Emmys: Succession Denied While The Last of Us Triumphs

HBO's Succession and The Last of Us emerged as leading contenders at this year's Emmys. Here's a rundown of the awards they have competed for.

This year, there are two major superpowers dominating the scene: The Last of Us and Succession. The former premiered in 2023 and the latter ended the same year with its fourth season. Both HBO series have received nominations in numerous categories and both are strong contenders for the top prize. However, only one can emerge victorious. While some awards have not been announced yet, such as lead actor awards or the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, both series have secured and missed out on various prizes, including those they competed for.

Succession leads in nominations, but The Last of Us is winning them

Although Succession has accumulated 27 nominations, surpassing The Last of Us’ 24, the latter currently holds the lead in actual wins. The video game adaptation has secured eight victories so far, in contrast to Succession's unexpected zero.

Below we have listed all the awards that The Last of Us has won so far – and Succession hasn’t:

Guest Actor in a Drama Series – Nick Offerman

Guest Actress in a Drama Series – Storm Reid

Best Sound Mixing

Best Sound Editing

Best Picture Editing

Best Main Title Design

Best Prosthetic Makeup

Succession may not have been nominated for all the categories, but here is a list of the nominations they did receive and ultimately lost to The Last of Us.

Guest Actor in a Drama Series – James Cromwell and Arian Moayed

Guest Actress in a Drama Series – Hiam Abbass, Cherry Jones, and Harriet Walter

Best Sound Mixing

Best Picture Editing

The White Lotus beat Succession for Best Casting for a Drama Series, while Wednesday won for Best Contemporary Costumes and Best Production Design. The Last of Us also did not win these categories. Succession is still in the running for Outstanding Drama Series, and Sarah Snook and Bella Ramsay are both nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Succession has received three Best Actor nominations for Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, and Kieran Culkin, who are all competing with The Last of Us’ Pedro Pascal. This means that Pascal faces more competition, but the numerous Succession nominations could split the vote, potentially leading to a win for Pascal. However, The Last of Us has no nominations for Supporting Actor/Actress, giving Succession a stronger chance in that category. Additionally, other shows like Andor, House of the Dragon, Yellowjackets, Better Call Saul, The Crown, and The White Lotus are also nominated in similar categories and could potentially win these awards.

We'll have to wait until next week's ceremony to find out the overall winner. The Emmy Awards will continue on January 15, 2024. Be sure to read the rest of our coverage on Succession and The Last of Us.

Editor's P/S

As a hard fan of Succession, I am deeply disappointed by the show's lack of wins at this year's Emmys. Despite receiving an impressive 27 nominations, Succession has been overshadowed by The Last of Us, which has secured eight victories so far. While The Last of Us is undoubtedly a well-crafted series, I believe that Succession's intricate storytelling, complex characters, and exceptional performances deserved more recognition.

It is particularly disheartening to see Succession lose in categories where it was directly competing with The Last of Us. The show's talented guest actors, including James Cromwell, Arian Moayed, Hiam Abbass, Cherry Jones, and Harriet Walter, were all deserving of awards for their memorable performances. Additionally, Succession's exceptional sound mixing and picture editing were overlooked in favor of The Last of Us. These losses are a testament to the incredibly high standard of competition this year, but they also leave me feeling that Succession's brilliance has been somewhat undervalued.