Our Emmy’s Favorites: Who to Root for at This Year’s Award Show
Updated: Nov 19, 2020
The Emmy nominations came out July 28th, and we’re still trying to figure out who exactly will take home the gold at the first ever virtual ceremony this Sunday, September 20th. Listed at the end of this article are the nominees of the major categories, and you can find the other equally important nominees (!) at emmys.com.
As two pop culture fanatics and proud members of Gen Z, we are ecstatic -- euphoric, even -- about Zendaya’s first ever nomination in the Best Actress in a Drama Series category for her role as Rue in Euphoria. If you’re like us, you know that Zendaya has deserved an Emmy since she starred in Disney’s Shake It Up (some may argue that she carried the show). This is one of six Euphoria nominations, the others being in costumes, makeup, and music. Music composer Labrinth’s ethereal original score absolutely deserves to win; we’re still blasting the soundtrack in the car over a year later. While Labrinth’s music and Zendaya’s performance were standouts, we also expected a nomination for Sam Levinson, the show’s creator/writer/director, whose rich vision and specificity defined the vivid, fantastical world of his characters. Opposite Zendaya was actress Hunter Schafer, who also deserved a nod for her superb performance as Jules. With season two in the works, we’re hopeful that both Levinson and Schafer will get nods next year!
We’re celebrating another first-time Emmy nominee, Jeremy Pope, nominated for his role as Archie Coleman in Ryan Murphy’s limited series, Hollywood. As theater lovers, we know Jeremy Pope from his historic double-Tony nomination in 2019, but his recent work in television no doubt deserves the spotlight as well. His performance in Hollywood grounded what was a very lofty show, and he stole every scene with his talent and heart. Pope’s nomination is one of several for the Netflix limited series, but we are rooting for him and only him. We predict this is the first of many Emmy nominations for Pope, and we hope that he succeeds (and EGOTs) without forgetting his Broadway roots.
Choreographer, artist, visionary, and Ibby’s greatest inspiration Parris Goebel also secured her first Emmy nomination for Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Show, an hour-long experimental fashion show/dance performance. While you might not know her by name, you’ve probably seen Goebel’s work before -- she’s choreographed everything from Justin Bieber’s Sorry music video to JLo’s Super Bowl halftime show. There is no question: Parris Goebel deserves this Emmy. Her towering window sets, and dynamic dancers elevated the lingerie (literally!) to the highest level, unlike any fashion show we’ve ever seen. But it’s the creative contrasts in her choreography which set Goebel apart -- one second playful, the next hard-hitting and strong. She has more than earned this Emmy nom, and we’ll be cheering for her on Emmy night and every night after that for the rest of our lives.
We love celebrating the shows and artists we love, but we also know that the Emmys are an unimportant and flawed system. So many of our favorite shows and performances weren’t nominated, because the concept of fairly awarding art is impossible, as there is so much amazing content. Reese Witherspoon, queen of acting and starting a production company, was not nominated for any of the three iconic roles she played this year in Big Little Lies, The Morning Show, and Little Fires Everywhere. Pose was nominated in the acting and production categories, but MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, and Angelica Ross, who are the scene-stealers of the show, were all snubbed in the Best Actress categories. These snubs do not reflect a lack of cultural importance nor a lack of talent, but rather invisibility in the eyes of the very homogenous voting body of the Emmys. No matter how diverse the Emmy nominations may be, the nominating body themselves are a majority older, white, and male group - so, the talents of these stellar Black and Latinx trans actresses are largely devalued and ignored. One day, we hope that entertainment awards will be abolished, but until then, see you all September 20th for our virtual Emmys watch party!
Emmy nominations:
Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
Outstanding Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do in the Shadows
Outstanding Limited Series
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen
Outstanding Drama Actor
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
Outstanding Drama Actress
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Matthew MacFadyen, Succession
Jeffrey Wright, Westworld
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve
Julia Garner, Ozark
Sarah Snook, Succession
Thandie Newton, Westworld
Outstanding Comedy Actor
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
Outstanding Comedy Actress
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 Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
William Jackson Harper, The Good Place
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Tony Shaloub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Mahershala Ali, Ramy
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Betty Gilpin, GLOW
D’Arcy Carden, The Good Place
Yvonne Orji, Insecure
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self-Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series
Dylan McDermott, Hollywood
Jim Parsons, Hollywood
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Watchmen
Louis Gossett Jr., Watchmen
Jovan Adepo, Watchmen
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series
Holland Taylor, Hollywood
Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America
Margo Martindale, Mrs. America
Tracey Ullman, Mrs. America
Toni Collette, Unbelievable
Jean Smart, Watchmen