Emmy Surprises: ‘Ted Lasso’s Dominance, Lizzo’s Upset Win & More

deadline.com:

On paper, there were no major surprises at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards as all the winners were either considered clear front-runners or runners-up on most prediction lists.

Still, the dominant showing for Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso probably qualifies as a surprise.Given the mixed reaction to the second season, the long time that had passed since its run and co-creator/star Jason Sudeikis’ ongoing personal drama, it seemed like the momentum had shifted away from the hit comedy.

Add to that that Ted Lasso won zero awards at the Creative Arts Emmys versus three last year, and lost out the bellwether Casting In a Comedy Series category there to Abbott Elementary, and it looked like the ABC freshman was primed for an upset; the last seven shows that won the Casting For a Comedy Series Emmy had gone to also take home Outstanding Comedy Series.Primetime Emmy Awards: Deadline’s Complete CoverageAbbott Elementary did win the first major face-off tonight, with Sheryl Lee Ralph named Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Comedy Series over Ted Lasso‘s Hannah Waddingham, who had won the category last year.

It was a mild surprise, as Waddingham had been considered the odds-on favorite. But Ralph was a close second.But then Ted Lasso‘s Brett Goldstein restored the balance by expectedly repeating in the Supporting Actor field, and the two shows split writing (Quinta Brunson for Abbott) and directing (Lasso’s MJ Delaney) until Sudeikis’ Lead Actor repeat set the stage for Ted Lasso‘s grand swell.