An unexpected HBO Max show has just been crowned the biggest winner of the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards.
The White Lotus, a comedy-drama anthology series that debuted on HBO Max in July 2021, grabbed headlines with its surprising five gongs at the 2022 awards show, like Ted Lasso and Succession, who would be the biggest winners of the night. However, despite their more than 20 award nominations, the pair were beaten by The White Lotus' gong quintet: Ted Lasso scoring four and Succession scoring three in comparison.
Unsurprisingly, Ted Lasso and Succession took home some of the biggest prizes of the night. The second season of Ted Lasso scored wins for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and Directing. Meanwhile, Season 3 of Succession garnered awards for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series.
Still, the pair couldn't stop The White Lotus from winning the top award show at the 2022 Primetime Emmys. HBO Max's underrated series garnered a host of other awards, including Outstanding Limited Series or Anthology, an Actor in a Outstanding Casting in a Limited or Anthology Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series. The show's creator, Mike White, also garnered awards for Outstanding Writing in a Limited or Anthology Series and Outstanding Directing in a Limited or Anthology Series.
What trip! Congratulations to the cast and crew of #TheWhiteLotus for winning the #Emmys2022 in the category of Best Limited Series or Anthology or Movie. pic.twitter.com/z2agokrMw513September 2022, XNUMX
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What makes The White Lotus' triumph even more impressive is that it had the highest ratio of awards to nominations of the shows on offer for the Emmys. With five wins out of 20 nominations, The White Lotus posted an astonishing 25% win-per-nominee ratio. By contrast, Ted Lasso, the crown jewel of Apple TV Plus original series programming, posted a 20% win rate (four wins out of 20 nominations), with Succession, one of HBO Max's biggest hits. , far behind with a 12% win rate (three wins out of 25 nominations).
Compared to shows on other streaming services, The White Lotus' multi-award winning success at the 2022 Emmys is nothing to sneeze at either. Prime Video only got one Emmy: Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls unexpectedly won the Outstanding Competitive Program category. Meanwhile, Netflix only won three Emmys overnight, one for Ozark and two for the global phenomenon Squid Game.
So it seems like there's a newcomer in the neighborhood when it comes to which TV shows a broader audience should watch. White Lotus is its name, and upsetting the odds at one of the world's biggest prize shows is a game.
Analysis: HBO Max remains the master of prestige TV
White Lotus may have knocked Estate down a pawn or two, but the duo's success at the 2022 Emmys indicates that HBO Max remains the leader in prestige television.
With 12 wins across the top 25 categories, HBO Max is by far the most awarded streaming service at this year's awards show. No other streamer has come close to matching its nearly 50% win rate, with Apple TV Plus second with a 16% win rate (four wins in the top 25 categories), Netflix third with a 12% (three of 25). ), and Hulu fourth with a meager 8% win rate (two out of 25). The less said about Prime Video's 4% win rate (one in 25), the better. Still, it at least made a gong more than Paramount Plus or Peacock.
Disney Plus and Netflix may have the largest subscriber bases, and Apple could hire some of the biggest actors and directors – Steven Spielberg and Leonardo DiCaprio, anyone? — for his original movies and television shows. But, when it comes to delivering on the award-winning front, HBO Max continues to praise it over its competitors.
HBO Max's hot streak is likely to continue for the foreseeable future as well. Season 4 of Succession is currently in development, while the streamer has another big hit in House of the Dragon, a spin-off show of its live-action adaptation of George RR Martin's Game of Thrones series of fantasy novels. Throw in other popular titles, like Barry, Euphoria, Hacks, and now The White Lotus, all of which earned 2022 Emmy nominations (and a few), and it's expected to continue HBO Max's dominance over current streaming gold.
The only thing that could sabotage this is the recent merger of Warner Bros. with Discovery. The newly formed entertainment conglomerate plans to combine HBO Max with Discovery Plus, meaning a name change could be in the works as the two services merge into one. If the HBO Max name isn't somehow kept alive, audiences might initially be confused as to where they can watch Succession, The White Lotus and more if they think HBO Max is no more.
While Warner Bros. Discovery will effectively market its new streaming platform, it should continue to assert its dominance in the prestige television landscape. If it doesn't, though, Apple TV Plus, Netflix and company could start to enter its turf, especially from an award-winning perspective.
For more content based on TV shows, check out the best Apple TV Plus shows, the best Netflix shows, and the best Prime Video shows.
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