What to Watch / The 2020 Emmy Nominations
In which Winona helps us process our feelings
The 2020 Emmy nominations were announced this morning - and it's a lot: lots of surprises, TONS of snubs, a bunch of nominations for Netflix -- and Apple TV+'s first trip to the Emmys rodeo. And with that, let's dive in:
First, the numbers
Netflix garnered a whopping 160 nominations - while HBO had 107. (107 is still a lot, by the way -- and twice that of the next most nominated studio, NBC with 46.)
Netflix's 160 nominations were spread out over 52 titles
HBO's 107 nominations were spread out over 21 titles
HBO's Watchmen alone received 26 nominations
There were more submissions this year than ever, likely due to the addition of new streamers (or just more content overall):
Drama submissions: 197 this year versus 165 last year
Comedy submissions: 111 versus 108
Limited run submissions: 41 versus 35
The new kids
Apple TV+, Disney+, and Quibi all joined in on the Emmy fun in their inaugural season. Emmy eligibility requires a title to have aired between June 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020, making this the first eligibility season for these new streamers (and I'm mentioning it in case your favorite new show didn't make the cut).
Apple TV+ received 18 nominations, including 8 noms for The Morning Show, including for leads Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carrell, and 5 noms for The Beastie Boys Story.
Other Apple TV+ originals getting noms include Central Park, Defending Jacob, Elephant Queen, and Home.
Disney+ earned 19 nominations, 15 for The Mandalorian alone.
Quibi earned 10 nominations, dominating -- perhaps unsurprisingly -- the short-form categories.
Good news - Black actor noms up, Schitt's Creek goes out on a high, and music nominees feature TV newcomers
A record number of Black actors secured acting nominations -- over 34%, up from last year's 20%. Included among the nominees are Regina King for Watchmen, Zendaya for Euphoria, and Issa Rae for Insecure (all HBO shows, incidentally). Variety is already calling Rae's nomination out as a harbinger of the great things yet to come from the star and her show.
Meanwhile, Pop TV's Schitt's Creek garnered 15 nominations in its final season -- not too shabby.
And half the music nominees are newcomers, with a quarter BIPOC. Notable nominees include The RZA, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Ingrid Michaelson, Isabella Summers (of Florence and the Machine).
The snubs (and surprises)
So, so many snubs, doubtless thanks to a lot more submissions this year:
Reese Witherspoon was up for HBO's Big Little Lies, Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere, and Apple TV+'s The Morning Show -- and didn't garner a single nomination
Somehow neither Merritt Wever nor Kaitlyn Dever managed nominations for their masterful turns in Netflix's Unbelievable (which wasnominated)
Despite literally disappearing into the role of Roger Ailes for Showtime's The Loudest Voice, Russell Crowe failed to earn a nod for his latex-enhanced performance, while Showtime's venerable Homeland secured only a single nomination, for direction, in its final season, shutting out both stars Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin
FX's bonkers vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows landed a nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series
Other assorted snubs: somehow Better Call Saul's Rhea Seehorn and Bob Odenkirk didn't make the cut, nor did Janet McTeer for her dominating turn in Ozark. Also left out of the fun? Jane Lynch for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Elisabeth Moss for The Handmaid's Tale, and Nicole Kidman for Big Little Lies
Finally, the list of nominees…
... in the major categories. Full list of nominees available here. The ceremony is currently planned for September 20th, COVID-19 permitting.
Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
Outstanding Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
The Good Place
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do in the Shadows
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 Porter- Succession
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
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
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate – Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan – Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini – Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae – Insecure
Traces Ellis Ross – Black-ish
Outstanding Limited Series
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen
Lead Actor in Limited Series/Movie
Jeremy Irons – Watchmen
Hugh Jackman – Bad Education
Paul Mescal – Normal People
Jeremy Pope – Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo – I Know This Much is True
Lead Actress in Limited Series/Movie
Cate Blanchett – Mrs. America
Shira Haas – Unorthodox
Regina King – Watchmen
Octavia Spence – Self Made
Kerry Washington – Little Fires Everywhere
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama
Giancarlo Esposito – Better Call Saul
Bradley Whitford – The Handmaid’s Tale
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
Mark Duplass – The Morning Show
Nicholas Braun – Succession
Kieran Culkin – Succession
Matthew Macfadyen – Succession
Jeffrey Wright – Westworld
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama
Laura Dern – Big Little Lies
Meryl Streep – Big Little Lies
Helena Bonham Carter – The Crown
Samira Wiley – The Handmaid’s Tale
Fiona Shaw – Killing Eve
Julia Garner – Ozark
Sarah Snook – Succession
Thandie Newton – Westworld
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
William Jackson Harper – The Good Place
Alan Arkin – The Kominsky Method
Sterling K. Brown – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Tony Shalhoub – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Mahershala Ali – Ramy
Kenan Thompson – Saturday Night Live
Dan Levy – Schitt’s Creek
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Betty Gilpin – GLOW
D’Arcy Carden – The Good Place
Yvonne Orji – Insecure
Alex Borstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Marin Hinkle – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live
Cecily Strong – Saturday Night Live
Annie Murphy – Schitt’s Creek
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series/Movie
Dylan McDermott – Hollywood
Jim Parsons – Hollywood
Tituss Burgess – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II – Watchmen
Jovan Adepo – Watchmen
Louis Gossett Jr. – Watchmen
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series/Movie
Holland Taylor – Hollywood
Uzo Aduba – Mrs. America
Margo Martindale – Mrs. America
Tracey Ullman – Mrs. America
Toni Collette – Unbelievable
Jean Smart – Watchmen
Outstanding Variety Talk
The Daily Show
Full Frontal
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight
Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
A Black Lady Sketch show
Drunk History
Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Reality Competition
The Masked Singer
Nailed It
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice