‘Succession’ creator Jesse Armstrong offered a series of “unthank yous” as the show picked up the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy Award on Sunday (20.09.20).

The HBO family saga scooped the final award of the evening, and the showrunner lamented the fact he couldn’t celebrate in person with the cast and crew.

Accepting the honour from Sterling K. Brown – whose own show ‘This Is Us’ was shortlisted for the prize – Jesse said as the cast celebrated on separate Zoom feeds: “Thank you very much indeed. This is such a very nice moment and it’s very sad not to be with the cast and some of the crew to share it.

“I think maybe I’d like to do a few unthank yous: Unthank you to the virus for keeping us apart, unthank you to President Trump for his crummy response.

Host Jimmy Kimmel quipped: “I don’t think we’ve ever had unthank yous before!”

As well as ‘This Is Us’, ‘Succession’ also beat off competition from ‘Better Call Saul’, ‘The Crown’, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, ‘Killing Eve’, ‘The Mandelorian’, ‘Ozark’ and ‘Stranger Things’ to take the award.

Meanwhile, ‘Ozark’ star Julia Garner was “shocked” to win the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series accolade for the second year in a row.

However, the 26-year-old star did manage to thank the cast and crew of the show, with a particular tribute for Jason Bateman and Laura Linney for “bringing me under your wing, and teaching me how to be not only a better actor, but a better person.”

Julia – who took the award ahead of ‘The Crown’ actress Helena Bonham Carter, ‘Big Little Lies’ stars Laura Dern and Meryl Streep, ‘Westworld’s Thandie Newton, ‘Killing Eve’s Fiona Shaw and ‘Succession’s Sarah Snook -ended her speech with a plea for a “better” world.

She said: “Let’s try to make this world better. There will be a light at the end of this tunnel.”

In the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category, there was a surprise win for ‘The Morning Show’ actor Billy Crudup, who praised the “esteemed” stars he was shortlisted with, ‘Succession’s Nicholas Braun, Matthew MacFadyen and Kieran Culkin, ‘Better Call Saul’ actor Giancarlo Esposito, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’s Bradley Whitford, ‘Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright, and his own co-star Mark Duplass.

He said: “Thanks a lot to the Academy and obviously the fellow actors in the category.

“Some of the most esteemed actors that I’m familiar with and have been for a long time.”

“I knew it the second I got this part that it was something I was fortunate about, so I’ve tried to thank everyone involved in this project and in my life supporting and loving me. If I haven’t, please call me and yell at me because I’ve been meaning to.”