The 2022 Emmys By The Numbers: Which Shows Led The Pack?

The 74th Emmy awards ceremony has come and gone: trophies have been distributed, viral moments have circulated, and the time has come to do the math, figure out who came out on top, and unleash our rightful anger upon the TV academy for snubbing our favorite nominees. In other words, it's another typical year at the Emmys — which is actually a relief. The last time we all gathered around our screens to watch celebrities in beautiful gowns win trophies, absolute chaos erupted. But the Emmys did their best to return to normalcy, taking place at the Microsoft Theater for the first time since the start of the pandemic and continuing their tradition of awkward jokes and mildly offensive bits. Some things never change...

For the folks who decided to avert their eyes early, or the cord-cutters who refused to get a subscription to Peacock, we've decided to make your lives a whole lot easier. Below, we've compiled a handy list of the night's biggest winners, complete with all their accolades, groundbreaking achievements, and the occasional complaint about who should've won in their place.

Checking in with the Streaming Wars

Before we break down the nitty-gritty, let's check in with the eternal battle for streaming dominance. Back in the olden days (five years ago), the Emmy ceremony was dominated by broadcast networks and cable TV — both of which continue to make a dent in the nominations list, but as streaming services become the new norm, they inevitably have a way of taking over the show. The biggest winner of the night was the combined power of HBO and HBO Max, which picked up 38 Emmys total thanks to heavy hitters like "The White Lotus," "Succession," "Euphoria" and "Hacks." (It's almost like HBO has an incredible track record of producing beloved scripted TV series. Gee, I sure hope nothing happens to change that.)

As far as competition goes, Netflix came in second with 26 statues, which is a big downgrade from last year's 44. Though they were without their surefire winners ("The Crown" and "Queen's Gambit" helped to assure last year's sweep), the night still included historic wins from "Squid Game" and plenty of technical awards for "Stranger Things," but otherwise the streamer was bolstered by smaller but obviously popular titles like "Arcane" and "Love on the Spectrum." Hulu is the next closest competitor with 10 wins overall, followed by Apple TV+ and Disney, who tied with nine apiece. Lastly, Prime Video managed to snag seven Emmys (via Variety).

The White Lotus blossoms, winning big with 10 trophies

"The White Lotus" is on a very impressive winning streak: not only did the series pick up a whopping 10 awards (the most wins of the night), but there are big plans to continue that success with the second season premiering this October. Between this, "Succession," and hundreds of scam artist-centric miniseries, it's clear that audiences can't get enough of nasty rich people; "The White Lotus" took that to the next level, using sharp satire to dissect the absolute insanity of their ruthless antics. Cynicism wins again — but you wouldn't know that from watching this cast win big at the Emmys. Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge both marked their wins with heartfelt thank-you speeches, followed by three different speeches from series creator, writer, and director, Mike White.

  • Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series

  • Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie

  • Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie

  • Outstanding Writing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie

  • Outstanding Directing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie

  • Outstanding Casting For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie

  • Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie

  • Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie

  • Outstanding Music Composition For A Limited Or Anthology Series, Movie Or Special (Original Dramatic Score)

  • Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music

Squid Game had a historic night, winning six trophies

"Squid Game" took the world by storm when it first arrived on Netflix last year and once awards season got into full swing, the love only continued. The show has since been praised for all aspects, both creative and technical, and the end result was two historic wins on Monday night. Between that and last week's Creative Emmys, the series took home six trophies total, becoming the first Korean series (and the first TV series not in English) to win any major Primetime Emmy Awards.

Series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk won an Emmy for directing the series' masterful first episode, "Red Light, Green Light." In his speech, Hwang expressed hope that more non-English-language series would be represented at the Emmys in the future: "I truly hope 'Squid Game' won't be the last non-English series to be here at the Emmys. And I also hope this won't be my last Emmy either." "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-jae also made history, beating out tough competitors like Jeremy Strong, Bob Odenkirk, and Adam Scott for Lead Actor in a Drama Series. This makes him the first Korean actor to ever win the category.

  • Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour Or More)

  • Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series

  • Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series

  • Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series

  • Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Single Episode

  • Outstanding Stunt Performance

With Euphoria, Zendaya made Emmys history ... Again.

Remember the joy of "Euphoria" Sundays? And by joy, I do mean the blood-pumping stress of watching Zendaya's Rue navigate love, addiction, and the greatest horror of all — high school. The second season of the Sam Levinson-created series took the world by storm, becoming the most-tweeted-about show of the decade with a regularly skyrocketing viewership. In other words, it was bound to take home a few trophies and ended up snagging six of its 16 nominations. The most notable amongst them was Zendaya's win for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series.

With that trophy, the former Disney star has made Emmys history as the youngest two-time winner in the award show's history. Just two years ago, at age 24, she became the youngest woman to win that award, beating out presumed frontrunners Laura Linney ("Ozark") and Reese Witherspoon ("The Morning Show"). This year, the past repeat itself: the stacked category again features Linney and Witherspoon, alongside "Yellowjackets" star Melanie Lynskey, and "Killing Eve" duo Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. Zendaya still came out on top, thanks to an impeccable performance in the second season of "Euphoria."

  • Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series

  • Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series

  • Outstanding Choreography For Scripted Programming

  • Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (One Hour)

  • Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series

  • Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic)

The British invasion continues with Adele One Night Only & The Beatles: Get Back

Maybe it's because the pandemic left us longing for the joy of live performances, or maybe it's because the British Invasion is still going strong — whatever the reason, British musicians managed to worm their way into the hearts of Emmy voters. Peter Jackson's three-part documentary series "The Beatles: Get Back" provided an expansive look into the creative process of the legendary band, mainly told through recovered and revitalized archival footage that walks us through the creation of "Let It Be." The immersive eight-hour experience won every award that it was nominated for, including Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series.

As for "Adele One Night Only," the TV special tells the story behind the famed artist's latest album "30," interspersing a filmed performance with an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Among its five awards, the special won Outstanding Variety Special, which puts Executive Producer and titular performer Adele one step closer to earning an EGOT. The singer has had the G locked down for years, with 15 Grammys to her name, and has won an Oscar in 2013 for her Bond song, "Skyfall." Though she's previously been nominated for three Emmys, this is her first win. All she needs now is to make her Broadway debut.

Adele One Night Only

  • Outstanding Directing For A Variety Special
  • Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Special
  • Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
  • Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special
  • Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Special

The Beatles: Get Back

  • Outstanding Directing For A Documentary/Nonfiction Program
  • Outstanding Picture Editing For A Nonfiction Program
  • Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series
  • Outstanding Sound Editing For A Nonfiction Or Reality Program (Single Or Multi-Camera)
  • Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Nonfiction Or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera)

Stranger Things took the technicals by storm

Since it's one of the biggest sci-fi hits of the past decade, it's no surprise to see "Stranger Things" represented at the Emmys. But despite boasting killer performances from its expansive cast, the series wasn't represented in any of the acting categories. Instead, it was heavily awarded at the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony, because Vecna is a walking, pulsating nightmare and the folks who made Jamie Campbell Bower look absolutely hideous deserve all the love in the world. Along with an award for prosthetic makeup, "Stranger Things" also got some love for the fourth season's music supervision (Kate Bush, you will always be famous).

  • Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup
  • Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour)
  • Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour)
  • Outstanding Music Supervision
  • Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Drama Series, Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie

Succession snags four wins

Time to check in with our favorite dysfunctional billionaires: how did the Roy kids do at the Emmys? Did anyone win a much-desired kiss from daddy? The answer is, ironically, no — unless you count Matthew Macfadyen, who won Supporting Actor for his outstanding work as Tom Wambsgans. Given the end of the latest season, it's delightfully ironic of Tom to be the only winner of the family. But he certainly wasn't the only win for the series overall.

Elsewhere, the drama also picked up a much-deserved award for creator and writer Jesse Armstrong, who penned the critically acclaimed season finale "All The Bells Say." To cap things off, the series also took home the biggest award of their category, beating out other dramas like "Better Call Saul," "Yellowjackets," "Ozark" and "Euphoria." It's not quite the sweep that HBO was probably hoping for (especially coming off of 20 nominations), but multiple trophies are always a reason to celebrate.

  • Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series

  • Outstanding Drama Series

  • Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series

  • Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

Ted Lasso triumphs above the freshman comedies

The dominating force of "Ted Lasso" struck again. While the Apple TV+ series didn't quite repeat the success of last year, it still managed to overtake the comedy category and snag most of the awards, including Lead Actor for Jaso Sudeikis and Supporting Actor for Brett Goldstein. The latter award marked Goldstein's second win in the category — after taking home the same award for the series' first season — making him the first consecutive winner since Jeremy Piven in 2007 (who won for "Entourage"). As we've all learned by now, always bet on Roy Kent.

  • Outstanding Comedy Series
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
  • Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
  • Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary warmed our hearts with three wins

"Abbott Elementary" has been warming our hearts ever since it first premiered in 2021 and based on the universal excitement for the series expressed at last night's ceremony, that won't be stopping anytime soon. The freshman comedy was up against some stiff competition, thanks to the known dominance of "Ted Lasso," but even the beloved football coach couldn't fend off the love for all the wonderful teachers of "Abbott." In the end, Quinta Bruson's series manages to snag 3 awards, including a groundbreaking win for Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard.

Taking home Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series makes Ralph the second Black woman in history to win in the category, 34 years after the first winner (Jacké Harry) who won for "227" in 1987. To mark the occasion Harry shared that Ralph's win marks a full circle moment for both of their careers. Originally, Ralph was in the running for the role of Sandra on "227," which Harry eventually got and won her Emmy for. That made her the first Black woman to win the award and now, all these years later, Ralph has won the same award for another role (via Twitter). One of the best moments of the night was watching Ralph win and accept her award with an astonishing performance of Dianne Reeves "Endangered Species."

  • Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
  • Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

Only Murders in the Building deserved more love

Much like "Abbott Elementary," "Only Murders In The Building" didn't get nearly the amount of love that it deserves. Although this boundary-pushing comedy has already aired its second season, last night's award show was honoring the first outing of "Only Murders," when it arrived on our screens as a quirky murder-mystery with the unlikely but impeccable trifecta of Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez. While none of the stars won any awards (Gomez wasn't even nominated), another "Only Murders" star managed to snag a trophy.

Nathan Lane has the inexplicable ability to pop into a TV series and completely steal the show. He very much did this as the conniving Deli mogul Teddy Dimas, which earned Lane his seventh Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor and his first actual win. 

  • Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series

  • Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation

  • Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Program (Half-Hour)

Barry Berkman didn't win big

It's been a rough year for Barry Berkman and the Emmys were ultimately not his big break. After its much-anticipated third season finally arrived, "Barry" caught the attention of Emmy voters and ultimately earned 14 nods. Of those, it won three trophies at the Creative Arts Emmys but lost out in other categories, including Bill Hader's quest for a third award as Lead Actor. If Hader had won, he would have become the first person to win the Emmy for Best Comedy Actor for the first three seasons in a row — a feat previously accomplished in the drama category by Bryan Cranston for his run on "Breaking Bad" and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the first three seasons of "Veep," (an award she eventually won six times in a row). Alas it wasn't meant to be, because "Ted Lasso" star Jason Sudeikis stepped up to defend his title, winning for the second year in a row. I guess the only possible solution is for "Barry" to tack on an additional three seasons to its potentially planned four and just continue on forever until Hader wins all the Emmys.

  • Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation
  • Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series
  • Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Comedy Series Or Variety Program

Jean Smart cements her glory with Hacks

Last year, "Hacks" disrupted the potential "Ted Lasso" sweep that folks were predicting based on the overwhelming love for the sports-based series. This time around, we knew better than to doubt the power of Jean Smart and sure enough, the comedy won in three different categories. Along with a Guest Actress win for Laurie Metcalf and an award for the series' costumes, "Hacks" won Jean Smart her second award for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Smart has trophies for all of the Emmy comedy acting categories — lead, supporting, and guest. In fact, if she wins once more for Supporting Actress, she'll have doubled that achievement.

  • Outstanding Contemporary Costumes
  • Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
  • Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series

The stragglers

Not every series gets to leave the Emmys with an arm full of trophies, but recognition of any kind is still a major feat — especially when you consider the sheer volume of great TV that's endlessly battling for audience attention. Freshman dramas like "Severance" and "Yellowjackets" were two of the biggest surprises of the last year and are easily some of the most anticipated sophomore seasons on the horizon. Despite their undeniable popularity and much critical acclaim, neither came out on top at the awards ceremony. "Severance" took home two trophies — for its main title sequence and music composition — while the "Yellowjacket" team left empty-handed.

Though the series mostly flew under the radar, "Dopesick" managed 14 nominations and two wins, including one for Michael Keaton that started the night right with a solid acceptance speech. At its last Emmy outing, "Ozark" didn't make much of a dent despite 13 nominations, but it did earn one award for Supporting Actress, marking Julia Garner's third win in the category.

Much like Adele, pop sensation Lizzo used last night to get herself closer to an EGOT with "Lizzo's Watch Out For The Big Grrrls." The reality series won three Emmys and as a producer of the show, Lizzo can add this to her pile of awards, alongside three Grammys. 

You can check out our full list of the Emmy ceremony winners here.