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The early 2021 AWARDS SZN phase felt like a whirlwind. Guess that’s what happens as awards organizations try and get back to normal during a global pandemic. Either way, the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards nominations rang off earlier today, and it was an interesting look at the year of 2020-2021 television season, which itself should be an interesting time frame in the grand scheme of television history.
For this year's batch of Emmy nominations, there are some intriguing stories to chase. The streaming wars are heating up, with providers still trying to figure out how they present their nominations. In other eras, there is real history being made, as well as some overall awesome appreciations of fine TV work. That said, There are a number of snubs and shutouts that, while unsurprising, need to be noted altogether. And of course, Marvel Studios continues to make their way into the awards scene.
For those of you who want to dive a bit deeper into the storylines, facts, and snubs of the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, we’ve got you covered.
The MCU makes a superhero landing
Despite Black Panther’s foray into awards season, nominations have otherwise eluded the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the last decade or so. It looks like this won’t be the case on the small screen, as the MCU’s Disney+ debuts of WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier garnered a staggering 28 Emmy nominations combined, with the bulk of those going to WandaVision.
The Elizabeth Olsen-led series earned 23 noms—making it the second-highest show behind Netflix’s The Crown and Disney+ sister show The Mandalorian—and included designations for Best Limited Series, Lead Actor in a Limited Series (Paul Bettany), Lead Actress in a Limited Series (Olsen), and Supporting Actor in a Limited Series (Kathryn Hahn. Considering the show functioned as a love letter to the television, it’s not shocking Emmy voters flipped for the series and Olsen’s showcase performance.
Despite the acknowledgments, WandaVision faces steep competition on its quest for silverware, including formidable competition from Mare of Easttown, The Queen’s Gambit, The Underground Railroad, and the aforementioned I May Destroy. However, it feels like the Emmy is Hahn’s to lose, considering even skeptics of the show were inspired by her performance. Regardless of how it all ends up shaking out, the MCU has quickly made quite an impression on the Emmys. And with plenty more Disney+ shows to come, we doubt they’ll be a part of these awards for years to come. —William Goodman
The 'Snowfall' snubs continue
There’s no real shock here: Snowfall just happens to be that gritty crime drama with amazing acting and zero AWARDS SZN love. After its fourth season, which featured dynamic performances from series lead Damson Idris as well as cast members like Gail Bean, De’Aundre Bonds, and Melvin Gregg (as well as awesome direction from visionaries like Karena Evans), fans are more than used to the awards organizations sleeping on this kind of vital story—one that’s put the United States government’s involvement in the crack cocaine epidemic that swept the nation back in the 1980s. The show continues to fire on all cylinders, and just like The Wire, folks will likely wake up when it’s too late. Just means that we’re a good 10 years before we get some dope oral histories about classic Snowfall moments. Until then, get hype for Season 5. —khal
Nominations ripped from the headlines
The 73rd Emmy nominations featured a pair of women who were just featured in stories that recently took over the timeline.
While Stan Twitter had been rallying behind the Free Britney movement for some time, the general population wasn’t well aware of the situation pop star Britney Spears had been enduring since the beginning of her conservatorship in 2008. The New York Times documentary ‘Framing Britney Spears’ premiered earlier this year, exposing details of the singer’s experience while her father and other trustees were put in charge of her finances and other aspects of her life. The point of a documentary is to inform people and bring light to certain topics or causes in an attempt to change the situation. ‘Framing Britney Spears’ did just that with all the information it provided. It got people talking, celebrities took a stand, and following all the support, Spears spoke openly about her case in public for the first time during a court appearance. The other documentaries that are nominated in the Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special category are surely deserving of recognition, but ‘Framing Britney’ created a sort of cultural shift which makes it an obvious choice as the winner.
On the opposite side of things, some celebrities can disappoint, no matter how much you love them. Phylicia Rashad’s third consecutive nomination in the Drama Guest Actress category for her guest role on This Is Us should be a cause for celebration. The actress has played the role of Carole Clarke, Beth Pearson’s (Susan Kelechi Watson) mom, on the NBC series since 2019, bringing in a nomination every year since. This year, in particular, the nomination comes just weeks after she landed in hot water for sharing a tweet in support of longtime friend and collaborator Bill Cosby’s prison release in June. “FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!” the actress tweeted, removing the reply option. The tweet went viral, with people quote-tweeting her message to express their disappointment in the actress for showing support for the disgraced comedian who has been accused of assault by more than 60 women. Cosby has maintained his innocence and was released from prison due to a legal technicality but many people, most notably women and assault survivors, saw Rashad’s public support as a betrayal to all women. The three-time Emmy winner later released a statement regarding her tweet. “I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward. My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth,” she wrote. “Personally, I know from friends and family that such abuse has lifelong residual effects. My heartfelt wish is for healing.” She has been loved by many for her role as Claire Huxtable in The Cosby Show but many felt that the initial tweet left a stain on her legacy. Apologies are fine, but sometimes the damage is already done and can’t be forgotten—especially for sexual assault survivors. —Karla Rodriguez
Lovecraft's last laugh
Even though HBO’s Lovecraft Country got a little high on its own supply towards its first—and only season—there was an understanding amongst fans and critics there’d be a sophomore season. HBO thought differently, canceling the series just a few weeks ago.
Turns out creator Misha Green may have gotten the last laugh, as the show received 18 Emmy nominations, including one for Outstanding Drama Series with acting nods for Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett. Major and Smollett’s chemistry and performance helped to ground and propelled the show even as it veered slightly off the tracks in the back half of its season.
With Green signed to Apple TV+, it feels like any shot at a follow-up is officially dead and dusted. It’s an especially bittersweet ending, given the show’s status as an important vehicle for Black creatives and Green’s bonkers idea for Season 2. HBO’s decision to pull the plug felt sudden at the time, but now with the awards love, the decision feels decidedly short-sided in hindsight. —William Goodman
'I May Destroy You' finally gets some recognition
Earlier this year, many were downright shocked when Michaela Cole’s critically-acclaimed HBO/BBC series I May Destroy You was snubbed at the Golden Globes. The series, which tackles sexual assault from a number of honest, normally-unheard from people, received praise from the GLAAD Awards, the Independent Spirit Awards, and the BAFTAs. It was dope to see that Cole’s series ended up with six Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Coel), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Essiedu), Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special (twice!), and Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special (Coel).
There isn’t much to say but “that’s more like it.” —khal
'Small Axe' surprisingly snubbed
While putting together lists that showcase the best in television and film, Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology series proved to be a confusing one to distinguish. The five-part Amazon Prime Video series felt like a limited series full of feature-length films, all of pristine quality. Was it a TV series? Do you rate the best parts of the anthology as films? It was confusing, and never really got resolved—some awards bodies nominated the anthology on the whole as a TV series, while others would nominate individual directors or parts of the series in film categories—John Boyega won a Supporting Actor Globe for his work on Small Axe. Throughout all of this, we weren’t thinking that the Primetime Emmys, which did a great job in the Limited Series category, would have slept on Small Axe. Makes you wonder how much TV the Emmys body took in, or what they ultimately felt about this critical darling of an anthology. —khal
The 'Ted Lasso' cast nets four nominations
Ted Lasso became the most-nominated freshman comedy series in TV history with a record of 20 Emmy nominations. [The record previously belonged to Glee, which received 19 noms in 2010.] The Apple TV+ series is about an American football coach who moves to London to manage a soccer team, with no experience. Jason Sudeikis, who plays the upbeat Lasso, got an obvious nomination as Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Lasso is the heart of the show, there’s no denying that. But his positive attitude and heartwarming demeanor are beautifully evened out by his fellow cast members who not only bring more humor to the story but also create a balance to his sometimes over-the-top energy.
It’s no surprise that there are four Ted Lasso actors—Brett Goldstein, Jeremy Swift, Nick Mohammed, and co-creator Brendan Hunt—nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple also received nominations in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. It’s rare to see so many cast members battling it out for the same trophy but the multiple noms are indicative of the quality of work they are delivering as a group. The entire cast’s performances are what make this show the wonder that it is, and the Emmys surely took notice. —Karla Rodriguez
Rosie Perez receives first acting Emmy nomination
Kaley Cuoco’s impressive acting in The Flight Attendant gave her the first Emmy nomination of her career, and her fellow cast member Rosie Perez is celebrating that same feat. The Do The Right Thing star was nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category for her role in the HBO Max show. While she has received nominations for her time as a host on The View and for choreography while on In Living Color, this is the actress’ first acting Emmy nomination. The Brooklyn native has been on our screens for so damn long, mostly on the big screen, and received an Academy Award nomination for 1993’s Fearless. But seeing her excel and thrive on a television show of this magnitude feels right, and it’s even better to see her actually be acknowledged and celebrated for her stellar performance. —Karla Rodriguez
'Pose' star MJ Rodriguez makes history
Among the nine nominations FX’s Pose picked up for its final season (which wrapped up back in June) is MJ Rodriguez’s Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nomination, which marks the first time a transgender performer has been nominated in a lead acting role in a primetime series.
Rodriguez, who portrays Blanca Rodriguez on the critically-acclaimed series, took to Instagram to celebrate. “I’m still on cloud nine,” Rodriguez wrote in the caption of a video highlighting the naming of the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nominees. “I truly can’t believe it!”
Later, Rodriguez runs across the screen, obviously elated. “Thank you @televisionacad,” Rodriguez continues. “I’m still gagging. I didn’t get on cam am that much cause I looked a mess!! Lord Jesus I’m #EmmyNominated” —khal
Streaming gets weird
Data can be fickle. How someone decides—or doesn’t decide—to pair things together can make or break a company’s PR boasting. Case in point: WarnerMedia had its nominations grouped together for HBO and HBO Max for Emmy consideration, which means HBO as a brand edged out Netflix by one nomination, 130 to 129. Yet, if you were to group all Disney’s nods together, they’re far and away are the winner with a staggering 146 across all of their properties, including ABC, Disney+, Hulu, FX, Freeform, and National Geographic.
All of this a long-winded way of saying that companies who bet big on streaming—like WarnerMedia, Disney, Apple, and NBCUniversal Media—are seeing the dividends pay off in a significant way when it comes to awards. For HBO, it meant keeping Netflix from being the top dog. For Disney, it’s an impressive 24 and 23 nominations for The Mandalorian and WandaVision, respectively. For Apple, it’s the entrant of a second show (Ted Lasso) into the race after The Morning Show’s initial debut last Emmy awards. But, most staggering of all, it’s kind of a death blow to network television, which saw its total top out at 102 total nominations.
For as much as we’ve lamented about the litany of new streaming services, there’s now substantial data behind their importance beyond the number of viewers on each platform. These services are the latest awards battleground—and it feels like the war is just beginning. —William Goodman
'Black Is King' is shut out
Earlier this month, AWARDS SZN prognosticators had their eyes on Beyoncé’s Black Is King, which already nabbed a Best Music Film Grammy nomination earlier this year. Golden Derby speculated that there may be some AWARDS SZN buzz surrounding Black Is King, which could have net Beyoncé the insane distinction of being just one of eight Black women to be nominated for an Emmy in Directing. Unsurprisingly, the visual album that was born out of her Lion King soundtrack album, The Lion King: The Gift, was completely snubbed at this year’s Primetime Emmys. Mind you, that’s as other creatives behind Black Is King continue to make their way into the mainstream. This also isn’t the first time a Beyoncé project has been snubbed; Beyoncé has also never won any of the eight Emmys she has been nominated for, and for that fact alone, the Emmys may as well not exist. —khal