72nd Emmy Nominations Go Big For Awarding Science Fiction Shows
The 72nd annual Emmy Awards will go on as planned.
Hollywood must have their awards, even in this day of productions shutdowns and remote talk shows to the predictable rise in streaming viewership. The Hollywood elite can breathe a bit easier (as can its fandom) because yes, the 72nd annual Emmy Awards will go on as planned. And if that isn’t relief enough, maybe this will make it even easier to swallow. The awards show which will be a virtual one, will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
With that backdrop, the 72nd Emmy Awards just announced its nominations Here’s the full list…
Outstanding Drama Series
- Better Call Saul
- The Crown
- The Handmaid’s Tale
- Killing Eve
- The Mandalorian
- Ozark
- Stranger Things
- Succession
NOTEABLES – There are heavyweights up and down the Drama Series list. The Mandalorian could be a fan favorite along with Stanger Things but don’t sleep on the others. Better Call Saul and The Handmaid’s Tale are extremely strong entries as is the Jason Bateman-led Ozark. There is not a weak show on this list, so it will be interesting to see who brings home the prize. Kind of surprised, though, that Westworld didn’t grab a nomination.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
- Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
- Olivia Colman, The Crown
- Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
- Laura Linney, Ozark
- Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
- Zendaya, Euphoria
NOTEABLES – Again, you simply can’t go wrong here. The Morning Show has received a lot of praise so to see Jennifer Aniston on this list is not a surprise. Sandra Oh and Laura Linney also come in strong on this list.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Jason Bateman, Ozark
- Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
- Steve Carell, The Morning Show
- Brian Cox, Succession
- Billy Porter, Pose
- Jeremy Strong, Succession
NOTEABLES – Jason Bateman. He is simply wonderful in Ozark, though he has been great in most things he has appeared in. It is also nice to see Steve Carell back on this list, but you can’t count out any of the other gentlemen here. Strong field.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
- Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
- Lara Dern, Big Little Lies
- Julia Garner, Ozark
- Thandie Newton, Westworld
- Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve
- Sarah Snook, Succession
- Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies
- Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Nicholas Braun, Succession
- Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
- Kieran Culkin, Succession
- Mark Duplass, The Morning Show
- Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul
- Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
- Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale
- Jeffrey Wright, Westworld
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
- Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale
- Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black
- Cherry Jones, Succession
- Phylicia Rashad, This Is Us
- Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away with Murder
- Harriet Walter, Succession
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
- Jason Bateman, The Outsider
- James Cromwell, Succession
- Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian
- Ron Cephas Jones, The Is Us
- Andrew Scott, Black Mirror
- Martin Short, The Morning Show
Outstanding Comedy Series
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Dead to Me
- The Good Place
- Insecure
- The Kominsky Method
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Schitt’s Creek
- What We Do in the Shadows
NOTEABLES – While Schitt’s Creek, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Dead to Me, and Curb Your Enthusiasm may be the more well-known entries, do not sleep on What We Do in the Shadows. Based on the Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement 2015 movie, the series follows a trio of vampires (actually four if you count the “energy vampire”) and their familiars as they navigate life in the 21st Century Staten Island. Fun stuff.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
- Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
- Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
- Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
- Issa Rae, Insecure
- Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
- Anthony Anderson, black-ish
- Don Cheadle, Black Monday
- Ted Danson, The Good Place
- Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
- Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
- Ramy Youssef, Ramy
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
- Betty Gilpin, GLOW
- Yvonne Orji, Insecure
- Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
- Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
- Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek
- D’Arcy Carden, The Good Place
- Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
- Mahershala Ali, Ramy
- Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
- Daniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek
- William Jackson Harper, The Good Place
- Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
- Sterling K. Brown, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
- Angela Bassett, A Black Lady Sketch Show
- Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live
- Maya Rudolph, The Good Place
- Bette Midler, The Politician
- Wanda Sykes, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
- Fred Willard, Modern Family
- Dev Patel, Modern Love
- Brad Pitt, Saturday Night Live
- Adam Driver, Saturday Night Live
- Eddie Murphy, Saturday Night Live
- Luke Kirby, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Outstanding Limited Series
- Little Fires Everywhere
- Mrs. America
- Unbelievable
- Unorthodox
- Watchmen
NOTEABLES – While the list is impressive, Watchmen may be the clubhouse leader. The series is based on the DC comic book series created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and takes place 34 years after the original story.
Outstanding Television Movie
- American Son
- Bad Education
- Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones
- El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
- Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
- Shira Haas, Unorthodox
- Regina King, Watchmen
- Octavia Spencer, Self Made
- Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
- Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
- Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
- Paul Mescal, Normal People
- Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
- Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
- Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America
- Toni Collette, Unbelievable
- Margo Martindale, Mrs. America
- Jean Smart, Watchmen
- Holland Taylor, Hollywood
- Tracey Ullman, Mrs. America
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Watchmen
- Jovan Adepo, Watchmen
- Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend
- Louis Gossett Jr., Watchmen
- Dylan McDermott, Hollywood
- Jim Parsons, Hollywood
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
- The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
- Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
- Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Outstanding Competition Program
- The Masked Singer
- Nailed It
- RuPaul’s Drag Race
- Top Chef
- The Voice
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program
- Bobby Berk, Queer Eye
- Nicole Byer, Nailed It!
- Barbara Corcoran, Shark Tank
- Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef
- Amy Poehler, Making It
- RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Outstanding Variety Sketch Show
- A Black Lady Sketch Show
- Drunk History
- Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
- Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Humor
- Dave Chappelle: Sticks and Stones
- Hannah Gadsby: Douglas
- Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill
- John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch
- Tiffany Haddish: Black Mitzvah
While we may have been a tad bit sarcastic in the intro, there truly is a plethora of great material nominated for an Emmy. And with the past five or so months of being locked away, we are sure that many of you have been able to take a peek at a lot of the shows on the above lists.
Not only are most of the shows outstanding (they wouldn’t have received nominations) but the actors and actress mentioned above are top notch. We spoke of Jason Bateman, who not only anchored Ozark and was also nominated for Stephen King’s The Outsider, but there were many more. The same can be said for the ladies and not only in the Lead Actress category, but the Supporting Actress category with Thandie Newton of Westworld, Meryl Streep of Big Little Lies, and Fiona Shaw of Killing Eve leading the way. On the men’s Supporting Actor side, there is Bradley Whitford of The Handmaid’s Tale, Jeffrey Wright of Westworld, and Giancarlo Esposito of Better Call Saul leading the way.
Who knows if things will change, but for now the 2020 Emmy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, September 20 on ABC. Things will undoubtedly look different, as the show will be virtual in nature, but the excitement remains. Good luck to all.
