
    Sydney Sweeney (‘The White Lotus’)
    Mare Winningham (‘Dopesick’)

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE

    Murray Bartlett (‘The White Lotus’) – Winner
    Jake Lacy (‘The White Lotus’)
    Will Poulter (‘Dopesick’)
    Seth Rogen (‘Pam & Tommy’)
    Peter Sarsgaard (‘Dopesick’)
    Michael Stuhlbarg (‘Dopesick’)
    Steve Zahn (‘The White Lotus’)

    BEST VARIETY TALK SERIES

    ‘Last Week Tonight With John Oliver’ – Winner
    ‘The Daily Show With Trevor Noah’
    ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’
    ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’
    ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’

    BEST VARIETY SKETCH SERIES

    ‘Saturday Night Live’ – Winner
    ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’

    BEST COMPETITION PROGRAM

    ‘Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls’ – Winner
    ‘The Amazing Race’
    ‘Nailed It!’
    ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’
    ‘Top Chef’
    ‘The Voice’

    BEST DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

    Hwang Dong-hyuk (‘Squid Game’) – Winner
    Jason Bateman (‘Ozark’)
    Ben Stiller (‘Severance’)
    Mark Mylod (‘Succession’)
    Cathy Yan (‘Succession’)
    Lorene Scafaria (‘Succession’)
    Karyn Kusama (‘Yellowjackets’)

    BEST DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE

    Mike White (‘The White Lotus’) – Winner
    Danny Strong (‘Dopesick’)
    Francesca Gregorini (‘The Dropout’)
    Michael Showalter (‘The Dropout’)
    John Wells (‘Maid’)
    Hiro Murai (‘Station Eleven’)

    BEST DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

    MJ Delaney (‘Ted Lasso’) – Winner
    Hiro Murai (‘Atlanta’)
    Bill Hader (‘Barry’)
    Lucia Aniello (‘Hacks’)
    Mary Lou Belli (‘The Ms. Pat Show’)
    Jamie Babbit (‘Only Murders in the Building’)
    Cherien Dabis (‘Only Murders in the Building’)

    BEST WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

    Quinta Brunson (‘Abbott Elementary’) – Winner
    Duffy Boudreau (‘Barry’)
    Alec Berg, Bill Hader (‘Barry’)
    Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky (‘Hacks’)
    Steve Martin, John Hoffman (‘Only Murders in the Building’)
    Jane Becker (‘Ted Lasso’)
    Sarah Naftalis (‘What We Do in the Shadows’)
    Stefani Robinson (‘What We Do in the Shadows’)

    BEST WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

    Jesse Armstrong (‘Succession’) – Winner
    Thomas Schnauz (‘Better Call Saul’)
    Chris Mundy (‘Ozark’)
    Dan Erickson (‘Severance’)
    Hwang Dong-hyuk (‘Squid Game’)
    Jonathan Lisco, Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson (‘’Yellowjackets)
    Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson (‘Yellowjackets’)

    BEST WRITING FOR A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE

    Mike White (‘The White Lotus’) – Winner
    Danny Strong (‘Dopesick’)
    Elizabeth Meriwether (‘The Dropout’)
    Sarah Burgess (‘Impeachment: American Crime Story’)
    Molly Smith Metzler (‘Maid’)
    Patrick Somerville (‘Station Eleven’)

    BEST WRITING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL

    Jerrod Carmichael (‘Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel’) – Winner
    Ali Wong (‘Ali Wong: Don Wong‘)
    Ian Berger, Devin Delliquanti, Jennifer Flanz, Jordan Klepper, Zhubin Parang, Scott Sherman (‘The Daily Show With Trevor Noah Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers The Globe – Hungary for Democracy’)
    Nicole Byer (‘Nicole Byer: BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo)’
    Norm Macdonald (‘Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special’)

    Lee Jung-jae in 'Squid Game' on Netflix
    Lee Jung-jae in ‘Squid Game’ on Netflix

  • Netflix Plans ‘Squid Game’ Reality Challenge Show

    Netflix's 'Squid Game: The Challenge.'
    Netflix’s ‘Squid Game: The Challenge.’

    Last year, ‘Squid Game’, the Korean series about a large group of downtrodden civilians tempted by a life-changing cash prize to play lethal versions of children’s games, became Netflix’s biggest series ever, notching up a huge number of views.

    Essentially a satire of how giant corporations view people, creatorHwang Dong-hyuk’s show starred Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun, a down-on-his-luck father who sought to win the prize to help him and his daughter have a better life. And featured brutal violence as the original 456 players were whittled down to just one, blood spilled, and souls crushed in the process.

    And now, a giant corporation – Netflix – is looking to, er, replicate the game, albeit promising that no one will die in the process.

    456 real players will enter the game in pursuit of a giant $4.56 million reward, the biggest that the streaming service has ever offered. Competitors will play through a series of games inspired by the original show – plus surprising new additions – their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them. The stakes are high, but in this game the worst fate is going home empty-handed.

    “‘Squid Game’ took the world by storm with Director Hwang’s captivating story and iconic imagery. We’re grateful for his support as we turn the fictional world into reality in this massive competition and social experiment,” says Netflix’s VP of unscripted programming Brandon Riegg. “Fans of the drama series are in for a fascinating and unpredictable journey as our 456 real world contestants navigate the biggest competition series ever, full of tension and twists, with the biggest ever cash prize at the end.”

    This is a lot to unpack, since ‘Squid Game’ was intended as a scathing critique about reality TV, the careless way in which the modern world treats those who are less fortunate and of humanity’s darkest desires when rewards are dangled in front of them.

    To turn that into an actual reality series full of scheming, tactical people and letting a global audience watch them compete for entertainment feels like missing the point.

    And given its Korean roots, it’s a little shocking that the casting announcement for the show says it’s open to “anyone from the English-speaking world.” We’re fairly certain there will be a huge number of applications for those 456 slots, but the ethical and moral questions around this idea remain. ‘Squid Game’ is supposed to be a warning, not an opportunity.

    Should you still want to take part, you can find recruitment information here.

    In related ‘Squid Game’ news, Netflix just officially confirmed that Season 2 is greenlit, though we don’t yet know when it’ll be on the streaming service – current thinking is late 2023 or early 2024.

    Netflix's 'Squid Game: The Challenge.'
    Netflix’s ‘Squid Game: The Challenge.’

  • Netflix Officially Greenlights ‘Squid Game’ Season 2

    Netflix announces 'Squid Game' Season 2.
    Netflix announces ‘Squid Game’ Season 2.

    It hasn’t exactly been a secret that Netflix gave the thumbs up to a second season of ‘Squid Game’ some time ago, and it has really been the desire and busy schedule of creator/writer/director/executive producer Hwang Dong-Hyuk that will determine exactly when it arrives.

    Still, looking to make sure that lethal animatronic dolls and deadly games of marbles are still in our minds, the streaming service rounded out Geeked Week with a new message about the second season – specifically, that it is now officially greenlit (red light… sorry, force of habit after watching the show).

    ‘Squid Game’ followed a group of fictional South Korean players, the cash-strapped and down on their luck, who were offered a chance to win a huge monetary prize… If they can survive a lethal set of games based on children’s favorites. As 456 players are whittled down to one, it’s all filmed for the viewing pleasure of some wealthy masked men. Our hero in the show is Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-jae), a lowly man faced with a need for cash to help his splintered family.

    Since it debuted on Netflix last year, ‘Squid Game’ has become a huge pop cultural sensation and took the title of the streamer’s biggest TV show ever, logging 1.65 billion hours of viewing in the first four weeks of its release. It has also broken through in awards categories, the cast winning Screen Actors Guild Awards and the company firing up expensive pop up attractions to lobby for Emmy votes.

    “It took 12 years to bring the first season of ‘Squid Game’ to life last year. But it took 12 days for ‘Squid Game’ to become the most popular Netflix series ever,” reads the statement from Hwang. “As the writer, director and producer of ‘Squid Game,’ a huge shout out to fans around the world. Thank you for watching and loving our show.”

    He continues by teasing what we can expect from the new season: “Gi-hun returns. The Front Man (one of the masked terrors who orchestrates and the games), The man in the suit with the Ddakji might be back”. Ddakji, in case you don’t remember from the game, is a traditional South Korean game played using folded paper tiles.

    Oh, and according to Hwang, we’ll meet Cheol-su, the boyfriend of Young-hee. If you’ve ever wondered what the “boyfriend” of a giant killer doll looks like… we’re going to get our chance.

    In addition to the new season, Hwang is also working on a satire of the series’ success, currently titled ‘The Best Show on the Planet’ and an adaptation of an Umberto Eco novel. Yet both of those are likely on the backburner as his focus is on the next round of mayhem in the ‘Squid Game’ world.

    There is no indication when the show will actually return, but current thinking points to either later 2023 or early 2024.

    Netflix announces 'Squid Game' Season 2.
    Netflix announces ‘Squid Game’ Season 2.

  • ‘Squid Game’ Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Creating Satire of the Show

    Squid Game’ Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk
    Squid Game’ Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk at Netflix Live Panel. Photo courtesy of Netflix YouTube Channel.

    Given that he created what was probably the biggest TV hit of last year in Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’, you might think that filmmaker’s Hwang Dong-hyuk time would now entirely be spent coming up with terrible ways to treat players in Season 2 of the show.

    Yet the prolific auteur has found time to figure out not just the next season of the show, but a satire about his time making it. Oh, and if those weren’t enough, he’s also developing a new movie.

    The satire, which is currently titled ‘The Best Show on the Planet’ is at a very early stage, Hwang tells Deadline, and there are few details to share. But it’ll be born from his personal feelings and experiences about the runaway success of ‘Squid Game’ itself. “I feel like I’ve been swept by the Niagara Falls over the course of the last six months and fallen off a cliff,” he says. “To have compliments from Steven Spielberg was completely beyond my imagination. I still can’t work out whether this is real or I’m daydreaming.”

    That said, there is always a downside to huge success: now you have to follow it. “Season 1’s success has given me an immense amount of pressure and I am having nightmares about the reception for Season 2 not being so good,” he admits.

    Lee Jung-jae in 'Squid Game' on Netflix
    Lee Jung-jae in ‘Squid Game’ on Netflix

    Part of what made ‘Squid Game’ so compelling was its mixture of desperate fictional players, the cash-strapped and down on their luck, who were offered a chance to win a huge monetary prize… If they can survive a lethal set of games based on children’s favorites. As 456 players are whittled down to one, it’s all filmed for the viewing pleasure of some wealthy masked men. Our hero in the show is Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-jae), a lowly man faced with a need for cash to help his splintered family.

    “The games are very simple, they are kids’ games, so regardless of how old you are you can understand the rules in 20 seconds,” says Hwang. “Whether it be Red Light, Green Light or Tug of War, everyone has experience of one of these games, so I wanted to build on the memories of so many people around the world.” Players are killed off in unsympathetic, brutal fashion and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you glued.

    Hwang’s current plan is to have Season 2 ready for fall 2024, which will no doubt please Netflix.

    And finally, there is the movie he’s been quietly developing at the same time – it’s inspired by a novel from Italian essayist Umberto Eco, with the working title ‘Killing Old Man’s Club’, and, according to the man adapting the story, is even more violent than ‘Squid Game’. Which, if we’re honest, is almost hard to imagine. But we’re glad he has a hobby.

    'Squid Game' on Netflix
    ‘Squid Game’ on Netflix