Watching last year’s Emmys (which, thanks to the strikes, actually took place this year in January), you would have been able to follow along quite capably if you had simply watched three shows — “Succession,” “The Bear” and “Beef.” OK ..
. you’d have felt really in the know if you had a penchant for limited series about serial killers (Paul Walter Hauser won for “Black Bird” and Niecy Nash-Betts for “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) and kept up with Jennifer Coolidge’s nutty exploits in “The White Lotus.” John Oliver won a couple of Emmys too, as will happen, and Quinta Brunson took comedy lead actress for “Abbott Elementary.
” But, mostly, it was “Succession,” “The Bear” and “Beef.” Rinse and repeat. September’s ceremony might sport a bit more variety.
You may need to watch, oh, five series to feel in the loop. Two of them are comedies. (Well, they are competing in the comedy categories, at least.
) Read on to find out what they are. COMEDY SERIES “Abbott Elementary” “The Bear” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” “Hacks” “Only Murders in the Building” “Palm Royale” “Reservation Dogs” “What We Do in the Shadows” Winner: “The Bear” “The Bear” won 10 Emmys for its first season, including comedy series, writing, directing and prizes for actors Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Its second season, which premiered in June 2023, was even better, including two of the best ep.