The nominations for September’s Emmy Awards have been announced, with a host of surprise inclusions and omissions offering multiple talking points.
Netflix has shown that is truly the king of television, breaking the record previously held by HBO for the most nominations ever for a network, studio, or streaming platform with a total of 160 nominations. This year’s Emmy’s is the first since the launch of rival streaming services Apple TV and Disney+, the latter landing a surprise Drama nomination for its hit Star Wars series The Mandalorian.
In terms of the shows that have performed the strongest, Watchmen – which hasn’t been renewed for a 2nd season – leads the way with 26 nominations. Following on its heels is the black comedy series Succession with 18 nominations. This includes an astonishing 9 for its regular and guest cast, as well as Leading Actor nominations for Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox. This move comes as a surprise for many, considering Succession’s cast was shut out of the Emmy’s entirely in 2019.
Many of the categories have actors from the same shows competing against their fellow cast-mates. Indeed, Succession has three actors competing for the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series award, while the Cate Blanchett-led Mrs. America has three actresses vying for Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries. Likewise, Big Little Lies stars Laura Dern and Meryl Streep are rivals for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and many feel Dern will be looking to win the Emmy to accompany February’s Oscar win.
There is British interest across the board this year, with the reigning Emmy winner Jodie Comer once again up against her Killing Eve co-star Sandra Oh for Leading Actress. Olivia Coleman is also up for Leading Actress in The Crown, having taken over from Claire Foy in season three. Additionally, both Matthew Macfadyen and Brian Cox are nominated for Succession. One of the surprise nominations was that of Paul Mescal, the breakout star of the BBC’s smash-hit Normal People, who has been nominated for Leading Actor in a Limited Series where he faces competition from Hollywood heavyweights Hugh Jackman and Mark Rufallo. His co-star Daisy Edgar Jones can perhaps feel hard done by, as she was not nominated in what is a very competitive Leading Actress race. Normal People arguably could also have had a shot at the Best Limited Series award, but did not receive a nomination.
One of the main talking points is the omission of several of the Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul’s stars, namely its leads Bob Okendrick and Rhea Seehorn. The latter nomination of Leading Actress in a Drama Series has been seemingly taken instead by Zendaya for the acclaimed Euphoria. The exclusion of Elizabeth Moss for The Handmaids Tale has also raised a few eyebrows.
In the comedy categories, Amazon Prime’s period piece The Marvelous Mrs Maisel is one of the shows to beat, with surprise competition from What We Do In The Shadows and the final seasons of both The Good Place and Schitt’s Creek.
It seems this year’s awards have really shown that Netflix is at the forefront of awards worthy television and it is a great showcase for the sheer variety of television at our fingertips. Perhaps the biggest surprise however is the number of cast members from the same shows, and although Watchmen and Succession are seemingly frontrunners, as previous years have shown the Emmys can be wholly unpredictable. One doesn’t need to go far back for evidence, as last year’s win for the Game Of Thrones final series proves.
Words by Chris Connor
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