Squid Game gets the Emmys green light, who's going for multiple gold, and more in EW's The Awardist

Netflix's hit Korean show became a global phenomenon practically overnight, going on to make history as the first foreign language series to be nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. With the drama poised to make a killer sweep after garnering 14 total nominations, director Hwang Dong-hyuk and stars Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon are ready to win their next game: the 2022 Emmy Awards. By Sydney Bucksbaum

Cover illustration by Ryan Melgar

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Congratulations on making Emmys history — how did you find out about all your nominations?

HWANG DONG-HYUK: I was actually working on the script for the second season and I logged on to watch the nominations in real-time. I was looking forward to it but when I got online, I became nervous. I got worried about maybe us not making it, but we were truly excited to see so many names of our actors and members of the staff being nominated. And I was particularly elated about the fact that [Park] Hae-soo, for the first time, is now nominated for best supporting actor.

JUNG HO-YEON: I was glad to find out that Director Hwang got nominated, as he deserved it. He should have been nominated before, [for] lots of things.

HWANG: Thank you.

LEE JUNG-JAE: I was very happy to see that Squid Game was nominated for so many categories. And like director Hwang said, I was especially happy to see Hae-soo getting recognized, finally. We've been to many awards [shows] and I had looked forward to Hae-soo being nominated, but it never actually happened, so we were extremely excited to see that finally happen at the Emmys. I really look forward to all the time we're going to be spending together in LA. I truly hope that it's going to be a meaningful and enjoyable moment that we can all remember.

Why do you think Squid Game is the first non-English series to get nominated for best drama?

HWANG: It's probably because it is the most watched Netflix series ever. I think the secret lies in that we dealt with a subject matter that transcends culture, language, nationalities: the theme being the poor risking their lives to take part in this huge game that was designed and built by the rich. 

Hwang, when you were developing this show, what was your hope for the impact it would have on American pop culture?

HWANG: I have to say, I didn't expect it to be this great of a success. However, I did have hope, and my goal was to create a series that could be at the top of the Netflix top 10 list. I wanted to focus on creating a story that would reach and resonate with as many people as possible, not just only the Korean audiences. I hoped that Western and global audiences would relate to the story and the visuals as well, including the masks, the costumes, the set design, and also, of course, the games. I hoped that they would not be too difficult to understand, that they would be easily accepted and also be seen as something very original and refreshing. 

What was it like working with director Hwang throughout the season? 

JUNG: Director Hwang is not really the overly explaining type. He tends to suggest or allude in terms of his directions and I really appreciated that. Despite [Hwang] having so much experience —and especially working with a novice actor like me — he really made it a true collaboration in that sense.

LEE: [Laughs] I have to say, my experience was a little bit different from Ho-yeun's. I was not given as much freedom. I think it's because Gi-hun is at the center of the narrative, so it had to be more detailed and more intricately planned out, because all of the story structure is so concrete and very intricate. Any little difference, anything that's a little off in the beginning of the story may lead to confusion later on, which is why I believe the director had to be a little bit more detailed and concrete when it came to his directions regarding how we were going to portray Gi-hun, because it had to go according to the plan. And I wanted to really be in line with his vision.

What has surprised you about how people have responded to the show?

HWANG: This was quite funny: In episode 2, there's a scene where Sang-woo is inside a tub and he's actually attempting suicide with a charcoal briquette, but because that's not something you see often in other parts of the world, I noticed that they didn't understand that he was trying to take his own life. Some people were saying, "Why is he taking a bath in his suit?" 

Has seeing how people from other cultures may not immediately understand moments like that affected how you're developing season 2?

HWANG: The basic approach is that, and this is also the case for season 1 as well, I want to make something that is understandable to and resonates with people anywhere around the world. There are still going to be some cultural codes where a little misunderstanding is inevitable, but I will not be focusing on anything that is too culturally unique to Korea.

Listen to the full Awardist podcast interview here:

Television really went overboard with the inspired-by-a-true-story genre this season — and not in a good way. Far too many of the 17 (!) true-life series in contention for Emmys this year were humorless exercises in prestige casting and ostentatious prosthetics, with nary a point of view to be found.  

But The Thing About Pam was different. From its length (six brisk episodes!) to its platform (NBC, an actual broadcast network!) to its tone (gallows humor mixed with camp and lurid drama!), Pam eschewed the idea that all true-life adaptations are required to keep a straight face — even those dealing with a hideous murder.

Renée Zellweger stars as Pam Hupp, a stay-at-home-mom and amateur house flipper in Missouri who's now serving a life sentence for murder and awaiting trial for another. Even before her best friend, Betsy Faria (Katy Mixon), was found stabbed to death on the floor of her home, people had plenty of reasons to avoid Pam Hupp — she was pushy, manipulative, attention-seeking, and brutally self-interested.

Lots of A-listers starred in true-life adaptations this year, but none embraced their character's intense unlikability like Zellweger. Swallowed by a puffy fat suit and squawking out her dialogue in a piercing Midwestern whine, Zellweger-as-Pam simply oozes narcissistic condescension. The show doesn't scramble to find some glimmer of humanity in Pam Hupp, nor does it undercut the brutality of her actions with facile "hurt people hurt people" explanations about why she did what she did.

As Pam herself might say, the series' Emmy snub is a big old bummer. And I'm equally steamed about the lack of nominations for Zellweger and her excellent costars, including Josh Duhamel (as the lawyer who helps bring Pam down) and Judy Greer (as an ambitious prosecutor who puts the wrong man in prison). But here's The Thing About Pam — it's streaming in full on Peacock and Hulu. Give it a watch and see what true-crime drama can truly be. —Kristen Baldwin

Every year there's a batch of contenders who snag more than one Emmy nomination, some for wearing different hats on the same series, some for work across various shows. This year is no different, with no less than a dozen earning multiple nods. Here's a sampling of this year's over-achievers (alphabetically):

JASON BATEMAN
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Ozark
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, Ozark

QUINTA BRUNSON
Outstanding Comedy Series, Abbott Elementary
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Abbott Elementary
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Abbott Elementary

NICOLE BYER
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program, Nailed It
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special, Nicole Byer: BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo)

JERROD CARMICHAEL
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special, Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel

JULIA GARNER
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Ozark
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Inventing Anna

BILL HADER
Outstanding Comedy Series, Barry
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Barry
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Barry
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, Barry
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Curb Your Enthusiasm

STEVE MARTIN
Outstanding Comedy Series, Only Murders in the Building
Outstanding Lead Actor for a Comedy Series, Only Murders in the Building
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Only Murders in the Building

AMY POEHLER
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program, Making It
Outstanding Director for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program, Lucy and Desi

RHEA SEEHORN
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Better Call Saul
Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, Cooper's Bar

BEN STILLER
Outstanding Drama Series, Severance
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, Severance

JASON SUDEIKIS
Outstanding Comedy Series, Ted Lasso
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Ted Lasso

SYDNEY SWEENEY
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Euphoria
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, The White Lotus

STANLEY TUCCI
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance, Central Park
Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy

HARRIET WALTER
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Ted Lasso
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, Succession

ZENDAYA
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Euphoria
Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, Euphoria (Song Title: "Elliot's Song")
Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, Euphoria (Song Title: "I'm Tired")

After two years of doing Comic-Con@Home, fans flooded San Diego again this month — and along with it, a handful of this year's Emmy nominees, some of whom were there with the casts of their nominated shows, some with other projects.

Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in TV.

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