HBO’s relevant-as-ever “Watchmen” dominated the 2020 Emmy nominations on Tuesday morning with 26 total nods, but it was Netflix that broke the record for the most nominations ever for a single network or streaming platform.
Netflix towered over the rest with 160 nominations across major categories, shattering HBO’s record from the previous year. The cable giant still managed, however, to pull in 107 nods in its first awards season without the fantasy juggernaut “Game of Thrones.”
Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” trailed not too far behind “Watchmen” with 20 total nominations, followed by Netflix’s “Ozark” and HBO’s “Succession, which both scored 18 each. For the first time ever, the Outstanding Drama category included not a single broadcast TV series, cementing streaming and cable’s supremacy at the awards show.
The nominations for the 72nd ceremony were announced via a virtual livestream by “Saturday Night Live” alumna Leslie Jones, “Perry Mason” star Tatiana Maslany, Laverne Cox and Josh Gad of “Frozen” fame amid an uncertain time in the industry.
Hollywood has been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, scrapping star-studded awards season campaigns and indefinitely postponing ceremonies to 2021 and beyond. And yet, television has been a escapist balm in these deeply chaotic times, as streaming services continue to boom and multiply faster than prestige series starring Reese Witherspoon, who in a surprise twist scored zero nods despite her onscreen omnipresence.
The telecast is still scheduled for Sunday, September 20, on ABC with Jimmy Kimmel tapped as the host. Details about what the ceremony will actually look like are scarce, however, as the format is still being mulled over by the Television Academy and network brass.
Since the Emmys expanded comedy and drama series categories to diversify its pool of nominees, there were more opportunities for overlooked shows to break into the competition. After last year’s “Fleabag” sweep,“Schitt’s Creek,” “Insecure” and “Dead To Me” now have a better chance of Emmys glory. And with “Game of Thrones” out of the way, “Succession” and Disney’s newcomer “The Mandalorian” could take home top prizes in the drama categories. But the Limited Series race might be the most competitive, with “Watchmen” facing off against the Cate Blanchett-starring “Mrs. America” from Hulu and Netflix’s searing “Unbelievable.”
History, however, has shown us that awards shows aren’t exactly ahead of the curve. But the academy did take some strides by recognizing new faces like Zendaya for her career-best work on “Euphoria” and “Normal People” star Paul Mescal. There was also plenty of love for established favorites like “Maisel,” “The Crown,” “Ozark” and “Big Little Lies.”
Check out the list of nominees below.
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”
“The Good Place”
“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”
“Watchmen”
“Unorthodox”
“Unbelievable”
Outstanding Television Movie
“Bad Education”
“El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie”
“Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones”
“American Son”
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend”
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”
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”
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”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, “Dead To Me”
Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Issa Rae, “Insecure”
Linda Cardellini, “Dead To Me”
Tracee Ellis Ross, “Black-ish”
Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Regina King, “Watchmen”
Cate Blanchett, “Mrs. America”
Shira Haas, “Unorthodox”
Octavia Spencer, “Self-Made”
Kerry Washington, “Little Fires Everywhere”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Hugh Jackman, “Bad Education”
Jeremy Irons, “Watchmen”
Paul Mescal, “Normal People”
Jeremy Pope, “Hollywood”
Mark Ruffalo, “I Know This Much Is True”
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”
Thandie Newton, “Westworld”
Samira Wiley, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Giancarlo Esposito, “Better Call Saul”
Nicholas Braun, “Succession”
Kieran Culkin, “Succession”
Matthew Macfadyen, “Succession”
Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
Mark Duplass, “The Morning Show”
Bradley Whitford, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Jeffrey Wright, “Westworld”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Betty Gilpin, “GLOW”
Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live”
Annie Murphy, “Schitt’s Creek”
Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Marin Hinkle, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
D’Arcy Carden, “The Good Place”
Yvonne Orji, “Insecure”
Cecily Strong, “Saturday Night Live”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Andre Braugher, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
Mahershala Ali, “Ramy”
Kenan Thompson, “Saturday Night Live”
Daniel Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”
William Jackson Harper, “The Good Place”
Alan Arkin, “The Kominsky Method”
Sterling K. Brown, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Holland Taylor, “Hollywood”
Uzo Aduba, “Mrs. America”
Margo Martindale, “Mrs. America”
Tracey Ullman, “Mrs. America”
Jean Smart, “Watchmen”
Toni Collette, “Unbelievable”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
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 Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Cicely Tyson, “How To Get Away With Murder”
Laverne Cox, “Orange Is The New Black”
Harriet Walter, “Succession”
Cherry Jones, “Succession”
Alexis Bledel, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Phylicia Rashad, “This Is Us”
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”
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Angela Bassett, “A Black Lady Sketch Show”
Maya Rudolph, “Saturday Night Live”
Maya Rudolph, “The Good Place”
Wanda Sykes, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Saturday Night Live”
Bette Midler, “The Politician”
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Brad Pitt, “Saturday Night Live”
Adam Driver, “Saturday Night Live”
Dev Patel, “Modern Love”
Luke Kirby, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Eddie Murphy, “Saturday Night Live”
Fred Willard, “Modern Family”
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
“Daily Show with Trevor Noah”
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live”
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
“Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
“A Black Lady Sketch Show”
“Drunk History”
“Saturday Night Live”
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Amy Poehler, “Making It”
Nicole Byer, “Nailed It!”
Bobby Berk, “Queer Eye”
RuPaul, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
Barbara Corcoran, “Shark Tank”
Padma Lakshmi,” Top Chef”
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
“The Masked Singer”
“Nailed It”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Top Chef”
“The Voice”
This post will be updated as the nominees are announced.