Emmy Awards 2021: Here are top nominees and surprising mentions
Emmy season is here! Nominations for the Primetime Emmy Awards 2021 were announced recently and there were several interesting mentions. Netflix's The Crown and Disney+ series The Mandalorian led the points table, clinching 24 nominations each. Bringing Marvel its first Emmy mention was Disney+'s WandaVision, raking in 23 nods, topping the limited series category. These aside, there were a few surprise nods too.
Drama series nominees included Lovecraft Country, Bridgerton, The Handmaid's Tale, and This Is Us. Widely criticized series Emily in Paris surprisingly was nominated for Best Comedy, along with notable shows such as Black-ish, Cobra Kai, PEN15, and Ted Lasso. Notably, this is not the first time the Netflix lighthearted series, which started airing in October last year, has received nods from prestigious award shows.
Emily in Paris had scored two Golden Globe nominations and around the same time, a report had accused the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) of ethical biases, accusing the makers of bribing some HFPA journalists to secure the nods. Even people in France complained that the show glorified cliches about their lifestyle, which are moot now. It, however, failed to win any Golden Globe.
While WandaVision was the third most-nominated series for this season, Marvel Studios' second short-form series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was also recognized by the Television Academy with five nods. Interestingly, there has been a rule change this time to include gender-noncomforming individuals. A nominee/winner of any acting category can request they be recognized with the title "Performer" instead of using actor/actress.
In this light, the 2021 Emmy saw Mj Rodriguez becoming the first out transwoman to be nominated in the outstanding lead actress category for her role in FX drama Pose. Notably, she is the first out trans performer nominated in any lead acting category, too.
Coming to the others in acting categories, The Crown picked up three (Josh O'Connor, Emma Corrin and Olivia Colman). Heartthrob Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton) nabbed a mention, alongside Sterling K Brown (This Is Us). Uzo Aduba (In Treatment), Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale) led the actress' category. Comedies included Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso), Anthony Anderson (Black-ish), Allison Janney (Mom), and Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant).
Last year, the event was held virtually, but the 73rd edition will be airing live on September 19 at 8:00pm ET (September 20 here), with a limited live audience. Cedric the Entertainer, a first-timer, will host the Emmys. He's known for CBS comedy The Neighborhood.
