Sorry to the rest of the hungry limited-series Emmy field; all the prime cuts went to Netflix’s “Beef.” It won all the top awards in its category, including for limited series, writing, directing and lead actor — and for Ali Wong, collecting a history-making win for lead actress. Fittingly, for a show that was often labeled a comedy, creator-writer-director Lee Sung Jin’s series acceptance speech spoke to “Beef’s” deeper flavors with a dash of humor.
“A lot of the suicidal ideation in the show was based on stuff that I and some of the folks up here have struggled with over the years. I’m really grateful and humbled by everyone who watched the show and reached out about their own personal struggles. It’s very life-affirming, so thank you,” he said, surrounded by key talent from the show on the Emmy stage. “I feel like we live in a world kind of designed to keep us separate. Even here, some of us go home with trophies and some of us don’t. For some of us, when we live in a world like this, you begin to think that there’s no way anyone can understand you or like you or much less, even — no potential at being loved.