For anyone wondering whether Primetime Emmy Awards will be given this year, it’s a virtual certainty.
And that’s “virtual” literally, since as with so many other events in the time of the coronavirus pandemic, the television industry’s 72nd annual ceremony will be staged without presenters, nominees and winners physically gathering. Instead, Jimmy Kimmel will continue the practice he perfected from a distance on his late-night show, serving as the host and an executive producer as ABC televises the Primetime Emmys on Sunday.
Typically, the special airs on the eve of the new TV season … and though some new programming will roll out during the week, it won’t be the typical fall launch, since production of many shows was delayed by the health situation. That also will be reflected by the Emmys, with Kimmel based at Los Angeles’ Staples Center while cameras fan out across the country and around the globe to wherever nominees are, to have as many winners as possible give acceptance speeches live.
Nominations for cable networks and streaming services continue to play the major roles in Emmy contests that they have in recent years. Again, nominees from those outlets far outnumber those from the broadcast networks; with such recent arrivals as Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max and Peacock, it’s highly probable that will remain the case strongly in Emmy years to come.
Following are the nominees in several categories in the 72nd Emmy Awards.
Outstanding 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); “Schitt’s Creek” (Pop TV); “What We Do in the Shadows” (FX)
Outstanding drama series: “Better Call Saul” (AMC); “The Crown” (Netflix); “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu); “Killing Eve” (BBC America/AMC); “The Mandalorian” (Disney+); “Ozark” (Netflix); “Stranger Things” (Netflix); “Succession” (HBO)
Outstanding limited series: “Little Fires Everywhere” (Hulu); “Mrs. America” (FX on Hulu); “Unbelievable” (Netflix); “Unorthodox” (Netflix); “Watchmen” (HBO)
Outstanding lead actor, comedy series: Anthony Anderson, “black-ish” (ABC); Don Cheadle, “Black Monday” (Showtime); Ted Danson, “The Good Place”; Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method”; Eugene Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”; Ramy Youssef, “Ramy” (Hulu)
Outstanding lead actress, 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”
Outstanding lead actor, drama series: Jason Bateman, “Ozark”; Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us” (NBC); Steve Carell, “The Morning Show” (Apple TV+); Brian Cox, “Succession”; Billy Porter, “Pose” (FX); Jeremy Strong, “Succession”
Outstanding lead actress, drama series: Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show”; Olivia Colman, “The Crown”; Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”; Laura Linney, “Ozark”; Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve”; Zendaya, “Euphoria” (HBO)
