Following a year in which the pandemic forced many Americans to increasingly turn to on-demand streaming video for entertainment, the Television Academy rewarded the streaming services in a big way in the nominations for the 73rd Emmy Awards.
Three streaming series led the way, with Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ and the Disney+ Star Wars action drama ‘The Mandalorian’ each notching 24 nominations. The Disney+ Marvel series ‘WandaVision’ had 23 nominations. It was the first time that the top three nominated shows were all from streaming platforms.
HBO, aided by its year-old streaming service, HBO Max, led all networks with 130 nominations. Netflix was right behind with 129 nominations. Next was Disney+, which picked up 71 nominations in just its second year of existence. NBC was in a distant fourth place with 46 nominations.
The contenders in the best drama category are mostly from the streamers. They include the fourth season of ‘The Crown’; the second season of the ‘The Mandalorian’; a former best drama winner, Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’; the freshman season of Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’; Amazon’s ‘The Boys’; FX’s ‘Pose’; HBO’s recently cancelled series ‘Lovecraft Country’; and NBC’s ‘This Is Us’.
In the comedy category, the Apple TV+ feel-good sports series ‘Ted Lasso’, starring Jason Sudeikis, scored a nomination, and is the favorite to win the category. It was joined by a pair of HBO Max original series: ‘The Flight Attendant’ and ‘Hacks’. Kaley Cuoco of ‘The Flight Attendant’ and Jean Smart of ‘Hacks’ were each nominated for best actress in a comedy series. Other nominees in the comedy category included Hulu’s ‘PEN15’ and three Netflix series: ‘Cobra Kai’, ‘Emily in Paris’ and ‘The Kominsky Method’.
Only one nominee for best comedy — ABC’s ‘black-ish’ — was from a cable or broadcast network, an all-time low.
Though the streaming services have collected plenty of nominations over the last nine years, big wins have been elusive.
The number of times a streamer has won best drama? That would be one, and it was accomplished four years ago when ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ took the crown. Number of best comedy winners? Just two. And for best limited series, which has arguably turned into the Emmys’ most exciting category? Zero.
And Netflix — despite investing billions in content over the last few years, and spending plenty of cash on Emmy campaigning — has never won the award in drama, comedy or best limited series, a dry spell that could come to an end this year.
The ceremony will be on September 19 on CBS.
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Emmys 2021: The List of Nominees
Best Comedy
“black-ish” (ABC)
“Cobra Kai” (Netflix)
“Emily in Paris” (Netflix)
“Hacks” (HBO Max)
“The Flight Attendant” (HBO Max)
“The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
“PEN15” (Hulu)
“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)
Best Drama
“The Boys” (Amazon Prime)
“Bridgerton” (Netflix)
“The Crown” (Netflix)
“The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
“Lovecraft Country” (HBO)
“The Mandalorian” (Disney+)
“Pose” (FX)
“This Is Us” (NBC)
Best Limited Series
“I May Destroy You” (HBO)
“Mare of Easttown” (HBO)
“The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix)
“The Underground Railroad” (Amazon Prime)
“WandaVision” (Disney+)
Best Actress, Comedy
Aidy Bryant, “Shrill”
Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”
Allison Janney, “Mom”
Tracee Ellis Ross, “black-ish”
Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Best Actor, Comedy
Anthony Anderson, “black-ish”
Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Kenan Thompson, “Kenan”
Best Actress, Drama
Uzo Aduba, “In Treatment”
Olivia Colman, “The Crown”
Emma Corrin, “The Crown”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Mj Rodriguez, “Pose”
Jurnee Smollett, “Lovecraft Country”
Best Actor, Drama
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”
Jonathan Majors, “Lovecraft Country”
Josh O’Connor, “The Crown”
Regé-Jean Page, “Bridgerton”
Billy Porter, “Pose”
Matthew Rhys, “Perry Mason”
Best Actress, Limited Series or TV Movie
Michaela Coel, “I May Destroy You”
Cynthia Erivo, “Genius: Aretha”
Elizabeth Olsen, “WandaVision”
Anya Taylor-Joy, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Kate Winslet, “Mare of Easttown”
Best Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie
Paul Bettany, “WandaVision”
Hugh Grant, “The Undoing”
Ewan McGregor, “Halston”
Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Hamilton”
Leslie Odom Jr., “Hamilton”
Supporting Actress, Comedy
Aidy Bryant, “Saturday Night Live”
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live”
Rosie Perez, “The Flight Attendant”
Cecily Strong, “Saturday Night Live”
Juno Temple, “Ted Lasso”
Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”
Supporting Actor, Comedy
Carl Clemons-Hopkins, “Hacks”
Brett Goldstein, “Ted Lasso”
Brendan Hunt, “Ted Lasso”
Nick Mohammed, “Ted Lasso”
Paul Reiser, “The Kominsky Method”
Jeremy Swift, “Ted Lasso”
Kenan Thompson, “Saturday Night Live”
Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”
Supporting Actress, Drama
Gillian Anderson, “The Crown”
Helena Bonham Carter, “The Crown”
Madeline Brewer, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Ann Dowd, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Aunjanue Ellis, “Lovecraft Country”
Emerald Fennell, “The Crown”
Yvonne Strahovski, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Samira Wiley, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Supporting Actor, Drama
Giancarlo Esposito, “The Mandalorian”
O-T Fagbenle, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
John Lithgow, “Perry Mason”
Tobias Menzies, “The Crown”
Max Minghella, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Chris Sullivan, “This Is Us”
Bradley Whitford, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Michael K. Williams, “Lovecraft Country”
Supporting Actress, Limited Series or a Movie
Renée Elise Goldsberry, “Hamilton”
Kathryn Hahn, “WandaVision”
Moses Ingram, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Julianne Nicholson, “Mare of Easttown”
Jean Smart, “Mare of Easttown”
Phillipa Soo, “Hamilton”
Supporting Actor, Limited Series or Movie
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Daveed Diggs, “Hamilton”
Paapa Essiedu, “I May Destroy You”
Jonathan Groff, “Hamilton”
Anthony Ramos, “Hamilton”
Evan Peters, “Mare of Easttown”
Variety Talk Series
“Conan”
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live”
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
Reality Competition Program
“The Amazing Race”
“Nailed It!”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Top Chef”
“The Voice”
Writing for a Comedy Series
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, “Hacks” (“There Is No Line (Pilot)”)
Maya Erskine, “PEN15” (“Play”)
Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly, “Ted Lasso” (“Pilot”)
Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly, “Ted Lasso” (“Make Rebecca Great Again”)
Meredith Scardino, “Girls5eva” (“Pilot”)
Steve Yockey, “The Flight Attendant” (“In Case of Emergency”)
Writing for a Drama Series
Yahlin Chang, “The Handmaid’s Tale” (“Home”)
Jon Favreau, “The Mandalorian” (“Chapter 16: The Rescue”)
Dave Filoni, “The Mandalorian” (“Chapter 13: The Jedi”)
Misha Green, “Lovecraft Country” (“Sundown”)
Peter Morgan, “The Crown” (“War”)
Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Steven Canals, Janet Mock and Our Lady J, “Pose” (“Series Finale”)
Rebecca Sonnenshine, “The Boys” (“What I Know”)
Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Drama Special
Michaela Coel, “I May Destroy You”
Laura Donney, “WandaVision,” “Previously On”
Scott Frank, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Chuck Hayward and Peter Cameron, “WandaVision,” “All-New Halloween Spooktacular!”
Brad Ingelsby, “Mare of Easttown”
Jac Schaeffer, “WandaVision,” “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience”
Directing for a Comedy Series
Lucia Aniello, “Hacks” (“There Is No Line (Pilot)”)
Zach Braff, “Ted Lasso” (“Biscuits”)
James Burrows, “B Positive” (“Pilot”)
M.J. Delaney, “Ted Lasso” (“The Hope That Kills You”)
Susanna Fogel, “The Flight Attendant” (“In Case of Emergency”)
Declan Lowney, “Ted Lasso” (“Make Rebecca Great Again”)
James Widdoes, “Mom” (“Scooby-Doo Checks and Salisbury Steak”)
Directing for a Drama Series
Steven Canals, “Pose” (“Series Finale”)
Benjamin Caron, “The Crown” (“Fairytale”)
Jon Favreau, “The Mandalorian” (“Chapter 9: The Marshal”)
Liz Garbus, “The Handmaid’s Tale” (“The Wilderness”)
Jessica Hobbs, “The Crown” (“War”)
Julie Anne Robinson, “Bridgerton” (“Diamond of the First Water”)
Directing for a Limited Series
Scott Frank, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Barry Jenkins, “The Underground Railroad”
Michaela Coel and Sam Miller, “I May Destroy You” (“Ego Death”)
Thomas Kail, “Hamilton”
Sam Miller, “I May Destroy You” (“Eyes Eyes Eyes Eyes”)
Matt Shakman, “WandaVision”
Craig Zobel, “Mare of Easttown”
