Emmys: Why Brian Cox (‘Succession’) should not be counted out of Best Drama Actor
Once “Succession” aired its shocking third episode, many awards pundits immediately speculated about the category decision of leading star Brian Cox, whose character Logan Roy was killed off-screen, which reshaped the rest of the final season. Cox was nominated in Best Drama Actor for the last two seasons of the HBO show, and it’s now confirmed he will remain there for the last outing, joining his TV sons, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin, the latter of whom has upgraded from supporting. While Cox’s limited screen presence may cause this to be a daring move, he certainly should not be ruled out as a contender.
As of this writing, Cox has appeared in four out of 10 episodes of “Succession’s” final season, with the remaining two yet to be aired. While this makes him eligible for all three male acting categories (lead, supporting and guest), the decision to remain in lead is not out of left field given his previous nominations and that Logan Roy is the head of the family empire.
It is also not an unprecedented move as this has been done before with leading stars who were written off early in their show’s seasons. Sherry Stringfield left “ER” in the beginning of the third season and only appeared in eight episodes, about a third of the entire season, and still earned a third Emmy nomination in 1997 for Best Drama Actress. Likewise, Jimmy Smits chose to bid farewell in the sixth season of “NYPD Blue” and had a five-episode arc where his character passes away, and managed to nab his fifth nomination for the show in 1999 for Best Drama Actor, over his replacement Rick Schroder.
Cox’s decision is also secured in the fact that “Succession” is looking to be an undeniable frontrunner for Best Drama Series, having won the last two entries and making history last year with the most acting nominations in a single year with 14. With its final season airing upon us, the train does not seem to be slowing down as it has been the talk of the town and Logan’s presence is felt through the remaining characters every week. And the episodes Cox does appear in are very memorable, specifically the first two where he gives towering performances that include impassioned speeches and quiet profound contemplations of the afterlife that wrap his storyline in a poetic bow.
As it stands, Cox is currently in fifth place in the combined odds at Gold Derby, behind both Strong (first place) and Culkin (fourth place) in Best Drama Actor. No show has ever had three actors from the same series nominated in this category, so it would be history in the making if all actors are mentioned and it would be the third show overall behind “The Golden Girls” (1986-1989) and “Desperate Housewives” (2005) in Best Comedy Actress.
If Cox were to win the Emmy, he would also be the first lead drama actor winner with the shortest amount of screen time in a season, not counting the 1992 Emmy Awards when guest performers were able to compete in the same category as the regulars and Christopher Lloyd triumphed in Best Drama Actor for “Road to Avonlea.”
Cox currently has two Expert journalists and one staff Editor backing him for the win. He does have sentiment in the fact that he has not prevailed yet for the show and it being the final season, combined with the fact that he is the mogul patriarch of the family. Lest we forget just two years before, Olivia Colman for her final stint as Queen Elizabeth defeated her co-star Emma Corrin in “The Crown” sweep, when many were predicting the latter, so Cox is still in this race.
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