“The Crown” and “The Mandalorian” were the most nominated programs when the Emmys announced their 2021 contenders on Tuesday morning, July 13. Their tallies of 24 were followed closely by “WandaVision” (23) and “The Handmaid’s Tale” (21) among dramas. Over on the comedy side, “Ted Lasso” made Emmy history by reaping the most bids ever (20) by a new series. Check out the list of nominations here.
Among the bounty for “The Crown” is a key bid for Best Drama Series, a trophy that it’s lost three times in the past, but now is heavily favored to snatch. Such a victory would be a truly reigning achievement for Netflix since the streamer has never won a Best Series award (drama, comedy or limited). It’s not surprising that the series did so well with TV academy voters this year given its success this past spring with industry awards groups like the Screen Actors, Producers, Writers, and Directors Guilds. But it’s still noteworthy since it’s an explosion of recognition compared to past seasons. Seasons one, two, and three received exactly 13 nominations each, and now the show has almost doubled that total.
But “The Mandalorian” also has 24 nominations and could put up a strong fight for the win. It won seven times in 2020 in craft categories, but this time around the show is also nominated for writing and directing in addition to three bids for acting, which are crucial fields for programs to be nominated in if they want to win the top award. Rival “Handmaid’s Tale” also exceeded pundit expectations, reaping 21 bids. The hit Hulu program should not be under-estimated considering it pulled off a break-through victory in 2017 when it became the first streaming service to win one of the Best Series awards for drama, comedy or limited shows.
Over in long-form categories, “WandaVision” got the better of both “Mare of Easttown” and “The Queen’s Gambit” with 23 nominations including bids for Best Limited Series, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, three episodes for writing, and the series as a whole for directing. Which is not to say the presumed Limited Series front-runners didn’t do well too. “Gambit” scored 18 nominations while “Mare” has 16, keeping them at the forefront of this awards conversation.
The biggest comedy of the year is “Ted Lasso,” which received a remarkable 20 nominations, which by itself is more nominations than the entire Apple TV+ streaming platform received last year. It may be tough to beat in this year’s race, but HBO Max’s “Hacks” is going to put up a fight with its 15 nominations. What did you think of this year’s contenders overall? Who did the academy shamefully snub? And who are the most gratifying inclusions? Discuss these awards with your fellow TV fans here in our forums.
