Culkin had twice been nominated for best supporting actor for Succession without a win. But in the final season, in which his character Roman Roy goes from sideline wisecracker to emotional disaster at the centre of the show’s drama, he was put in the lead category and won over castmates Brian Cox, who played his father, and Jeremy Strong, who played his older brother.
Culkin got big laughs during his speech when he told his wife that their two kids weren’t enough.
“I want more,” Culkin said. “You said if I won, we could talk about it.”
Macfadyen’s Emmy was the second of his career for playing Tom Wambsgans, the son-in-law who began the HBO series as a hanger-on and ended it as the closest thing it had to a victor.
Steven Yeun and Ali Wong picked up the Emmys for best lead actor and actress in a limited series for Beef, repeating their success at last week’s Golden Globes, and the road rage drama won the Emmys for best limited series, as it did at the Globes, and for best writing and directing of a limited series.The Bear, a dramedy about the struggle to open a fine-dining restaurant, won the Emmy for best comedy series.
Its star Jeremy Allen White picked up the best actor in a comedy Emmy, and Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach won the awards for best supporting actress and actor in a comedy.
The Bear also won directing and writing honours.
Holding her trophy on stage, Edebiri thanked her family for “letting me feel beautiful and black and proud of all of that”.
Quinta Brunson was named best actress in a comedy for playing an optimistic teacher on Abbott Elementary, a show she created, becoming the first black woman to win the award in more than 40 years and the first from a network show to win it in more than a decade.
She shed tears as she took the stage and was handed the honour by comedy legend Carol Burnett.
“I don’t know why I’m so emotional. I think it’s the Carol Burnett of it all,” Brunson said. “I’m so happy to be able to live my dream.”
Other winners included Niecy Nash-Betts for best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series of movie for her role in Dahmer, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
On the Netflix show, Nash-Betts played a neighbour of serial killer Dahmer whose complaints to authorities about his behaviour go unheeded.
“I accept this award on behalf of every black and brown woman who has gone unheard and over-policed,” she said.
The White Lotus, a stylish satire on wealth and hypocrisy, returned to the Emmys with a second season set in Sicily.Jennifer Coolidge, the sole returning star from the first, Hawaii-set season, won the Emmy for best supporting actress in a drama.
Host Anthony Anderson warned winners that long acceptance speeches would not be tolerated.
Instead of music to play off the guests, though, he recruited his mother Doris Hancox: “When you see my mama coming, just thank Jesus and your family, and wrap it up,” he said.
Hancox, who was sitting in the audience, stood up and yelled at her son to end the monologue, telling him she wanted to get “to the after party”.
Shortly thereafter, she followed through on Anderson’s promise and cut off The White Lotus winner Coolidge.
The reception from the star-studded audience at the Peacock Theatre was a sharp contrast to the cold response comedian Jo Koy received when he hosted the Golden Globes on January 7.
RuPaul’s Drag Race won the Emmy for best reality competition series, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah the award for best talk series, and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver the Emmys for best scripted variety series and best writing for a variety series.
Earlier, outside the Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, venue for the awards strike-delayed ceremony, stars including Succession’s Cox, and Hannah Waddingham from Ted Lasso, a nominee for the supporting actress, comedy Emmy, arrived in tuxedos and floor-length gowns, with classic black and white dominating many outfits. The carpet was silver instead of the traditional red.
Cox, who arrived wearing a grey tuxedo jacket with wife Nicole Ansari-Cox at his side, said he had to miss last week’s Golden Globes, where several of his co-stars won, and was delighted to be at the Emmys because he “wanted to say goodbye to everyone and this is a wonderful way to do it”.
Most shows on the list come from streaming services, which grabbed their highest share of nominations ever.
Some of the shows aired as far back as June 2022.
Nominations were announced in July 2023, and voting took place a month later.
Organisers postponed the ceremony from its September date because Hollywood writers and actors were out on strike at the time.
The labour disputes shut down production and promotion and forced broadcast TV networks to fill their schedules with re-runs and reality shows.
Additional reporting by Associated Press and Agence France-Presse
