‘Succession’, ‘Abbott Elementary’ & ‘White Lotus’ Take Aim At Top Emmy Series Categories With Casting Wins

deadline.com:

Night 2 of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards kicked off with Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Drama Series and Limited or Anthology Series, won by HBO’s Succession (casting directors Avy Kaufman and Francine Maisler), ABC’s Abbott Elementary (Wendy O’Brien) and HBO’s White Lotus (Meredith Tucker, Katie Doyle), respectively.Last year, the winners in the three casting categories all went on to triumph in the marquee scripted categories — Outstanding Drama, Comedy and Limited or Anthology Series — a week later.While Succession and White Lotus are leading most Emmy winners predictors in the Drama and Limited or Anthology Series fields and came into the the ceremonies with the most (25, Succession) and second most (20, White Lotus) nominations this year, hot newcomer Abbott Elementary has been in a tight race with awards juggernaut sophomores, last year’s Comedy Series winner Ted Lasso (20 nominations) and Hacks (17), as well as another standout first-year show, Hulu’s Only Murders In the Building (17), which round out the Top 5 most nominated series this year.

Abbott Elementary has 7 noms, including three for creator/executive producer/star Quinta Brunson, a record for a Black woman.Casting for a Comedy Series category has been a reliable predictor for the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy winner.

The last seven shows to take home the Casting For a Comedy Series statuette have all gone on to also win the Outstanding Comedy Series category a week later.

That includes last year’s big Emmy winner Ted Lasso and fellow dominant 2020 winner Schitt’s Creek. If Abbott Elementary follows the pattern, the school comedy would be the first broadcast half-hour to win the Outstanding Comedy Series category since another ABC single-camera