ABOVE: Promotional poster for the 71st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. (Photo by Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, from Wikipedia)
LOS ANGELES (AP) | “Schitt’s Creek,” the quirky little show that went without Emmy recognition until last year, received 15 prime-time Emmy Award nominations for its final season July 28.
The show landed nominations for best comedy series as well as acting nods for each of its four main actors: Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara for comedic leads and Dan Levy and Annie Murphy in supporting comedy acting.
Television juggernaut producer Ryan Murphy also had a great morning. His Netflix series “Hollywood” and “The Politician” each received multiple nominations.
“Hollywood,” a “what if” old Hollywood miniseries, racked up 12 nominations including a lead acting nod for Jeremy Pope and supporting acting nods for Dylan McDermott, Jim Parsons and Holland Taylor.
“The Politician” received five nominations, all but one in the Emmy’s technical categories. Hollywood legend Bette Midler was the one non-technical nod, picking up a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy.
Netflix also had multiple nominations in two of its nonfiction shows. The hit series “Queer Eye” got seven nominations and the documentary series that set off a tidal wave of memes, tweets and Tik Toks, “Tiger King” collected six nominations.
Along with the strong showing by Netflix’s “Ozark,” the streaming service achieved a record-setting 160 nominations that bested onetime perennial leader HBO, which earned 107 nods. Netflix, although the Emmy veteran among streamers, has yet to win a best comedy or drama series trophy.
HBO was no slouch in nominations though. “Watchmen,” cloaked in superhero mythology and grounded in real-world racism, received a leading 26 nominations.
The HBO series, which captured America’s deep unease as it faces racial and political discord amid a pandemic, was nominated as best limited series and received bids for cast members including Regina King and Jeremy Irons.
King was part of a vanguard of actors of color indicating that TV academy voters took heed of the social climate.
Zendaya, star of the HBO series “Euphoria,” picked up her first Emmy nomination as best actress in a drama.
The acting categories included a record number of Black nominees, 35, among the 102 contenders for lead, supporting and guest performances in drama, comedy and limited series or TV movie. At slightly more than 34% of nominees, that bettered the 2018 record of just under 28% of Black actors in those categories.
In sharp contrast, few other people of color were recognized. Among them: Sandra Oh, repeating as a best actress nominee for “Killing Eve,” and Dev Patel, who received a comedy guest actor nod for “Modern Love.”
Kerry Washington’s four nominations covered a wide range, including lead actress for “Little Fires Everywhere” and for her production company’s work on the limited series and other programs.
Washington said she was most emotional about the posthumous nomination for “Little Fires Everywhere” director Lynn Shelton, who died from a blood disorder in May.
“For the academy to acknowledge her in her passing, deservedly so, it’s really moving. We’re at a moment where we so desperately need the voices of storytellers from marginalized communities: women directors, people of color,” Washington said.
Billy Porter, who last year became the first openly gay man to win the top drama series acting prize, was nominated again this year for “Pose.” While nominated last year for best dramatic series, “Pose” was left off the list of top shows but received four other nominations in technical categories.
Diversity was especially notable in the comedy categories after being nearly absent last year.
“Ramy,” which finds nuanced humor in a young Muslim American’s crisis of identity and faith, earned a best actor bid for its star and co-creator, Ramy Youssef. Issa Rae returned to the best comedy actress category for her series “Insecure,” which earned a best comedy bid.
In the land of streaming, Netflix wasn’t the only one to have a strong showing. Newcomer Apple TV+ earned attention in its first season with Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell earning best lead acting nods in a drama for “The Morning Show.” Another streaming newbie, Disney+, saw its Star Wars franchise spinoff, “The Mandalorian,” claim a best drama nomination among its hefty 15 total nods. The Amazon comedy “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is the second most-nominated series with 20.
Along with “Schitt’s Creek,” many other fan-favorite sitcoms had their final seasons this year. “The Good Place” earned a total of six nominations for its farewell season including one for best comedy and, for Ted Danson, a best comedy actor nomination. Danson was a two-time Emmy winner in the 1990s for “Cheers.” D’Arcy Carden, William Jackson Harper and Maya Rudolph all earned acting nominations as well.
The farewell was less fond for other shows that wrapped last season, with no major bids for “Modern Family,” “Will & Grace,” “Homeland” or “Silicon Valley.”
On the reality competition front, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” continued on its path of Emmy domination with 10 nominations including one for best competition program and best host for RuPaul.
Other shows competing for best comedy series are: “Curb Your Enthusiasm”; Dead to Me”; “Insecure”; “The Kominsky Method” and “What We Do in the Shadows.”
The nominees for best drama series are: “Better Call Saul”; “The Crown”; “Killing Eve”; “The Handmaid’s Tale”; “The Mandalorian”; “Ozark”; “Stranger Things”; “Succession.”
In addition to “Watchmen,” the nominees for best limited series are: “Little Fires Everywhere”; “Mrs. America”; “Unbelievable”; ”Unorthodox.”
The Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be presented Sept. 20 on ABC. For a full list of the nominees, visit Emmys.com.
