Succession Stars Serve 1 Last Roman/Gerri Moment and Cousin Greg Goof While Picking Up Best Drama Golden Globe

'1923', 'The Crown', 'The Diplomat', 'The Last of Us' and 'The Morning Show' were all also in the running for this year's big prize

Golden Globes The Cast of Succession TV -- Drama
'Succession' Creator Jesse Armstrong at the 2024 Golden Globes. Photo:

CBS

The cast of Succession had one last hurrah at the 2024 Golden Globes with the show's win for best drama series.

Kieran Culkin, who played Roman Roy on the HBO series, kissed the hand of his costar and friend J. Smith-Cameron (whose character Gerri Kellman had a deliciously twisted relationship with Roman) before the actors made their way to the stage. Shortly after, Nicholas Braun had a signature Cousin Greg moment as he lifted his knees high while jogging to join his costars.

Succession creator Jesse Armstrong said in his speech: "Thank you very much indeed. So it’s been said, but it’s a team effort this show, which is one of the reasons it’s so lovely to do."

He continued, "And I would like to accept this on behalf of the whole succession writers room, the directors led by Mark Mylod, my fellow producers, the extraordinarily subtle and supple cast, and the crew who have worked so dedicatedly and brilliantly on four seasons of the show."

"I’ve been supported all the way through by HBO.... And so it has been such a wonderful team to work with," he added. "We decided this was the right time to end the show and that was very bittersweet. Particularly for me because I finally bought some shoes that are appropriate for awards season — this might be the last time I ever get to wear them."

Stepping back from the levity, he concluded, "But no, it is bittersweet but things like this make it rather sweeter, so thank you very much indeed."

Also among the 2024 nominees were Paramount+'s Yellowstone spinoff 1923, Netflix’s The Crown and The Diplomat, Apple TV+ favorite The Morning Show and HBO’s The Last of Us.

Succession was last year's winner in this category and came into the night a heavy favorite after its fourth and final season earned universal praise.

Ahead of Sunday's ceremony, stars Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin were all nominated for best performance by a male actor in a television series - drama, with Culkin taking home the statuette. Costar Sarah Snook won in the leading actress category for portraying fictional Roy family's steely heiress Siobhan (a.k.a. "Shiv"). And J. Smith-Cameron, Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck and Alexander Skarsgård all received nods for their supporting turns.

Succession also won top honors at the 2020 Golden Globes.

succession season 3
'Succession'. HBO

The other nominee included 1923, which followed Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren as husband and wife Jacob and Cara Dutton, whose struggles in the hard-scrabble early 20th century paved the way for the success of their great-nephew John Dutton (last year's best actor winner Kevin Costner) generations later.

In addition to the show's best drama nod, Mirren received a nomination in the best performance by a female actor in a television series - drama category.

Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton and Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton in '1923'
Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton and Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton in '1923'.

James Minchin III/Paramount+

Though The Crown just finished its sixth and final season last month, this weekend's Globes honored season 5, which continued to fictionalize the real-life unraveling of the British royals in the '90s leading up to Princess Diana's shocking, sudden death in August 1997.

Elizabeth Debicki's uncanny similarity to the beloved royal — not to mention her masterful performance — earned the Australian actress a supporting actress trophy this year. In the leading categories, Imelda Staunton's portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II and Dominic West's turn as King Charles III (then still the Prince of Wales) were also acknowledged.

Elizabeth Debicki, Will Powell, Senan West, Dominic West The Crown

Keith Bernstein/Netflix

The Netflix series has been showered with love by the Globes in years past, taking home nine of its 23 possible awards, including best drama wins in 2017 and 2021, as well as statuettes for Olivia Colman (season 3 and 4's Elizabeth), Josh O'Connor (playing a younger Prince Charles), Emma Corin (season 4's Diana) and Gillian Anderson (who channeled former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher).

The Diplomat. (L to R) Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler in episode 101 of The Diplomat.
Alex Bailey/Netflix

Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell's crackling chemistry in Netflix's The Diplomat was just one element that landed the series on the Globes' radar.

The show's freshman season saw Russell's Kate Wyler reluctantly take on the U.S. Ambassadorship to the United Kingdom. Unknowingly put on the fast track to become the Vice President of the U.S. if she succeeds, Kate navigated high-stakes intrigue and deception on the global stage — and in her own household, thanks to Sewell's ever-scheming politico Hal.

Russell was nominated in this year's best drama actress category, nearly 25 years after winning the same award in 1999 for her breakout performance in Felicity. More recently, spy games served her well on screen, netting her two Globes nods for her portrayal of The Americans' Elizabeth Jennings.

Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston in The Morning Show

Apple TV+

The Morning Show’s two nominations in 2024 made for its eighth and ninth Globes nods since the Apple TV+ show debuted in 2019.

Billy Crudup will compete in the drama actor category for a second time thanks to his work on season 3, which saw his character Cory Ellison maneuvering furiously to maintain power at the fictional UBA network — even as his path was littered by bombs thrown by others both inside and out of the company, from Jon Hamm's tech innovator Paul Marks to Jennifer Aniston's brass ring-seeking Alex Levy and Reese Witherspoon's Bradley Jackson and her seemingly overflowing closet full of skeletons.

bella-ramsey-pedro-pascal-the-last-of-us-022223

The Last of Us quite literally became a viral sensation in its powerful first season.

In addition to its drama series nomination, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey both earned lead performance nods for their work.

Based on the 2013 videogame of the same name, the HBO drama centers on the unlikely partnership between Pascal's rugged, damaged Joel and Ramsey's street smart teen Ellie as they navigate a post-apocalyptic world filled with threats from the zombie-like undead and even scarier human survivors.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

See PEOPLE's full coverage of the 81st annual Golden Globes as they're broadcasting live from The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on CBS and Paramount+.

Related Articles