2020 Emmy Nominations

The film industry may be at a standstill during the pandemic but TV was flourishing and we're finally in official Emmy season! I have so much to talk about with these nominations. There's a LOT i love, a few things I'm sad about and some surprising snubs. Below is a list of the acting nominations + my thoughts.

Outstanding Drama Series

Better Call Saul

The Crown

Killing Eve

The Mandalorian

The Handmaid’s Tale

Stranger Things

Succession

Ozark

The biggest shocker here is The Mandalorian! I'm psyched for the show and never in a million years thought they'd actually be nominated. The snub in this category is Pose though. They had an excellent second season and not getting anything here stings.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show

Olivia Colman, The Crown

Jodie Comer, Killing Eve

Laura Linney, Ozark

Sandra Oh, Killing Eve

Zendaya, Euphoria

Zendaya got in! She was a dark horse so I'm happy for her. Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon getting snubbed shocked me. Reese was eligible for three different shows in two different categories. I thought she'd hit somewhere. I'm also bummed none of the ladies from Pose got in. As much as I love Colman, I think MJ Rodriguez is stronger. 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman, Ozark

Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us

Steve Carell, The Morning Show

Brian Cox, Succession

Billy Porter, Pose

Jeremy Strong, Succession

There's a Pose nomination! The most exciting one for me was Jeremy Strong getting in for Succession. I love that. Emmy favorite Bob Odenkirk didn't make it in, and even though he was great in this season of Better Call Saul, I'm okay with that if it made room for Strong. I wish we had room for Ben Mendelsohn in The Outsider here.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Kieran Culkin, Succession

Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul

Nicholas Braun, Succession

Matthew MacFayden, Succession

Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale

Billy Crudup, The Morning Show

Mark Duplass, The Morning Show

Jeffrey Wright, Westworld

More Succession! I'm glad Kieran finally got an Emmy nomination after getting 2 Globe noms and even Cousin Greg gets in there. Happy to see Bradley Whitford too.  I don' watch The Morning Show so I can't speak to that. Jeffrey Wright had so little to do during this season of Westworld I'm surprised it's him and not Aaron Paul here. 

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Laura Dern, Big Little Lies

Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies

Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve

Julia Garner, Ozark

Sarah Snook, Succession

Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown

Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale

Thandie Newton, Westworld

So they DID remember Big Little Lies. Not surprised by those two nominations because they were easily the showiest performances of the second season. I love reigning champ Julia returning and Sarah Snook getting in for Succession is wonderful. But I can't ignore the more egregious snub in Rhea Seehorn for Better Call Saul. How are they not voting for her? When you look at one shows are nominated and past nominees, and think about Yvonne and Anne for THT, Millie for Stranger Things, any of the other Big Little Lies actresses, you know Rhea can't be anywhere near any voters top 10. That's insane. 

Outstanding Comedy Series

Curb Your Enthusiasm

The Good Place

Dead To Me

Insecure

The Kominsky Method

Schitt’s Creek

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

What We Do In the Shadows

You all know how much I love Insecure and Mrs. Maisel! I don't personally watch What We Do In The Shadows but I always mean to start it and it getting in is huge. 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a 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

I'm bad about watching comedies but the two leads from the two I do watch got in, so that's all I care about. 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

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

I have the least to say about this category other than good for reigning Globe winner Ramy, and cool, Don Cheadle has a new show. I do like Ted Danson in The Good Place too.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Mahershala Ali, Ramy

Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek

Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live

Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method

Sterling K. Brown, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

William Jackson Harper, The Good Place

This is only the second time in his SNL tenure that Kenan has been nominated.I LOVE William Jackson Harper being nominated. I haven't seen the most recent season of The Good Place because I watch on Netflix, but I love him in the previous seasons. I'm not surprised at all Sterling got in for Mrs. Maisel. He was great in that too, even though I'm surprised he was in it enough to be supporting and not guest. I think Michael Zegan would've been a better choice.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Betty Gilpin, GLOW

Yvonne Orji, Insecure

Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live

Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live

Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek

D’Arcy Carden, The Good Place

Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

I really need to watch GLOW because Emmys LOVE them some Betty Gilpin. I'm mostly excited for Yvonne Orji and Cecily Strong's first nomination each!

Outstanding Limited Series

Little Fires Everywhere

Mrs. America

Unbelievable

Unorthodox

Watchmen

I thought this would be a category that would benefit from expanding as well to include I Know This Much Is True, but nope. I watched all 5 of these mini series and they were wonderful, so I'm happy for all. 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Jeremy Irons, Watchmen

Hugh Jackman, Bad Education

Paul Mescal, Normal People

Jeremy Pope, Hollywood

Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True

Did the Emmys forget about El Camino? They used to LOVE Aaron Paul. I can't believe they missed the chance to nominate him for playing Jesse Pinkman again. Either way, this has to go to Mark Ruffalo. I can't imagine anyone else taking it. 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America

Shira Haas, Unorthodox

Regina King, Watchmen

Octavia Spencer, Self Made

Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere

I was so nervous for Shira Haas getting snubbed and I am SO happy to see her here. Same with Regina King and Kerry Washington. Cate Blanchett is excellent in Mrs. America so I'm happy she's in too. I'm disappointed for Kaitlyn Deaver in Unbelievable though. I thought for sure she would get in. No Merrit Weaver either, though Run was so bad maybe some voters got petty? Another snub that saddens me is Zoe Kazan in The Plot Against America. I'm shocked that show was completely shut out.

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

I was expecting this to be an even bigger Mrs. America bloodbath. I'm bummed for Ari Graynor and Sarah Paulson who were also wonderful in Mrs. America, but you can only have so many. I'm happy to see Toni Collette here since her co-stars missed out.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series

Dylan McDermott, Hollywood

Jim Parsons, Hollywood

Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Louis Gossett Jr., Watchmen

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Watchmen

Jovan Adepo, Watchmen

This category confuses me the most. I love Yahya and I expected him and his big dick to be nominated, but Adepo and Gossett were both huge surprises. The confusing part is Hollywood, which I felt like was universally panned by critics? I don't think I read anything positive about that show, so seeing it randomly come up in the actor categories was a bit odd. I think Philip Ettinger deserved a nomination for I Know This Much is True, and I would've liked to have seen Jesse Plemmons sneak in for El Camino as well, but we know the Emmys kind of forgot that. 

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Andrew Scott, Black Mirror

James Cromwell, Succession

Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian

Martin Short, The Morning Show

Jason Bateman, The Outsider

Ron Cephas Jones, This is Us

Black Mirror, I love you but you need to gtfo of this category jumping and just stay in Limited Series where you should have been the whole time. I'm happy for Andrew Scott because I love him but Black Mirror not being treated as a mini series has been annoying me for years. The Emmys sure love Giancarlo giving him a nom for The Mandalorian. Personally it's the women in the show that have left the biggest impression acting wise. Aside from Baby Yoda, of course. Nice to see Bateman for The Outsider too. That show was really good until the finale. 

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away with Murder

Laverne Cox, Orange is the New Black

Cherry Jones, Succession

Harriet Walter, Succession

Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale

Phylicia Rashad, This is Us

I had forgotten Orange is the New Black was even eligible this year, it feels like it's been more than one year since the finale. Sophia was such an underused character, but it's nice to see some trans representation since Emmys are severely lacking with it in regards to Pose. 

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Fred Willard, Modern Family

Dev Patel, Modern Love

Brad Pitt, Saturday Night Live

Adam Driver, Saturday Night Live

Eddie Murphy, Saturday Night Live

Luke Kirby, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

I LOVE Dev Patel and Adam Driver both getting nominated. Patel was great in that episode of Modern Love and I'm glad he's not being forgotten for it. SNL hosting is always hit or miss but I'm bias for anything Adam Driver so I'm here for it. 

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Maya Rudolph, The Good Place

Angela Bassett, A Black Lady Sketch Show

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Saturday Night Live

Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live

Wanda Sykes, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Bette Midler, The Politician

I like Maya as God on The Good Place and Wanda was a nice, quick addition to Mrs. Maisel. I'm struggling with remembering much of the SNL episodes here though.

Outstanding TV Movie

American Son

Bad Education

Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend

Oh so they didn't forget about El Camino...just the actors in it. I've only seen that and Bad Education which were both very good.

Outstanding Variety Talk Series

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee

Jimmy Kimmel Live

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Sign me up for another John Oliver win, please.