Dish served up only as the ‘Succession’ cast can

The NBA playoffs are resuming while players push for social reform. Angelenos are taking a moment to consider the legacy of the Chicano Moratorium. And I realize it’s hot out there, but it’s never too warm to stand in line for some good barbecue.

And the Emmys are about three weeks away.

I’m Glenn Whipp, awards columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope’s Friday newsletter. Welcome to this week’s edition. Join me with a therapeutic pork belly taco, won’t you? Because I could really use one right now.

‘Succession’ cast dish on what should be an Emmy-winning season

Emmy nominations come with little downside. OK, maybe there’s one minor drawback. Nominees must choose one episode from the season to submit to voters, which, for a show like “Succession,” can make for some daunting decision-making, not to mention a viewing marathon that often leads to bruising bouts of self-doubt.

“I skimmed through the season and went into a tailspin, thinking, ‘Why did I even get nominated?’” says Sarah Snook, one of six from the “Succession” cast to earn an Emmy nomination (plus three guest acting nods) for the show’s acclaimed second season. Joining her: Brian Cox, Matthew Macfadyen, Kieran Culkin, Nicholas Braun and Jeremy Strong.

“Asking me to choose, I felt a little compromised,” Cox says. He mocks the question, adopting an inane tone. “What was your favorite episode?” Cox groans. “Well, I liked them all really.”

And who can blame him? There wasn’t a bad one in the bunch. I talked to the show’s main Emmy nominees, asking them to explain their choices, dish on their castmates’ selections and maybe throw a little playful shade. What exactly is a chicken power play? And how do you pull it off?

Finally an Emmy for Helena Bonham Carter?

With the departure of “Game of Thrones,” the Emmy for drama series is up for grabs. “Succession” and “Ozark” would like to inherit the crown, and since each show nabbed 18 nominations there’s no clear-cut favorite. And the same uncertainty is present in the four drama acting races too, all toss-ups that should lead to some nice suspense when the Emmys are handed out (in some form or another) on Sept. 20.

You probably know how I feel. “Succession” should win all the drama categories! Except for lead actress, where it isn’t nominated. That Emmy should go to Jennifer Aniston, star of last week’s newsletter. I made some early predictions for the Emmy drama races, including a supporting actress win for Helena Bonham Carter for her lively take on Princess Margaret on “The Crown.” Bonham Carter has has been up for eight Golden Globes, two Oscars, four individual Screen Actors Guild honors and, now, four Emmys — but has yet to win anything. That’s kind of messed up. Hopefully, she’ll get to thank everyone this year.

‘Oh, my God. Put more’

Here’s a bonus Emmy prediction: Debra Hanson (and Darci Cheyne) will win the contemporary costume design prize for their glorious work on “Schitt’s Creek.” It’s not just Moira ... but it could be, as Janet Kinosian details in a story that shows how Hanson and Cheyne worked with actress Catherine O’Hara to create an “over-the-top television style icon for the ages.”

“I have to say there was a great deal of laughter in the fittings with Catherine O’Hara,” notes Hanson. “She tried everything, and by her response to it we always knew: ‘Nah, this isn’t quite it,’ or ‘Oh, my God.’ Most of the time, it was ‘Oh, my God. Put more.’”

And in this rare case, more is better. Always.