Call it now: “Succession” will win the DGA Award this year for drama. That’s because it’s the only nominee this year for drama: Five episodes of the HBO series’ third season filled all five nominated slots for this year’s DGA Awards category for dramatic series.
The “Succession” sweep comes as the Directors Guild of America has revealed this year’s TV nominees for its 74th annual DGA Awards, including achievement in drama, comedy, limited/TV movie, variety, reality, children’s and commercials. Also announced on Wednesday were the nominees for this year’s directorial achievement in documentaries.
On the comedy side, Apple TV Plus’ “Ted Lasso” led with three of the five DGA Awards nominations in the category, along with episodes of “Hacks” and “The White Lotus” (which somehow landed in the comedy field there). In the limited series race, two episodes of Hulu’s “Dopesick” face off against episodes of “Mare of Easttown,” “Station Eleven” and “The Underground Railroad.”
HBO dominated the nominations, with ten — and then another five for HBO Max, which was in second place. (Combine the two, as WarnerMedia likes to do, and that was an overwhelming 15 total.) Behind them were Apple TV Plus, CBS and Hulu (which shared one nom with Searchlight and Onyx), with three nominations each, and then two apiece for Amazon Prime Video, Comedy Central, Hulu, National Geographic, NBC, Netflix and Paramount Plus.
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Last year, top TV prizes went to “Homeland” for drama series and “The Flight Attendant” for comedy series, plus “The Queen’s Gambit” for limited series/TV movie. The DGA Awards are voted on by the 18,000-plus members of the guild. This year’s awards recognizes TV entries broadcast during the period of March 1, 2021, through Dec. 31, 2021. Voting for the TV awards took place between Wednesday, December 15, 2021 and Friday, January 21, 2022.
This year’s DGA Awards will take place on March 12, with details to come on how the ceremony will be handled. Spike Lee is set to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction.
Dramatic TV Series
KEVIN BRAY
Succession, “Retired Janitors of Idaho” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
First Assistant Director: John Silvestri
Second Assistant Director: Nicholas Notte
Second Second Assistant Directors: Jimmy Rosario, Nicole Payson
Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi
MARK MYLOD
Succession, “All the Bells Say” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
First Assistant Director: Christo Morse
Second Assistant Directors: Michelle Flevotomas, Nicholas Notte
Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi
ANDRIJ PAREKH
Succession, “What It Takes” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
First Assistant Director: Christo Morse
Second Assistant Director: Michelle Flevotomas
Second Second Assistant Directors: Jimmy Rosario, Nicole Payson
Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi
ROBERT PULCINI & SHARI SPRINGER BERMAN
Succession, “Lion in the Meadow” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
First Assistant Director: Christo Morse
Second Assistant Director: Michelle Flevotomas
Second Second Assistant Director: Jimmy Rosario
Additional Second Assistant Director: Nicole Payson
Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi
LORENE SCAFARIA
Succession, “Too Much Birthday” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
First Assistant Director: John Silvestri
Second Assistant Director: Nicholas Notte
Second Second Assistant Directors: Jimmy Rosario, Nicole Payson
Additional Second Assistant Director: Matt O’Shea
Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi
(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: LESLI LINKA GLATTER, Homeland, “Prisoners of War” — Showtime)
Comedy TV Series
LUCIA ANIELLO
Hacks, “There Is No Line” (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Melanie J. Elin, David Hyman
First Assistant Director: Jeff Rosenberg
Second Assistant Director: Erin Stern Linares
Second Second Assistant Director: Heidi Hinzman
Additional Second Assistant Director: Alaina Neumann
MJ DELANEY
Ted Lasso, “No Weddings and a Funeral” (Apple TV Plus)
ERICA DUNTON
Ted Lasso, “Rainbow” (Apple TV Plus)
SAM JONES
Ted Lasso, “Beard After Hours” (Apple TV Plus)
MIKE WHITE
The White Lotus, “Mysterious Monkeys” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Mark Kamine
First Assistant Director: Justin Ritson
Second Assistant Director: Joe Landry
Second Second Assistant Director: Dais Kasagawa
(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: SUSANNA FOGEL, The Flight Attendant, “In Case of Emergency” — HBO Max)
Movies for Television and Limited Series
BARRY JENKINS
The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime Video)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Richleigh Heagh
First Assistant Director: Liz Tan
Second Assistant Director: Elaine Wood
Second Second Assistant Director: Wayne Witherspoon
Additional Second Assistant Directors: Jesse Carmona, AJ Bruno
BARRY LEVINSON
Dopesick, “First Bottle” (Hulu)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Marc Hammer
First Assistant Director: Karen Kane
Second Assistant Director: Chelsea Ryan Petrucci
Second Second Assistant Director: Alex Bonner
HIRO MURAI
Station Eleven, “Wheel of Fire” (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Dana Scott, David Nicksay
First Assistant Director: Jennifer Wilkinson
Location Manager: Stefan Nikolov
DANNY STRONG
Dopesick, “The People vs. Purdue Pharma” (Hulu)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Marc Hammer
First Assistant Director: Donald Murphy
Second Assistant Director: Peter Dress
Second Second Assistant Director: Alex Bonner
CRAIG ZOBEL
Mare of Easttown (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Karen Wacker, Ron Schmidt
First Assistant Director: Kayse Goodell
Second Assistant Director: Jackson Rowe
Second Second Assistant Directors: Blair Howley, Findlay Zotter
Additional Second Assistant Directors: Findlay Zotter, Laura Hoyt
(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: SCOTT FRANK, “The Queen’s Gambit” — Netflix)
Variety/Talk/News/Sports — Series
PAUL G. CASEY
Real Time With Bill Maher, “Episode 1935: Fareed Zakaria, Chris Christie, Eric Adams” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Stacy Talbot
Stage Managers: Brian Anderson, Patrick Whitney
JIM HOSKINSON
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, “Episode 1105” (CBS)
Directorial Team:
Associate Directors: Yvonne De Mare, Karen Yaeger
Stage Managers: Mark McKenna, Jeff Leib
DON ROY KING
Saturday Night Live, ” Keegan-Michael Key; Olivia Rodrigo” (NBC)
Directorial Team:
Associate Directors: Michael Mancini, Michael Poole, Laura Ouziel-Mack
Stage Managers: Gena Rositano, Chris Kelly, Eddie Valk
DAVID PAUL MEYER
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, “Episode 26112” (Comedy Central)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Kira Klang Hopf
Stage Manager: Bennymar Almonte
PAUL PENNOLINO & CHRISTOPHER WERNER
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, “Episode 830 – Season Finale” (HBO)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Elliot Mendelson
Stage Managers: Mark McKenna, Craig Spinney
(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: DON ROY KING, Saturday Night Live, “Dave Chappelle; Foo Fighters” — NBC)
Variety/Talk/News/Sports — Specials
IAN BERGER
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents, “Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse – Into the Magaverse” (Comedy Central)
BO BURNHAM
Bo Burnham: Inside (Netflix)
PAUL DUGDALE
Adele: One Night Only (CBS)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Hayley Collett
Stage Managers: Gary Natoli, Erica Christensen, Zachary Figures, Jackie Stathis
STAN LATHAN
Dave Chappelle: The Closer (Netflix)
Mr. Lathan’s Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Sara Niimi Stage Manager: Valdez Flagg
GLENN P. WEISS
The 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors (CBS)
Directorial Team:
Associate Directors: Ken Diego, Susan Kopensky, Ricky Kirshner, Lisa R. Anderson, Lori Margules
Stage Managers: John Esposito, Doug Fogel, Jeffry Gitter, Arthur Lewis, Tammy Raab, Karen Tasch Weiss
(LAST YEAR’S WINNER:THOMAS SCHLAMME: A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote — HBO Max)
Reality Programs
JOSEPH GUIDRY
Full Bloom, “Final Floral Face Off” (HBO Max)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Sean P. Galvin
Stage Managers: Myeisha Abram, Kristianna LaRoda, Rachel Shimko
PATRICK MCMANUS
American Ninja Warrior, “1304: Qualifiers 4” (NBC)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: David Massey
Stage Managers: Jeff Simms, T.J. Ganser, Wolfgang Delgado
RAMY ROMANY
Making the Cut, “Brand Statement” (Amazon Prime Video)
Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Ryan Bunnell
Stage Managers: Will Baker, Brady Hess
BEN SIMMS
Running Wild with Bear Grylls, “Gina Carano In The Dolomites” (National Geographic Channel)
Mr. Simms’s Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Jeff Simms
ADAM VETRI
Getaway Driver, “Electric Shock” (Discovery Channel)
Mr. Vetri’s Directorial Team:
First Assistant Director: John Esposito
Second Assistant Director: Eric Pai
(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: JOSEPH GUIDRY, Full Bloom, “Petal to the Metal” — HBO Max)
Children’s Programs
JAMES BOBIN
The Mysterious Benedict Society, “A Bunch of Smart Orphans” (Disney Plus)
Mr. Bobin’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Grace Gilroy
MICHAEL LEMBECK
The J Team (Paramount Plus)
PHILL LEWIS
Head of the Class, “Three More Years” (HBO Max)
Mr. Lewis’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Susan M. Crank
First Assistant Director: Rebecca Baughman
Second Assistant Director: Oliver Garrett
Associate Director: Tim Clark
SMRITI MUNDHRA
Through Our Eyes, “Shelter” (HBO Max)
JEFF WADLOW
Are You Afraid of the Dark?, “The Tale of the Darkhouse” (Nickelodeon)
(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: AMY SCHATZ, We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest — HBO)
Commercials
STEVE AYSON (MJZ)
Anthem, Mattress Firm – Droga5
Unit Production Manager: Adriana Cebada-Mora
First Assistant Director: George Nessis
Second Assistant Directors: Jesse Carmona, Brent Martin
Award Speech, Miller Lite – DDB Chicago
Networking, Miller Lite – DDB Chicago
KATHRYN BIGELOW (SMUGGLER)
Hollywood In Your Pocket, iPhone 13 – Media Arts Lab
First Assistant Directors: Allison Kunzman, Arle Bordas
Second Assistant Director: Abbey Hansen
Second Second Assistant Director: Cody Maher
IAN PONS JEWELL (RESET)
ECG, Apple Watch – Apple
Sleep, Apple Watch – Apple
Time, Squarespace – Squarespace
Your Mom’s Short Ribs, Instacart – Goodby Silverstein
HENRY-ALEX RUBIN (SMUGGLER)
Teenage Dream, Sandy Hook Promise – BBDO – New York
First Assistant Director: Anthony Dimino
Second Assistant Director: David Ebel
BRADFORD YOUNG (Serial Pictures x Somesuch)
Super. Human., Channel 4 Paralympics – 4Creative
First Assistant Director: Jez Oakley
(LAST YEAR’S WINNER: MELINA MATSOUKAS (Prettybird), You Love Me, Beats by Dr. Dre — Translation)
Documentary Feature Films
JESSICA KINGDON
Ascension (Paramount Plus)
STANLEY NELSON
Attica (Showtime)
RAOUL PECK
Exterminate All the Brutes (HBO)
Mr. Peck’s Directorial Team:
First Assistant Director: Mathias Honoré
AHMIR “QUESTLOVE” THOMPSON
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (Searchlight Pictures/Onyx Collective/Hulu)
ELIZABETH CHAI VASARHELYI & JIMMY CHIN
The Rescue (National Geographic)
Ms.Vasarhelyi & Mr. Chin’s Directorial Team:
First Assistant Director: Joey Coughlin
(LAST YEAR’S WINNERS: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, “The Truffle Hunters” — Sony Pictures Classics)
