By Finally, something is going right this year. Today’s announcement of the official 2020 Emmy nominations are led by the frontrunners we love in the form of Watchmen (with 26 noms), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and The Mandalorian. Meanwhile Netflix is doing unusually high numbers for a streaming service with a record-breaking 160 noms, beating rival HBO’s 2019 record of 137.
To absolutely no-one’s surprise (and to say otherwise would be a disservice), HBO’s Watchmen led the charge with 26 nominations in total. I was surprised to discover that Amazon’s Mrs. Maisel came up a close second with 20 (twenty!) noms, with the beloved Mandalorian, child of Disney+, taking 5th place with 15.
In between we’ve got Ozark (16), Succession (18), Schitt’s Creek (15), SNL (15) and The Crown (13), all worthy shows lined up for glory.
While it doesn’t take a top spot, I’m delighted to hear that Taika Waititi-produced What We Do in the Shadows has been nominated for Best Comedy, and it’s probably the most well-deserving show on TV (a double success as Waititi’s also been recognised for voicing IG-11.) There’s a fair bit of BBC representation from across the pond, but I’m not ashamed to argue that Normal People probably doesn’t deserve to be on that list when lined up to Killing Eve.
Personal views notwithstanding, there’s some great talent lined up and the promise of a more diverse crowd this year too, with the likes of legendary Andre Braugher (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Zendaya (Euphoria), Anthony Anderson (Black-ish) and Issa Rae (Insecure)– if only I May Destroy You was caught in this year’s crop.
We might not have thought of making it to the Emmys if it wasn’t for a generous helping of tech helping to recreate the live ceremony, but the 72nd Emmy Awards are set to go right ahead in September. For the one ceremony that seems to consistently have a good handle on the commercial and critical reception of this year’s TV, September’s event is worth keeping an eye on.
If you can get onto the official site (good luck), you can read the full 18-page list of nominees with loads of exciting categories like Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series. Or, you could check out this super-streamlined list of the best and brightest categories instead. Here they are for your viewing pleasure!
Drama Series
“Better Call Saul” (AMC)
“The Crown” (Netflix)
“The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
“Killing Eve” (BBC America/AMC)
“The Mandalorian” (Disney Plus)
“Ozark” (Netflix)
“Stranger Things” (Netflix)
“Succession” (HBO)
Comedy Series
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)
“Dead to Me” (Netflix)
“The Good Place” (NBC)
“Insecure” (HBO)
“The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon Prime Video)
“Schitt’s Creek” (Pop TV)
“What We Do in the Shadows” (FX)
Limited Series
“Little Fires Everywhere” (Hulu)
“Mrs. America” (Hulu)
“Unbelievable” (Netflix)
“Unorthodox” (Netflix)
“Watchmen” (HBO)
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”)
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 (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Linda Cardellini (“Dead to Me”)
Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”)
Issa Rae (“Insecure”)
Tracee Ellis Ross (“Black-ish”)
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”)
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”)
Animated Program
Big Mouth: Disclosure The Movie: The Musical!
Bob’s Burgers: Pig Trouble In Little Tina
BoJack Horseman: The View From Halfway Down
Rick And Morty: The Vat Of Acid Episode
The Simpsons: Thanksgiving Of Horror
