Columbia Filmmakers Nominated at the 2023 Emmy Awards; Sweeping Wins Announced
Update:
The 75th Emmy Awards took place last night in Los Angeles, California, and several projects with Columbia ties took home wins, with three of the projects topping the list for most awards. Hit television shows Succession and The Bear tied for the most primetime wins with six awards each across several different categories. The limited series Beef followed with five wins.
Columbia’s very own Ebon Moss-Bachrach (CC '99) took home an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as ‘Richie’ in the The Bear, which also won awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actress, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.
Succession, which boasts the producing talents of Film alumnus Scott Ferguson '90 and direction by Film alumna Shari Springer Berman '95, blew away the competition to take home awards for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama, Outstanding Lead Actress, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (for Director and Executive Producer Mark Mylod).
Beef was awarded Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series, Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series, and Outstanding Writing in a Limited or Anthology series. Writing alumna Jean Kyoung Frazier '18 is a writer on the show.
Last Week Tonight, John Oliver's satirical and hilarious weekly news show, won the Emmy for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series—a great distinction for Senior Writer Joanna Rothkopf (JRN’ 14) and Writer Tim Carvell (CC’95) who, along with their fellow writers, also took home the award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. The award for Outstanding Variety Talk Series went to another satirical juggernaut, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, for which Ramin Hedayati (CC'02) serves as Supervising Producer.
Columbia alums didn't just make a splash at the primetime Emmys this year either. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which were announced last week, also went to several projects with ties to Columbia filmmakers.
Beef and The Bear were also heavily represented for Creative Arts, winning several awards each. The Bear won awards for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half Hour) and Animation, Outstanding Sound Mixing for a comedy or drama series (half hour) and animation, and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series. Beef was awarded Outstanding Casting for a Limited Anthology Series, Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series, and Outstanding picture editing for a limited series,
Daisy Jones & The Six, executive produced, written, and directed by creative duo William Graham '06 and James Ponsoldt '05, took home awards for Outstanding Period Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a limited anthology series or movie.
House of the Dragon, written and produced by Kevin Lau '13, won an award for Outstanding Fantasy Costumes and Only Murders in the Building, worked on by Film alumni Chris Teague '06 and Cherien Dabis '04 alongside Barnard alum Jamie Babbit '93 and Columbia College alum Ben Philippe '11, was awarded Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program.
See a full list of Emmy Award winners here.
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Original: July 21, 2023
The 75th Emmy Award Nominations have been announced, and an incredible number of projects worked on by Columbia filmmakers are among the honorees.
The annual Emmy Awards recognize extraordinary programming, performances, and a diverse range of exceptional storytelling across multiple platforms. Succession, the critical darling from HBO produced by alumnus Scott Ferguson ’90, is the most-nominated program for the second year in a row with 27 total nominations.
“As we approach the remarkable milestone of the Emmy’s 75th anniversary, the Academy is more appreciative than ever of another year of extraordinary content,” said Television Academy Chair Frank Scherma. “We are honored to recognize those who have elevated the world's favorite global medium.”
Fox is slated to air the 75th Primetime Emmys on September 18, 2023 (The two-night Creative Arts Emmys are scheduled for September 9 and September 10, with the ceremonies being broadcast by FXX on September 10). However, the WGA strike and SAG-AFTRA strike will likely push the telecast to either November or January.
Learn more about each alumni-affiliated series below:
Andor
Writer: Beau Willimon ’03
Andor explores a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.
Willimon is nominated for Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series for his work on season one, episode ten, “One Way Out.” Willimon also served as the writer of episodes eight and nine. The show received a total of eight nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series.
Beef
Writer: Jean Kyoung Frazier '18
A road rage incident between two strangers—a failing contractor and an unfulfilled entrepreneur—sparks a feud that brings out their darkest impulses. Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead) and comedian Ali Wong star in and executive produce this edgy and funny series created by Lee Sung Jin.
Frazier is a writer on the series which is nominated for 13 awards including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series.
The Bear
Actor: Ebon Moss-Bachrach (CC '99)
Carmy, a young fine-dining chef, comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop. As he fights to transform the shop and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges crew that ultimately reveal themselves as his chosen family.
Moss-Bachrach stars in this series alongside Jermey Allen White (Shameless).
The Bear is nominated for 13 awards, and Moss-Bachrach is nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Daisy Jones & The Six
Showrunner, Executive Producer, Writer, and Director: William Graham ’06
Executive Producer and Writer: James Ponsoldt ’05
Adapted from Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2019 bestselling novel of the same name, Daisy Jones & The Six is set in the 1970s Los Angeles music scene and follows a rock band from their early beginnings to becoming one of the most famous bands in the world. Through a documentary-style series of interviews with the band members and footage of concerts and recording sessions, viewers are taken on an emotional journey that explores the band’s history and the reasons behind their split at the height of their success.
Graham, in addition to his role as showrunner and Executive Producer, wrote two episodes (“Track 6: Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” and “Track 3: Someone Saved My Life Tonight”), and directed one (“Track 7: She's Gone”). An EP on the series, Ponsoldt also directed five episodes.
Daisy Jones & The Six received nine nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
Dear Mama
Executive Producer: Professor Jamal Joseph
This five-part docuseries explores the lives and personal relationship between hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur and his mother, Afeni Shakur, the former Black Panthers member and revolutionary. Filmmaker Allen Hughes (The Book of Eli, Menace II Society) serves as director on Dear Mama in addition to executive producer. Joseph previously penned the script for Knights of the South Bronx (2005), which Hughes directed, but it wasn’t until their collaboration on Dear Mama that the two creatives met. Hughes and FX premiered the first episode of the series at the Toronto International Film Festival in fall 2022.
Dear Mama is nominated for Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series and Outstanding Writing For A Nonfiction Program.
House of the Dragon
Producer and Writer: Kevin Lau ’13
Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is the highly anticipated prequel to Game of Thrones. Set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series tells the story of House Targaryen.
Lau serves as a producer on the series and also holds a writing credit for season one, episode seven, “Driftmark” (2022). The series received eight nominations, including Best Drama Series.
Indian Matchmaking
Executive Producer: Smriti Mundhra ’09
Drawing from decades of experiences, insights and traditional methods, Mumbai's premier matchmaker Sima Taparia strives to help single people find their perfect matches in this reality series from Netflix.
Indian Matchmaking is nominated for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Executive Producer and Director: Deborah Chow ’03
In this series, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) contends with the consequences of his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his one-time friend and apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Chow directed all six episodes of the limited series. Prior to her work on Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chow became the first woman to direct a live-action installment in the Star Wars franchise when she directed two episodes of the first season of The Mandalorian.
Obi-Wan Kenobi received five nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
Only Murders in the Building
Director of Photography and Director: Chris Teague ’06
Director: Cherien Dabis ’04
Director: Jamie Babbit (BC’93)
Writer: Ben Philippe (CC’11)
Only Murders in the Building follows three strangers (Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. Following a shocking new death, season two of the series follows Charles, Oliver, and Mabel as they race to unmask the killer and exonerate themselves.
Teague served as Director of Photography on six episodes of the second season, in addition to directing two. Dabis and Babbit both returned to direct two episodes of the nominated season, and Phillippe served as story editor on all ten episodes.
Teague is nominated for Outstanding Cinematography For A Series (Half-Hour) for his work on season two, episode ten, “I Know Who Did It.” Only Murders in the Building received 11 total nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
Shrinking
Executive Producer and Director James Ponsoldt ’05
In Shrinking, a grieving therapist starts to break the rules by telling his clients exactly what he thinks. Jimmy (played by Jason Segel) has lost his wife and wants to try a new approach to his loss, but it is unclear how this will help others.
Ponsoldt directed four episodes of the series’ first season, in addition to serving as an Executive Producer on the show as well.
Shrinking scored two nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series (Jason Segel) and Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series (Jessica Williams).
Succession
Producer: Scott Ferguson ’90
Director: Shari Springer Berman ’95
Succession centers on the Roy family, the dysfunctional owners of Waystar RoyCo, a global media and entertainment conglomerate. The latest season is the final chapter of this family epic and once again focuses on family members fighting for control of the company amid uncertainty about the health of the family’s patriarch, Logan Roy.
Ferguson is among the producers of the award-winning series, and Springer Berman has directed three episodes for the series, “Tailgate Party” (2023), “Lion in the Meadow” (2021), and “Safe Room” (2019). Fellow alumnus Brysen Boyd ’20 made history as HBO's first Writing Fellow to work on a show in progress when he was asked to be part of the writers’ room for season three of the series.
The series received 27 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series, Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series, and 14 total acting nominations.
Yellowjackets
Co-Creator, Writer, and Showrunner: Ashley Lyle ’07 (’02 CC)
Yellowjackets is the saga of a talented high school girls soccer team who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.
The show is nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series, and Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series (Melanie Lynskey).
Last Week Tonight
Senior Writer: Joanna Rothkopf (JRN’ 14)
Writer: Tim Carvell (CC’95)
A satirical, insightful, and meticulously researched look at current events in the U.S. and around the globe, the weekly series features John Oliver’s hilarious, expertly honed perspective on today’s pressing political, social, and cultural issues, as well as lesser-reported topics that both inform and entertain.
Rothkopf served as a Senior Writer and Carvell as a Writer on the show’s tenth season; both are nominated alongside their fellow writers for Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series. Last Week Tonight received four total nominations, including Outstanding Scripted Variety Series.
What We Do In The Shadows
Editor: Yana Gorskaya '96
Based on the feature film of the same name from Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, What We Do in the Shadows is a documentary-style look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of four vampires who've "lived" together for hundreds of years in Staten Island.
The show is nominated for 4 Emmys including: Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Program, Outstanding Picture Editing For A Single-Camera Comedy Series, Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes, Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation.
Yana Gorskaya is a Russian-American director, producer and film editor. She is best known for her work as director and co-executive producer of the TV series What We Do in the Shadows (2019) and her work in the editorial departments of nearly all of director Taika Waititi’s films, including Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016),Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Jojo Rabbit (2019) and the feature version of What We Do in the Shadows (2014).
See a full list of Emmy Award nominations here.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Supervising Producer: Ramin Hedayati (CC'02)
The last of Trevor Noah's seven years as host of this late night staple aired to great acclaim, with the show garnering a whopping seventeen nominations in recognition of its subversive and often pointedly hilarious take on the weekly news.
In addition to serving as Supervising Producer for the show, Hedayati also oversees its Digital Expansion and is credited with expanding its audience across all platforms, establishing it as one of the most culturally relevant shows in late night. Among the show's many nods are nominations for Outstanding Variety Talk Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.