2022 Emmy winners: who took home the big awards?

The 74th annual Primetime Emmy Awards aired Monday night on NBC and Peacock. Hosted by Kenan Thompson, the show was an exciting time for shows like Ozark and Killing Eve, which had their final opportunities at earning awards after ending their runs. There were plenty of new shows in the running, too, from HBO’s The White Lotus, which was the big winner of the night, to the Apple TV+ hit Severance.

Succession led the pack with a total of 25 Emmy nominations, followed by Ted Lasso and The White Lotus, which were tied with 20 apiece. Other series with impressive showings included Squid Game, Only Murders in the Building, Hacks, Dopesick, Euphoria, Barry, Stranger Things, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Not surprisingly, HBO and Netflix led in terms of the number of nominations.

Here are the 2022 Primetime Emmy Award winners in the biggest categories.

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
Laura Linney (Ozark)
Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show)
Zendaya (Euphoria)

Winner: There was stiff competition in this category from three actors whose shows have ended their runs: Killing Eve and Ozark. Many believed Zendaya would bring home the award for the second year in a row, and that she did. At just 26, Zendaya is the youngest ever to win in this category. She mesmerizes with her emotionally charged performance as Rue, a young recovering drug addict in the teen drama. As the second-most watched series ever for HBO, it’s the performance of the cast, including Zendaya, and the topical and heartbreaking subject matter that truly makes Euphoria shine.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman (Ozark)
Brian Cox (Succession)
Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game)
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
Adam Scott (Severance)
Jeremy Strong (Succession)

Winner: One of the biggest surprises of the night, Lee Jung-jae took home the award for his lead role in the Korean survival drama Squid Game that became a massive hit for Netflix. The show remains the streaming service’s most-watched series and is the first non-English language series to be nominated for Best Drama as well. The supporting cast was critical to the compelling storyline that served as a social commentary on wealth and class disparity. But Jung-jae, in particular, truly shined in the role as Seong Gi-hun, the man at the center of the story, who is trying to get himself out of economic ruin by any means necessary. He thanked creator Hwang Dong-hyuk for “making a realistic problem we all face come to life so creatively on the screen with a great script and amazing visuals.”

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Colin Firth (The Staircase)
Andrew Garfield (Under the Banner of Heaven)
Oscar Isaac (Scenes From a Marriage)
Michael Keaton (Dopesick)
Himesh Patel (Station Eleven)
Sebastian Stan (Pam & Tommy)

Winner: Michael Keaton was the favorite to win for his portrayal of Dr. Samuel Finnix in Dopesick, and indeed, he took home the award. The series is based on the Beth Macy nonfiction book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America and sheds light on opioid addiction in America and all the parties involved. While the character is reportedly a blend of several real-life people, Keaton truly brought Finnix to life.

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Toni Collette (The Staircase)
Julia Garner (Inventing Anna)
Lily James (Pam & Tommy)
Sarah Paulson (Impeachment: American Crime Story)
Margaret Qualley (Maid)
Amanda Seyfried (The Dropout)

Winner: The way Amanda Seyfried transformed herself into disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes had fans and critics thoroughly impressed. It was her performance that helped earn the series a total of six Primetime Emmy nominations in all. While her fellow nominees delivered strong performances as well, this was Seyfried’s year to shine. This marks Seyfried’s first-ever Emmy nomination and win. She is also credited as a producer on the show, which itself was nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Donald Glover (Atlanta)
Bill Hader (Barry)
Nicholas Hoult (The Great)
Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)
Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)
Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)

Winner: Now is the time when feel-good shows are just what the doctor ordered. Ted Lasso’s third season does not yet have a release date, and season 2 premiered last summer. But the Academy hasn’t forgotten Jason Sudeikis’ uplifting performance in the second season of the Apple TV+ original. A departure from the happy-go-lucky character fans got to know in season 1, Sudeikis drew back the curtain to show a far more vulnerable man masking heartbreak and trauma behind a smile. It’s the type of performance that threw fans for a loop as they realized Ted Lasso is as much about mental health as it is about English football. Sudeikis’ ability to capture the balance so well, and still keep viewers hooked (and laughing), deserves to be rewarded, and so it was.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)
Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant)
Elle Fanning (The Great)
Issa Rae (Insecure)
Jean Smart (Hacks)

Winner: A favouite to win, Jean Smart took home the award in this category for a second year, marking her fifth Primetime Emmy Award (the others being for a guest role in Frasier back in 2000 and 2001 and supporting role in Samantha Who? in 2008). She’s compelling as the legendary fictional Las Vegas stand-up comedian Deborah Vance in Hacks, and the chemistry between she and Hannah Einbinder as her young head writer is why Hacks is among the best from HBO.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Patricia Arquette (Severance)
Julia Garner (Ozark)
Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game)
Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets)
Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul)
J. Smith-Cameron (Succession)
Sarah Snook (Succession)
Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria)

Winner: Taking home the award for the third time in a row for Ozark, Julia Garner was one of few actors nominated for two different roles this year (she was also nominated for Inventing Anna). While this will be the last year of eligibility for Ozark given that the series just concluded its four-season run, the role of the sharp-tongued, foul-mouthed Ruth Longmore has opened doors for Garner, one of the hottest actors of her generation. She thanked Jason Bateman, star and executive producer of the series, for taking a chance on her. Clearly, it paid off.

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Nicholas Braun (Succession)
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
Kieran Culkin (Succession)
Park Hae-soo (Squid Game)
Matthew Macfadyen (Succession)
John Turturro (Severance)
Christopher Walken (Severance)
Oh Yeong-su (Squid Game)

Winner: “Deeply flattered and thrilled to bits” is how Matthew Macfadyen described his feelings after being named winner in this category. It’s his second nomination for the role and first win. Macfadyen entertains fans as the social-climbing husband to ambitious Roy daughter Shiv on the series Succession. With one of the most interesting and twisted arcs on the show, Macfadyen was the frontrunner for the win.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)
Janelle James (Abbott Elementary)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso)
Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary)
Juno Temple (Ted Lasso)
Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)

Winner: There was some chatter about the win potentially going to Sheryl Lee Ralph for her role as religious kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard in sitcom Abbott Elementary, one of the few linear network shows nominated this year. Indeed, her name was called and Ralph was visibly stunned. She began her acceptance speech by bursting into song, going on to say to anyone who “ever had a dream and thought it wouldn’t, couldn’t come true, I’m here to tell you that this is what believing looks like.” It was one of the most inspirational and genuine speeches of the night. Ralph received a Tony nomination for her role as Deena Jones for the 1981 version of Dreamgirls, but this marks both her first Emmy nomination and win.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Carrigan (Barry)
Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso)
Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso)
Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso)
Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary)
Henry Winkler (Barry)
Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live)

Winner: The story behind the role is as great as the role itself: While working as a writer for Ted Lasso, Brett Goldstein felt confident he could play the character of the surly Roy Kent, believing he had it in him to portray the character’s perpetual pent-up anger. He nailed his video audition and, as it turns out, he was right. Goldstein won in 2021. Thanks to his character experiencing an entirely new journey and range of emotions in season 2, brought to life through Goldstein’s spot-on, nuanced performance, he took home the statue again this year.

Limited Series or Movie

Dopesick (Hulu)
The Dropout (Hulu)
Inventing Anna (Netflix)
Pam & Tommy (Hulu)
The White Lotus (HBO)

Winner: The White Lotus seemingly came out of nowhere to become the second-most nominated show, tied with Ted Lasso and trailing only Succession. Given those tremendous accolades, it comes as no surprise that the HBO series took home the award in this category. With it’s A-list ensemble cast and hilarious mix of comedy and drama, the critical acclaim the show received was mirrored by a win in this category.

Drama Series

Better Call Saul (AMC)
Euphoria (HBO)
Ozark (Netflix)
Severance (Apple TV+)
Squid Game (Netflix)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Succession (HBO)
Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Winner: Things remained status quo and Succession won for the second time: the HBO series was not in the running in 2021 due to a delayed schedule, but won in 2020. The satirical black comedy-drama about the obscenely wealthy Roy family and their media conglomerate Waystar Royco, as well as ruthless patriarch Logan’s journey to find a suitable future head for the empire, has been a hit for HBO. Succession was the most nominated show and took home a total of four awards, including ones for casting and writing, as well as Matthew Macfadyen’s win for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Barry (HBO)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Hacks (HBO)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime Video)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Winner: There were some wonderful shows nominated in this category, but Apple TV+ hit its stride with shows like Ted Lasso, which continued to delight fans through its second season. Ted Lasso might not have been the shoo-in to win like it was in 2021 for season 1, but the darker, more character-driven second season of the Apple TV+ original wasn’t overlooked. Fans excitedly await a third season, coming “some time,” noted Sudeikis during the acceptance speech.

A few other notable awards categories and winners:

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus); Jake Lacy (The White Lotus); Will Poulter (Dopesick); Seth Rogen (Pam & Tommy); Peter Sarsgaard (Dopesick); Michael Stuhlbarg (Dopesick); Steve Zahn (The White Lotus)

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Connie Britton (The White Lotus); Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus); Alexandra Daddario (The White Lotus); Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick); Natasha Rothwell (The White Lotus); Sydney Sweeney (The White Lotus); Mare Winningham (Dopesick)

Variety Talk Series

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah (Comedy Central); Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC); Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO); Late Night With Seth Meyers (NBC); The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (CBS)

Variety Sketch Series

A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO/HBO Max); Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Reality Competition Series

The Amazing Race (CBS); Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls (Amazon Prime Video); Nailed It! (Netflix); RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1); Top Chef (Bravo); The Voice (NBC)