Brian Cox and Sarah Snook in Succession | Zach Dilgard/HBO
There were some surprises during the dramatic section of Sunday’s Primetime Emmy Awards, but not when it came to the night’s biggest awards.
As widely expected, HBO’s “Succession” earned the award for Outstanding Drama Series.
The show also won for Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Directing, while cast member Jeremy Strong earned the Outstanding Lead Actor prize. Of the four, only Strong’s win was even a slight surprise (oddsmakers had fellow “Succession” star Brian Cox as a narrow favorite).
Two of the three other drama categories did, however, break heavily from the odds. Clear frontrunner Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”) predictably won for Outstanding Supporting Actor, but Julia Garner (“Ozark”) surprised oddsmakers by winning for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Although Garner won last year and gave another strong performance, oddsmakers felt Helena Bonham Carter’s turn on “The Crown” would lead to a trophy.
As previously reported, heavy underdog Zendaya won for Outstanding Lead Actress; Laura Linney was the clear betting favorite in her category.