SAG Awards TV predictions slugfest: ‘Succession’ vs. ‘Squid Game’?
What makes the 2022 SAG Awards races for TV so interesting are just how many new winners we’re guaranteed to have. Last year’s comedy double champ “Schitt’s Creek” is off the air, while drama victors “The Crown” and “Ozark” won’t be back with new episodes during this awards cycle. So which shows and performers will fill the voids? Chris Beachum, Marcus James Dixon, and Daniel Montgomery weighed in (click each of their names to see their complete predix.) Who do YOU think is right? Above, watch our editors’ SAG Awards TV predictions slugfest video and then be sure to make your own picks.
“I think that this is an easy prediction,” says Dixon about his bet that “Succession” will win the prize for the top drama series ensemble. That’s despite the fact that the HBO corporate drama didn’t receive any nominations for its first or second seasons. But it’s not uncommon for SAG-AFTRA voters to be late to the party when it comes to awarding new shows, and “Succession” is “the most buzzed about show on TV right now.”
Beachum agrees that “it seems like a pretty easy pick,” but Montgomery begs to differ. He’s going out on a limb for Netflix phenomenon “Squid Game”: “If a new show can break through, if it’s got that kind of popular buzz, then it can win here,” he argues. That’s what happened to another Netflix show a few years ago, “Stranger Things.” Because Netflix has such market saturation it tends to do especially well at these awards since nominees need to reach well over 100,000 voting members, and with such a large membership we tend to see a lot of populist film and TV winners like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Help,” “Hidden Figures,” and “Orange is the New Black,” to name a few.
But what about comedy? Can we expect SAG-AFTRA to jump on the “Ted Lasso” bandwagon after the Apple TV+ show ruled the Emmys? It was nominated at the SAG Awards last year, winning an individual acting prize for Jason Sudeikis, but losing to “Schitt’s Creek” in the top ensemble race. With “Schitt’s Creek” out of the way, Montgomery thinks “it’s probably going to be an easy win for ‘Ted Lasso.'” But in this case Dixon is the one going against the consensus in our odds: “I currently have ‘Only Murders in the Building‘ at number-one … It’s feels like such a classic ensemble to me,” he explains, and its cast is led by beloved comedy veterans Steve Martin and Martin Short.
Beachum is torn, currently predicting “Ted Lasso” for the win but anticipating a potential upset for “Murders,” whose biggest challenge might be getting the nomination since those are decided by a couple thousand randomly selected SAG-AFTRA members who make up the nominating committee every year. “I would love to see it get in,” he says, “and I’ve got it represented pretty well when we talk about individual acting.” So if you thought this year’s SAG Awards for TV were an open-and-shut case, think again.
