Emmy 2020: Netflix bags 160 nominations, Disney+, HBO leave mark
Netflix stole the thunder with 160 nominations as the Television Academy announced its nominees for 72nd Emmy Awards on Tuesday. Its crime drama Ozark bagged a staggering 18 nominations, the highest for any Netflix show this year. Other titles such as The Crown and Hollywood settled for 13 and 12 nominations, respectively, while Stranger Things and Unorthodox bagged 8 each.
Other streaming giants ruled nominations as well
The Walt Disney+ Company won 126 nominations, with the Star Wars series Mandalorian on Disney+ grabbing 15 nominations despite having low-key promotions. HBO's parent company AT&T got 120 nominations. HBO got 107 nominations with dystopian drama series Watchmen having 26 mentions. This was followed by 20 nominations for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Amazon Prime Video bagged 47 nominations.
New platforms stunned by bagging nominations
New contenders Apple TV+ and Quibi got a fair share of nominations too. The Morning Show of Apple TV+ got seven nominations with Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston, and Billy Crudup also getting nominated. The platform clocked in 18 nominations. Short-format streaming app Quibi also took home a promising 10 nominations, with Reno 911! and Most Dangerous Game getting nominated as well.
No surprises here: These shows seemed poised for nominations
Among the most popular entries, Mandalorian brought Disney+ to the forefront of the OTT race because of the legacy of the Star Wars franchise. The audience also lapped up Watchmen, a canon series, after the 2009 film by Zack Snyder was critically hit.
Meanwhile, few snubs shocked viewers as well
However, many popular titles such as Better Things, The Loudest Voice and Never Have I Ever couldn't find a single spot, while Homeland and Mindhunter had to settle with one nomination each. Reese Witherspoon couldn't get one mention despite giving brilliant performances in three series. Her Big Little Lies co-star Nicole Kidman was also not featured on the nominations list.
In wake of pandemic, will the event go virtual?
Notably, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Television Academy held a virtual Emmy nomination ceremony this year. Kickstarted by Academy CEO Frank Scherma, the presentation was joined by comedian Leslie Jones, Tatiana Maslany, Josh Gad, and Laverne Cox. The 72nd Emmy Awards is scheduled to be broadcast by ABC on September 20. However, it is not clear if the ceremony would also be held virtually.
