Emmy Nominations 2020
Tuesday, July 28, 2020 at 1:45PM
William Jackson Harper is finally nominated for The Good Place. The show received 6 nominations including 4 for acting.
Every year when Emmy nominations are announced, there are at least a few surprise snubs and inclusions. One or two inconsistencies are expected, but usually, when a series does well, it brings along its most talented performers with it. This year, it feels like that isn’t true in so many different cases in what may well be the messiest list of nominees we’ve ever seen. But let’s start with the good.
From this truly baffling announcement, there are a few very positive takeaways. Every single acting category listed below includes at least one person of color, and there’s a real diversity to the nominees. Underdogs like Yvonne Orji (Insecure) and William Jackson Harper (The Good Place) made the cut for the fourth seasons of their shows, which is wonderful (and not common). Unorthodox managed eight nominations, including for Best Limited Series and lead actress Shira Haas. Though it didn’t crack its top category, Normal People did score a nomination for Paul Mescal and for writing (we cheered on Nathaniel’s behalf). A lot of people were surely ecstatic that Zendaya (Euphoria) managed a nomination in an insanely crowded field, too.
Unfortunately, that’s about the extent of the entirely positive...
I'd probably be more thrilled for surprise inclusions The Mandalorian (Best Drama Series) and What We Do in the Shadows (Best Comedy Series) if I loved those shows (many do). The latter probably also meant the snub of Ramy, which only ended up with three bids and should NOT have been snubbed --why is The Kominsky Method there?. Both Curb Your Enthusiasm and Stranger Things were nominated for the top prizes, but earned no acting, directing, or writing nominations to go with them, which make you wonder if they really were among the best shows of the year or the voters are just on autopilot for the top categories. I kicked myself for taking both Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh out of the predictions for Killing Eve since they did both manage to get in.
And then we get to the truly egregious. This could have been Bob Odenkirk’s year to finally win an Emmy for Better Call Saul. But somehow, he wasn’t even nominated. The same goes for Rhea Seehorn, who couldn’t crack an expanded supporting actress field. One of those nominations went to Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale), whose work in this season of her show wasn’t nearly as strong as in past years. Though that show made the Best Drama Series list, past winner Elisabeth Moss wasn’t nominated. We’ve seen this kind of thing before, but can anyone honestly say that Giancarlo Esposito was the best part of this particular season of Better Call Saul (over past nominees Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, and the still-never-nominated Seehorn), or that Jeffrey Wright was the standout of Westworld’s third season alongside Thandie Newton? And how could Watchmen and Hollywood do so well with acting nominations and not include Tim Blake Nelson and Joe Mantello?
Aside from Odenkirk, the most glaring snub of a sure thing comes in the form of Merritt Wever, who we already thought would miss for Run and somehow ended up left out for Unbelievable as well. Her costar Kaitlyn Dever was a longer shot given her youth, but we never thought that Wever, who really was incredible, was vulnerable. The lineup in her category, which includes Haas and Spencer, isn’t at all lamentable, but it’s hard to believe that Wever could be overlooked (only costar Toni Collette made it from that much-discussed show).
Have a look for yourself at this wild list of nominees below and check out TEAM EXPERIENCE REACTIONS, as well. You’ll notice Maya Rudolph scored two nominations for comedy guest acting, and that, despite our concerns, Succession and Schitt’s Creek both performed formidably. For those interested in exactly who did and didn’t get nominated in every race, I’ll be doing a deep dive into each of these categories over at TVwithAbe.com, where I’m sure I’ll continue to notice startling inclusions and omissions. What surprises or excites you most about the list below?
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Better Call Saul
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The Crown
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The Handmaid’s Tale
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Killing Eve
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The Mandalorian
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Ozark
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Stranger Things
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Succession
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Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show)
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Olivia Colman (The Crown)
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Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
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Laura Linney (Ozark)
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Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
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Zendaya (Euphoria)
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Jason Bateman (Ozark)
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Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
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Steve Carell (The Morning Show)
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Brian Cox (Succession)
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Billy Porter (Pose)
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Jeremy Strong (Succession)
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Best Supporting Actress, Drama
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Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown)
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Laura Dern (Big Little Lies)
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Julia Garner (Ozark)
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Thandie Newton (Westworld)
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Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve)
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Sarah Snook (Succession)
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Meryl Streep (Big Little Lies)
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Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale)
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Nicholas Braun (Succession)
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Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
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Kieran Culkin (Succession)
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Mark Duplass (The Morning Show)
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Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul)
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Matthew Macfadyen (Succession)
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Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid's Tale)
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Jeffrey Wright (Westworld)
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Best Guest Actress, Drama
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Alexis Bledel (The Handmaid's Tale)
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Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black)
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Cherry Jones (Succession)
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Phylicia Rashad (This Is Us)
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Cicely Tyson (How to Get Away with Murder)
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Harriet Walter (Succession)
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Best Guest Actor, Drama
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Jason Bateman (The Outsider)
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James Cromwell (Succession)
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Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian)
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Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us)
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Andrew Scott (Black Mirror)
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Martin Short (The Morning Show)
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Best Directing, Drama
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Aberfan (The Crown)
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Cri de Coeur (The Crown)
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Prisoners of War (Homeland)
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The Interview (The Morning Show)
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Fire Pink (Ozark)
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Su Casa Es Mi Casa (Ozark)
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Hunting (Succession)
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This Is Not For Tears (Succession)
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Best Writing, Drama
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Bad Choice Road (Better Call Saul)
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Bagman (Better Call Saul)
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Aberfan (The Crown)
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All In (Ozark)
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Boss Fight (Ozark)
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Fire Pink (Ozark)
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This Is Not For Tears (Succession)
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Curb Your Enthusiasm
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Dead to Me
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The Good Place
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Insecure
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The Kominsky Method
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The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
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Schitt’s Creek
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What We Do in the Shadows
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Christina Applegate (Dead to Me)
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Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
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Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me)
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Catherine O'Hara (Schitt’s Creek)
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Issa Rae (Insecure)
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Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish)
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Anthony Anderson (Black-ish)
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Don Cheadle (Black Monday)
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Ted Danson (The Good Place)
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Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)
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Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek)
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Ramy Youssef (Ramy)
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Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
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Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
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D'Arcy Carden (The Good Place)
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Betty Gilpin (GLOW)
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Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
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Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
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Annie Murphy (Schitt's Creek)
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Yvonne Orji (Insecure)
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Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live)
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Mahershala Ali (Ramy)
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Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method)
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Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
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Sterling K. Brown (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
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William Jackson Harper (The Good Place)
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Dan Levy (Schitt's Creek)
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Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live)
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Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
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Best Guest Actress, Comedy
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Angela Bassett (A Black Lady Sketch Show)
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Bette Midler (The Politician)
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Maya Rudolph (The Good Place)
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Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live)
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Wanda Sykes (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
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Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Saturday Night Live)
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Best Guest Actor, Comedy
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Adam Driver (Saturday Night Live)
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Luke Kirby (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
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Eddie Murphy (Saturday Night Live)
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Dev Patel (Modern Love)
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Brad Pitt (Saturday Night Live)
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Fred Willard (Modern Family)
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Directing, Comedy
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The Great (The Great)
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It’s Comedy or Cabbage (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
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Marvelous Radio (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
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Finale Part 2 (Modern Family)
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Miakhalifa.mov (Ramy)
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Happy Ending (Schitt’s Creek)
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We Love Lucy (Will and Grace)
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Best Writing, Comedy
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Whenever You're Ready (The Good Place)
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The Great (The Great)
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Happy Ending (Schitt’s Creek)
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The Presidential Suite (Schitt’s Creek)
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Collaboration (What We Do in the Shadows)
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Ghosts (What We Do in the Shadows)
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On the Run (What We Do in the Shadows)
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Little Fires Everywhere
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Mrs. America
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Unbelievable
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Unorthodox
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Watchmen
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American Son
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Bad Education
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Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones
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El Camino
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Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend
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Best Actress, Movie or Miniseries
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Cate Blanchett (Mrs. America)
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Shira Haas (Unorthodox)
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Regina King (Watchmen)
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Octavia Spencer (Self Made)
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Kerry Washington (Little Fires Everywhere)
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Best Actor, Movie or Miniseries
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Jeremy Irons (Watchmen)
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Hugh Jackman (Bad Education)
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Paul Mescal (Normal People)
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Jeremy Pope (Hollywood)
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Mark Ruffalo (I Know This Much is True)
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Best Supporting Actress, Movie or Miniseries
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Uzo Aduba (Mrs. America)
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Toni Collette (Unbelievable)
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Margo Martindale (Mrs. America)
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Tracey Ullman (Mrs. America)
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Jean Smart (Watchmen)
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Holland Taylor (Hollywood)
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Best Supporting Actor, Movie or Miniseries
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Jovan Adepo (Watchmen)
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Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend)
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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen)
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Louis Gossett Jr. (Watchmen)
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Dylan McDermott (Hollywood)
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Jim Parsons (Hollywood)
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Best Directing, Movie or Limited Series
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Find a Way (Little Fires Everywhere)
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Episode 5 (Normal People)
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Unorthodox
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It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice (Watchmen)
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Little Fear of Lightning (Watchmen)
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This Extraordinary Being (Watchmen)
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Best Writing, Movie or Limited Series
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Shirley (Mrs. America)
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Episode 3 (Normal People)
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Episode 1 (Unbelievable)
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Part 1 (Unorthodox)
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This Extraordinary Being (Watchmen)
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Reader Comments (42)
It's a really weird year for the Emmy's.
I really think they should go back to 6 nominees per category.
And not nominating Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, and Rhea Seehorn is shocking
Nicole Kidman missed out as well. Same with Elisabeth Moss.
O'Connor and Pelphrey missed out to Duplass, Wright and Braun!?!?
McTeer missed out as well.
Larry David missing out is a huge omission as well.
Jane Lynch too.
I really wanted Louie Anderson to get one more nomination but not surprised with his omission.
I think this was an exciting list of nominees, with some real surprises. I don't think anyone saw what we do in the shadows breaking through in the way that it did.
At the same time, some of these nominations are headscratchers and feel more like rewards for studios employing so much of Hollywood than for the quality of the nominees themselves. For example, Steve Carrell, The Mandolarian, and Stranger Things all feel like pats on the back for Apple, Disney, and Netflix more so than the actual quality.
Some of the good:
Zendaya breaking through
Insecure finally getting its just rewards, and Orji making it in
Shira Haas making it in a tough category
All the Watchmen love
Maya Rudolph getting three nominations (one for voice acting)
Things that make me less happy:
snubbing the Good Fight, again - CBS All Access really is struggling to get above the line nominations, even if critics support this show and their content
Rose Byrne missing in action
Big Little Lies only getting in supporting actress - yes, season 2 wasn't as good as season 1, but it's still one of the stronger outings this season and the performances were phenomenal
One thing I find especially frustrating: the writing and directing nominees are all from the same 2-3 series. Yes, sometimes shows deserve that many nominations, but it's a shame there isn't more diversity there.
While it certainly is egregious that he wasn't even nominated (or that Banks or Seehorn, or even Tony Dalton, who was much moree memorable than Esposito, weren't nominated), Odenkirk wasn't going to win this year anyway if the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category keeps up the trend it has been on for the past nine years. If you notice the last nine winners in that category, every winner has won for either the first or the final season of his show (Damian Lewis, Jeff Daniels, Rami Malek, Sterling K. Brown and Billy Porter for the first seasons of their shows, Kyle Chandler, Bryan Cranston, Jon Hamm and Matthew Rhys for the final seasons). Of course, that means if that trend continues this year, the only possiblee winner is Steve Carell for The Morning Show (whom they are indebted to for The Office, though this is not his strongest work).
My point is, if that trend continues, then Odenkirk's chance to win is next time for the show's final season (whenever that may air).
As long as Schitt's Creek performed well I'm ecstatic ... O'Hara for the win!...
I will say, we are set up for some interesting races. Cate vs. Regina is really exciting. It's easy to Blanchett scoring here, but Regina King is such an emmy darling and was so good in her show that it will be a photo finish.
The Lead Actress drama category is fun too. If Colman submits Aberfan, even though voters can skip over watching, I have a hard time imagining she won't win - it's one of the best received episodes of television of the year by the academy. However, Aniston has a ton of great episodes to choose from, and Oh could win a makeup award.
Can Annie Murphy and D'Arcy Carden tie in supporting actress comedy? Don't make me choose!!
I was pulling for William Jackson Harper and I'm so glad he got in.
Whenever you're ready should win best writing. I couldn't believe how much that finale reduced me to tears. That wave speech (delivered by Jackson Harper) was inspired.
Phylicia Rashad has the chance to *FINALLY* win an Emmy!
It blows my mind that she has NEVER won for The Cosby Show, or for ANYTHING else for that matter.
Come on Emmys! Get it together!
Yay!
The Schitt's Creek quartet, especially Annie Murphy (except now I get to watch her lose to freakin' Alex Borstein's 3-year, 1-note performance)
Watchmen everywhere
Comer, Oh and Zendaya all getting in
Nice double-dip for Maya Rudolph
Ugh!
Drama. All of it. The only new show is The Mandalorian, which I liked but not tremendously, and the others (I haven't watched Ozark) lost a lot of appeal for me with their last seasons. The exception might be Killing Eve, but even it wasn't as good in Season 3 as 1 or 2. I would have included The Morning Show for sure and my own personal favorite - Star Trek: Picard which of course received no love because science-fiction can only be represented once.
Nothing for The Great actors. That's freaking ridiculous.
The lazy notices for Mrs. Maisel's blah season 3. I love Hinkle, Shalhoub and Kirby but they didn't deserve it this year. Brosnahan and Borstein were expected but no more deserving. Sterling K. Brown is an acceptable nomination but that's about it.
I am SO happy for SO many shows and actors (SHITT'S CREEK and GOOD PLACE getting well-deserved final-season nominations).
But the continued snub of ALL of the AMAZING actresses in POSE is inexplicably awful and downright shameful.
With the Emmys you never get everything you want, BUT sometimes you get what you need.
I got Schitt's Creek (15 noms!!) Succession, and Mrs. America.
Alas, The Good Fight and that glorious cast will have to wait for suitable recognition - sometime.
This damn pandemic means that Catherine O'Hara will miss the thrill of accepting an award in front of her peers. Damn, that well-earned standing ovation from an audience who love her will not happen this year. No doubt it would have been joyous, raucous, and wonderful. Dan Levy and the rest of that cast will be cheated as well. Look at that list of nominations, what an audience that would have been.
Oh well - we just have to suck it up and save it up for another occasion. Another reason to wear your mask.
Some things made me annoyed, but I am choosing to be grateful that Succession was mostly justly rewarded (though they could have thrown J. Smith-Cameron a nomination as well).
Now let's all try to send vibes to the Academy members so that they award the brilliant Catherine O'Hara this year instead of sending Mrs. Maisel home with yet another Emmy.
Don't really watch a lot of shows so I don't really know what's what but very happy all 4 stars of Schitt's Creek got nods, because they are all so lovely and funny and talented.
Schitt's Creek, Schitt's Creek, Schitt's Creek. 15 nominations--every single one deserved.
Good Place--D'Arcy Carden finally!
Paul Mescal--Best dramatic performance of the year.
Totally agree--that is the end of the entirely positive (perfect way to put this year's nominations).
Biggest Snubs
Daisy Edgar Jones--Heart breaking in Normal People
Merritt Wever--Two fantastic performances in one great show (Unbelievable) and one not so great show (Run)
Reese Witherspoon--Sure she gave basically the same performance in three shows, but they were all solid performances.
Tom Bergeron--I was really hoping for a nomination for him after his unceremonious firing last week. It would have been a delicious middle finger to ABC.
Allison Janney--At this point she has enough trophies, but she was the comic heart of Bad Education
Tom Pelphrey--The live wire of the latest season of Ozark (which is saying something with Julia Garner around)
Sex Education--When will voters discover this show? Does it have to wait five seasons like Schitt's Creek?
Nicholas Hoult--A comic marvel in The Great, Hoult made a villain the most evolved character on the show.
Finally, she has played Veronica Mars, a cartoon princess, Gossip Girl, and a girl gone to hell. What does it take for Kristen Bell to get some Emmy love?
I was hoping that Watchmen would have enough momentum to help the amazing Hong Chau get a nomination. Alas.
Peggy, you're not supposed to be sincere in these matters. You'll be crucified.
Did they really have to nominate the 2 worst supporting performances in BLL2,Woodley and Scott were leaps and bounds better than Dern doing OTT schtick and Meryl for being totally miscast as someone of Skarsgaard's beauty.
Great for the Mrs America ladies esp Uzo but sad for Byrne.
Not particularly thrilled with these nominees, though I am thrilled Tracey Ullman made the cut after being MIA from most predictions.
>Normal People gets directing, writing, actor and casting but no actress or Show? what more does a show need to do to be recognized? Little Fires Everywhere deserved neither nomination
>Yay for Zendaya and Cecily Strong who is a gem on SNL
>No Nicholas Hoult for the Great , why?
So happy for What We Do in the Shadows. Disappointed the Natasia Demetriou wasn't carried along into an Actress nomination. While I'm happy for Schitt's Creek and demanding that Catherine O'Hara be given her Emmy NOW dammit! I'd've liked to have seen, oh, Emily Hampshire, Noah Reid and Chris Elliott, among others, receive nominations, too.
-ken s- Totally agree with you there
What in the pulling names out of a hat mess was this? Let's be honest, the Emmy's has always been a huge disappointment.
No merritt wever is the one of worst emmy snubs I can remember!
So happy for shira hass and paul mescal who’s nominations seemed unlikely
It's a shame Lena Olin and Julia Stiles couldn't get traction for Riviera.
So happy for Jovan Adepo, especially after most predictions pretended he wasn’t even a factor. He anchored what’s arguably the best episode of Watchmen (and that’s saying something).
Thrilled for the Good Place actors, too.
Sarah Paulson not being nominated for the best single television performance of her career in that showcase episode of Mrs. America is BAFFLING, MADDENING, AWFUL.
I’ve never seen SNL but is it really the pinnacle of guest performances to warrant all the nominations?
Pleased for Toni Collette (disappointed for her cast mates), thrilled for Schitts Creek.
I'm over the moon with the Angela Bassett nomination. I was not expecting A Black Lady Sketch Show to score outside of variety categories and it got in for the most viral sketch. This is that support group where Angela Bassett encourages other women to sleep in their makeup and always wear heels so they can be the baddest they can be. An Emmy nomination for 3 minutes of a sketch is just wild.
Hilarious that the Emmys snubbed Allison Janney for the second or third best performance of her entire career. They make a habit of awarding the fourteenth or fifteenth best performances in her entire career, so it’s a head scratcher.
Betty Gilpin is so outstanding on Glow and glad that’s she’s recognised again this year even if she’s unlikely to win.
Hooray for Schitts Creek across the board.
I’m
So behind on my TV watching. Wtf have I been doing all lockdown?
As is usually the case with the Emmys, I see a lot of shows that I either find insufferable (i.e. The Morning Show, Euphoria) or tolerable for a few elements (i.e. Pose, Good Place). I loath whenever I hear people say we're in a "Golden Age of Television". We're not, you're just confusing QUANTITY for QUALITY.
Things I'm here for:
- Watchmen and Mrs. America's multiple acting nominations! Even with snubs (where are Rose Byrne and Sarah Paulson?!) I'm happy with who was in. Pulling for Watchmen to pull off an Angels In America and win all four acting catagories!
- HBIC Zendaya! Not a huge fan of Euphoria, but she's aces in it.
Things I'm not here for:
- SNL dominating the Supporting races. The show has been....not good and almost smug in its political sketches since '16, and it is only going to get worse. Guest acting cats are strong tho.
- The women of Pose (who have been better then Porter this season, even if the show isn't getting better) getting snubbed.
- Witherspoon not getting in for some of her best work over some...questionable people.
- Emmy voters continue to ignore Kristen Bell's genius! What the fuck.
- Survivor not getting in after one of its BEST seasons in 4 years! And for The Voice, which hasn't had a good season in 6 years!
Glad to see Schitt's Creek getting recognized beyond expectations. I was hoping Noah Reid and Emily Hampshire would pull off surprise nominations, but they were longshots.
I want to second the shout-out for Sex Education. Funny, dramatic, heartfelt, and sometimes uncomfortable to watch in the best sense. Looking forward to Season 3!
I totally agree that there are some crazy names missing (Weaver?!) but having seen it a bit from the other side it is amazing that anything under the radar but of amazing quality is nominated at all. My husband is a voter (not in my category, so hush!) and his ballot was insane. There are SO MANY shows and options. Celebrate the wins that sneak through...everything about the system is stacked against them. And some people you may be disappointed in because there are so many nominations for the show, are so thrilled to make it in (go Marin Hinkle on Maisel! she is awesome!)
i'm loving Streep, Blanchett and Collette!!
Love to see Ullmann and Martindale (was secretly hoping they both would get in) - sad to see that it was at the expense of Byrne - but can't have everything.
Joe Mantello deserved a spot in supporting over his other Hollywood costars.
I’ve never been a fan of Anne Hathaway but damn they did her dirty.
I'm devastated for Tom Pelphrey. I could barely breathe after watching Fire Pink. I hope Linney wins for her work in that astonishing episode.
Nicholas Hoult deserves an Emmy just for that nude walk through the halls on The Great.
excuse you, I find this year nominees as ASTOUNDINGLY GOOD.
TITUSS BURGESS
Shadows in Comedy
All my Succession boys
Streep and Dern
Blanchett!!
Also, Hollywood can go to hell for that show is just stupid
Justice for Hong Chau
If you told me last week the Smackdown would fail, but the Emmy's would nail it I'd have said you were all mixed up...what a strange world 2020 is!!!
What category was Anne Hathaway submitted to?
I'm SO happy Zendaya got in (I hope she can somehow win) - but I wanted it to score above the line. Drama Series at least.
Jim Parsons for Hollywood and almost no love for DEVS... Fu*k my drag, right?
One word: UNORTHODOX!!! That is all.
Sucks Yellowstone not up for any emmys. Kevin Costner and the outstanding performance by Kelly Reilly should not go unnoticed. Just don’t understand. Such a great program and a western! An awesome break from the all too common shows broadcast on all the big networks.