BO is on a roll! The network and its online companion HBO Max were the most successful platforms at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, together winning 12 major honours at the event that was held in Los Angeles earlier this week.

The ceremony – moved (as it would turn out, rather unastutely) to a Monday in order to accommodate Sunday Night Football coverage – saw several acclaimed television and streaming – well, mostly streaming – series continue their winning streak. But it was newcomer The White Lotus that emer-ged as the night’s biggest victor.

The first season of the HBO anthology comedy drama about the employees and guests at a resort chain took home five major trophies (among a total of ten wins including the honours presented at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards earlier this month). The show won in the limited/anthology direction (Mike White), writing (Mike White), and acting (Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge) categories.

Elsewhere, beloved Apple TV+ sports comedy Ted Lasso (4 major wins) and HBO’s satirical dramedy Succession (3 major wins) continued to charm the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Also a notable presence was Squid Games – struggling streamer Netflix’s most-watched series of all time – which made history with the triumphs of creator Hwang Dong-hyuk (who won the drama directing Emmy, making him the first Asian and Korean person to earn the accolade) and star Lee Jung-jae (who became the first Asian to win the best drama actor honour).

As for the award show itself, the ceremony that seemingly no one wanted to host – Chris Rock, Dwayne Johnson, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers were all reportedly uninterested in the gig – was eventually helmed by Kenan Thompson, who, despite a shaky start with a sprawling opening sequence that paid tribute to iconic TV shows, was a charming presence as the emcee. But even his best efforts weren’t able to save the show from its dismal ratings fate. Figures fell to a record low this year, making this the least-viewed ceremony in Emmy history, with only 5.92 million people tuning in to watch the show in the United States.

Audience interest in award shows in general has been plummeting over the last few years. Plus, the telecast was also trounced in the ratings by Monday Night Football (which averaged nearly 20 million viewers), so it turns out that scheduling the Emmys against the NFL season opener may not have been the smartest move after all!

– S.A.