‘Succession’ scene-stealer James Cromwell is coming for that Emmy bookend

For a long time, this year’s drama guest actor race looked to be a celebration of the heartwarming lovers from “The Last of Us”. Actors Nick Offerman (1st in our odds) and Murray Bartlett (2nd in our odds) were anointed Emmy frontrunners all the way back in January after the devastatingly beautiful episode “Long, Long Time”, premiered to rapturous industry reception.

This race was all but over in the view of our experts. The only thing in question was which one? The against-type Offerman or the ailing Bartlett? That was until “Church and State”, the penultimate episode of HBO’s “Succession,” announced Emmy darling James Cromwell’s bid for the statuette.

Cromwell’s character, Ewan Roy, the elder disapproving brother of the show’s central media titan, Logan Roy, made a haunting appearance in the episode. One that is highly unlikely to be forgotten by the television academy. Unlike Offerman and Bartlett in “Long, Long Time,” “Church and State” didn’t centre on Cromwell’s character. In fact, Cromwell featured in less than 10% of the episode. But what the Oscar nominee lacked in quantity of screen time, he most certainly made up for in quality off performance.

Time stopped as Cromwell (3rd in our odds) slowly made his way up to the lectern at the church in which his brother’s life was being celebrated. And his stone cold procession to then deliver a damning 6-minute monologue for the ages which singularly brought the entire celebratory proceedings to a harrowing halt; it may as well have been the veteran actor’s Emmy coronation.

James Cromwell is an Emmy favorite. He won in 2013 for “American Horror Story,” and is a four-time nominee in this particular category. Further, he’s been recognised twice previously by the TV academy for this very role. “Succession” (1st in our odds) is an Emmy darling in its own right too, having won Best Drama Series for its previous two seasons.

We know the television academy loves the show and Cromwell, clearly. “The Last of Us” is in its freshman Emmy campaign. And with a potential vote-splitting dilemma between Bartlett and Offerman at the top, Cromwell may just crash the party again. This time though, it’ll be with Emmy in-hand.

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