Netflix and HBO could dominate Sunday, but it could be a big year for The Mandalorian and Schitt’s Creek.
Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon in Apple’s The Morning Show, one of the year’s biggest Emmy contenders.
We’ve all watched a lot of TV this year, right? This Sunday, Sept. 20, the 2020 Emmy Awards will recognize the TV shows that have both reflected and distracted us from these weird times. Watchmen, The Mandalorian, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ozark and the recently ended Schitt’s Creek are among the modern classics battling it out at this year’s Emmys.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Emmy Awards ceremony will look a little different, but it’s still set to be a star-studded night. HBO’s Watchmen scored the most nominations with 26 nods, followed by Amazon’s ever-popular The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with 20 and Netflix’s dark drama Ozark with 18. Scroll down for the full list of nominations and my predictions for who’s going to win the Emmy in each category.
Several newcomers to the streaming game are nominated, including Apple TV Plus (18 noms), Disney Plus (18) and Quibi (10), and it’s notable that more than half of the best drama nominees are found on streaming services: Netflix has The Crown, Ozark and Stranger Things in the running, Hulu returns with The Handmaid’s Tale, and newcomer Disney Plus brings The Mandalorian, which has already won a number of technical Emmys. In total, Netflix bagged 160 nominations while HBO managed 107.
We’re happy to see The Mandalorian get so much love, but it’s still a sci-fi action show, and awards shows may see a genre piece as less worthy than some of the prestige dramas on the list. Killing Eve and The Handmaid’s Tale, meanwhile, have struggled to maintain their explosive initial excitement into second and third seasons. Over on Netflix, Stranger Things would be the popular choice, but the Emmys sure do love Ozark. For my money it’s between the delicious dynastic drama Succession or the longer-running Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul. A big win could confirm what many fans insist, that Better Call Saul is even better than its legendary progenitor.
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel is consummate television entertainment, and the many previous wins for costume and design are richly deserved. The showbusiness-focused Kominsky Method will probably strike a chord with Emmy voters, while Curb Your Enthusiasm had a long-awaited return to form in its 10th season. Meanwhile Insecure just keeps getting better and better. But it’s unlikely that anything can stand in the way of the mighty Schitt’s Creek and its glorious, life-affirming finale.
Curb Your EnthusiasmDead to MeThe Good PlaceInsecureThe Kominsky MethodThe Marvelous Mrs. MaiselSchitt’s CreekWhat We Do In the Shadows
What a lineup. Unbelievable and Unorthodox both offered harrowing yet gripping ripped-from-the-headlines drama powered by utterly convincing performances, as did the hugely entertaining Mrs. America. Watchmen was perhaps the biggest surprise: a superhero show based on a comic that had already been made into a movie, yet delivered a searingly gripping examination of race and power in modern America.
It’s interesting to see a nomination for Netflix’s interactive choose-your-own-adventure movie Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but the statuette will probably go to something a little more heavyweight. Bad Education is a deliciously twisty and entertaining true-life tale, and El Camino was a welcome coda to the Breaking Bad saga. But American Son’s gripping howl of despair is the most serious and timely film here.
American SonBad EducationDolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old BonesEl Camino: A Breaking Bad MovieUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend
Jason Bateman, OzarkSterling K. Brown, This Is UsSteve Carell, The Morning ShowBrian Cox, Succession Billy Porter, PoseJeremy Strong, Succession
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning ShowOlivia Colman, The CrownJodie Comer, Killing EveLaura Linney, OzarkSandra Oh, Killing Eve Zendaya, Euphoria
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish Don Cheadle, Black MondayTed Danson, The Good PlaceMichael Douglas, The Kominsky MethodEugene Levy, Schitt’s CreekRamy Youssef, Ramy
Christina Applegate, Dead to MeRachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselLinda Cardellini, Dead to MeCatherine O’Hara, Schitt’s CreekIssa Rae, InsecureTracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Jeremy Irons, WatchmenHugh Jackman, Bad EducationPaul Mescal, Normal PeopleJeremy Pope, HollywoodMark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
Nicholas Braun, Succession Billy Crudup, The Morning ShowKieran Culkin, Succession Mark Duplass, The Morning ShowGiancarlo Esposito, Better Call SaulMatthew Macfadyen, Succession Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale Jeffrey Wright, Westworld
Helena Bonham Carter, The CrownLaura Dern, Big Little LiesJulia Garner, OzarkThandie Newton, Westworld Fiona Shaw, Killing EveSarah Snook, Succession Meryl Streep, Big Little LiesSamira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
Mahershala Ali, Ramy Alan Arkin, The Kominsky MethodAndre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine Sterling K. Brown, The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselWilliam Jackson Harper, The Good PlaceDaniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselKenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselD’Arcy Carden, The Good PlaceBetty Gilpin, GLOWMarin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselKate McKinnon, Saturday Night LiveAnnie Murphy, Schitt’s CreekYvonne Orji, Insecure Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, WatchmenJovan Adepo, WatchmenTituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The ReverendLouis Gossett Jr., WatchmenDylan McDermott, HollywoodJim Parsons, Hollywood
Uzo Aduba, Mrs. AmericaToni Collette, UnbelievableMargo Martindale, Mrs. AmericaJean Smart, WatchmenHolland Taylor, HollywoodTracey Ullman, Mrs. America
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