Australia's Murray Bartlett has joined Hollywood heavyweight Michael Keaton among the early winners as the prestigious Emmy Awards get underway in Los Angeles.
Bartlett, who played a hotel manager at a ritzy resort in HBO's The White Lotus, was named best supporting actor in a limited series.
"I just want to thank my mum, all the way back home in Australia, for giving me the most wonderful foundation of unconditional love and inspiring me to believe that we can all do that for each other," Bartlett said.
Keaton landed an Emmy for playing a small-town doctor who becomes addicted to painkillers in Dopesick, as Hollywood stars gathered to toast the best of television.
Keaton starred in the Hulu limited series that turned a spotlight on America's opioid epidemic.
The actor thanked people in his life who had supported him over the years despite the fact "I made a fool of myself over and over again".
Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson, host of the event at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles, promised a festive night to celebrate one of the world's favourite pastimes.
"What would we do without television? Read books?" he joked, before joining in with dance numbers to theme songs ranging from classic sitcom Friends to current best drama nominee Stranger Things.
Succession, starring Brian Cox as the patriarch of a family jockeying for control of a media dynasty, is a favourite for the night's top prize - best drama.
Aussie actor Sarah Snook is in line for a best actress gong for her part in the show, while Toni Collette is nominated for The Staircase.
But awards experts say newcomer Squid Game could snag the top trophy. If it does it would become the first non-English language program to claim a series Emmy.
The show about life-or-death contests offering the possibility of riches became a global phenomenon when it debuted on Netflix a year ago.
Other competitors include Apple TV+ workplace thriller Severance, which has generated recent buzz in Hollywood, and the final seasons of Netflix's Ozark and AMC's Better Call Saul.
In the comedy race, Apple TV+ feel-good series Ted Lasso is back for more after being named best comedy last year.
Its rivals include Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez as neighbours who become true-crime podcasters, and ABC's Abbott Elementary about teachers at a predominantly Black school in Philadelphia.
Short and Martin are competing against each other for best comedy actor, along with Lasso star Jason Sudeikis.
Contenders for lead comedy actress include Quinta Brunson, the 32-year-old creator and star of Abbott Elementary, Insecure star Issa Rae, and Jean Smart of Hacks.
© AP 2022