The arrival of the second Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony of the COVID-19 pandemic reminds us of a comforting fact: There is no shortage of compelling television to watch. As Television Academy members consider which of the 2020–21 TV season’s dramas, comedies, and limited series deserve the distinction of being the most outstanding of the 73rd annual awards, we’re presenting your handy cheat sheet to all of the Emmy nominees. Read on for a refresher on which series are nominated—and why.
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
“Black-ish” (ABC)
For a family sitcom on a traditional network, “Black-ish” manages to cover an impressive amount of ground, tackling hot-button sociopolitical issues facing today’s Americans—especially Black Americans—without sacrificing comedy or coming off as didactic. The Johnsons remain as charming yet flawed as any real-life family thanks to Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin, Laurence Fishburne, and the hilarious Jenifer Lewis.
“Cobra Kai” (Netflix)
First on YouTube Red and now on Netflix, “Cobra Kai” may be the most thrilling action series currently on TV. The sequel to the “Karate Kid” films brilliantly finds ways to build on the original story, expanding to include a fun ensemble that features Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Maridueña, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, and Jacob Bertrand. Meanwhile, Ralph Macchio and William Zabka haven’t missed a step, both in terms of physical prowess and zippy comedy.
“Emily in Paris” (Netflix)
Darren Star is back and right where he belongs: writing about charming fashionistas navigating life’s ups and downs while flaunting finery. This time, the urban backdrop is Paris, with the irresistible Lily Collins as Emily, as much a fish out of water as a hopeless romantic. The series’ fun supporting cast, including Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Ashley Park, Lucas Bravo, and Kate Walsh, help make “Emily in Paris” the perfect all-pleasure-no-guilt binge.
“The Flight Attendant” (HBO Max)
HBO Max’s first big hit, a comedy-thriller–character study about an alcoholic flight attendant entangled in a gruesome murder, is surprising for more than just its absurdly entertaining plot twists. Just when you think it’s too silly to feel substantial, producer-star Kaley Cuoco reveals another authentic, poignant layer to her Cassie amid all the mayhem. The cast, which includes Michiel Huisman, Zosia Mamet, Michelle Gomez, and the inimitable Rosie Perez, makes this series’ tonal whiplash work.
“Hacks” (HBO Max)
Within moments of Jean Smart’s introduction, “Hacks” stakes its claim as the rare comedy that knows exactly what it’s doing and how to best showcase its players from the jump. Set in sweltering-yet-fabulous Las Vegas, the dynamic between Hannah Einbinder’s young comedy writer, Ava, and Smart’s established trailblazer, Deborah Vance, ignites the screen. And Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Kaitlin Olson, Meg Stalter, and co-creator Paul W. Downs generate laugh-out-loud moment after laugh-out-loud moment.
“The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
Michael Douglas gives one of the most lived-in performances of his career as acting coach Sandy Kominsky. He generates a kind of onscreen magic opposite Alan Arkin’s dry Norman Newlander in Seasons 1 and 2, and in the third and final season, opposite Kathleen Turner as his ex-wife Roz. With Paul Reiser, Sarah Baker, Nancy Travis, and many other actors playing Sandy’s students, Chuck Lorre’s homage to Hollywood and its wacky characters continues to create frivolous, feel-good TV.
“PEN15” (Hulu)
Don’t let the winking prankster title fool you: “PEN15” grapples with more than the facile concerns of the teen spirit. Its success rests on the shoulders of its creators and stars, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, who do the kind of comedic character work as 30-somethings playing middle schoolers that shouldn’t work on paper—but somehow has—for two hilarious seasons.
“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)
Jason Sudeikis puts his everyman aptitude and whip-fast comedy chops to glass-slipper use—or leather-cleat use—on the Emmys-dominating comedy he co-created, playing an American college football coach hired to lead the other kind of football across the pond. Thanks to its ensemble (including Emmy nominees Brett Goldstein, co-creator Brendan Hunt, Nick Mohammed, Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple, and Hannah Waddingham), “Ted Lasso” will make you believe.
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
“The Boys” (Amazon Prime Video)
The title of Eric Kripke’s darkly twisted superhero series is a little misleading given its emphasis, particularly in Season 2, on some scene-stealing women: Erin Moriarty, Aya Cash, Colby Minifie, and Karen Fukuhara are all as nuanced as they are heroically kick-ass. Also walking that line are Jack Quaid, Karl Urban, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capon, Chace Crawford, and a sociopathic Antony Starr, taking this screen adaptation to dizzying, dazzling new heights.
“Bridgerton” (Netflix)
Adapted by Chris Van Dusen from Julia Quinn’s pulpy tales of Regency-era London, Shonda Rhimes’ first Netflix hit is a gorgeous period drama running on the chemistry of an equally gorgeous cast: Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page sizzle as the 1813 social season’s buzziest couple, while Adjoa Andoh, Ruth Gemmell, Jonathan Bailey, Ruby Barker, Nicola Coughlan, Claudia Jessie, Golda Rosheuvel, Polly Walker, and Julie Andrews as the voice of the mysterious Lady Whistledown make this freshman series iconic.
“The Crown” (Netflix)
Ever since Peter Morgan’s royal drama was announced back in 2014, fans have been waiting for Season 4’s introduction of Diana Spencer—and Emma Corrin doesn’t disappoint in her portrayal of the princess’ public-private dichotomy. Equally compelling is Gillian Anderson’s Margaret Thatcher, alongside the ensemble of Windsors: Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles, and the wondrous Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
The dystopian world Margaret Atwood created in her 1985 novel—a military theocracy that uses female bodies as breeding vehicles—has always packed a political punch. Now, four seasons in, Bruce Miller’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” is as urgently distressing as ever. Emmy nominees Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle, Max Minghella, Yvonne Strahovski, Bradley Whitford, Samira Wiley, and producer-star Elisabeth Moss continue to lead the revolution.
“Lovecraft Country” (HBO)
No expense was spared on Misha Green’s adaptation of Matt Ruff’s novel “Lovecraft Country,” a story of segregated 1950s America that both draws inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft’s world of literary horror and grapples with its creator’s racism. Led by Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett as the romantically entangled Tic and Leti, the ensemble believably swings between moments of painful intimacy, epic action, and hilarious B-movie jump scares.
“The Mandalorian” (Disney+)
The launch of Disney+ has allowed Television Academy members to consider a “Star Wars” property that, two seasons in, feels like both an artful drama and pure mainstream entertainment. Creator Jon Favreau crafted “The Mandalorian” to exist in a galaxy far, far away but also expand into other genres—namely, Westerns—to showcase the adventures of Pedro Pascal’s armored warrior and his adorable sidekick Grogu, (very popularly) known as Baby Yoda.
“Pose” (FX)
What were our TV-watching lives like before Mj Rodriguez, Billy Porter, Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, and the other talents of “Pose” graced our screens? Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals and featuring a record number of transgender actors and collaborators, this FX drama about New York’s Black and Latinx ballroom scene, LGBTQ families, and the excesses and heartbreaks of the 1980s has given voice to stories we rarely hear.
“This Is Us” (NBC)
Since 2016, Dan Fogelman’s complex, generation-hopping tale of the Pearson family has resonated with the prevailing American mood and revitalized the viability of network dramas. It requires unflinching, gutsy performances from its cast; when Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chrissy Metz, Chris Sullivan, and more crank up the emotions, just try to keep your eyes dry.
OUTSTANDING LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES
“I May Destroy You” (HBO)
Michaela Coel’s “I May Destroy You” is an unflinching look at consent, race, and friendship that somehow manages to be both harrowing and funny. After Arabella’s carefree London life is upended in the aftermath of a sexual assault, flashbacks dance between those broken memories, her Hackney school days, and sun-kissed Italian beach breaks. Cast members Coel, Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu, Marouane Zotti, and more fearlessly take us where few stories have gone before.
“Mare of Easttown” (HBO)
Writer Brad Ingelsby, director Craig Zobel, and producer-star Kate Winslet have left an indelible mark on the small-town murder mystery genre with a limited series that’s as dedicated to intricate character study as edge-of-your-seat twists. As the titular detective investigating both suspicious neighbors and her own ghosts, Winslet turns in career-best work alongside an ensemble that feels homegrown in Pennsylvania’s Delaware County (those accents!), including Julianne Nicholson, Evan Peters, Jean Smart, and Guy Pearce.
“The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix)
Scott Frank’s adaptation of Walter Tevis’s novel about a female chess prodigy owes much of its success to casting Anya Taylor-Joy in the leading role and centering almost every sequence around her giant, captivating eyes. This hit Netflix series is designed around her Beth Harmon’s gaze and features performances from a nuanced Marielle Heller, a charming Moses Ingram, a rebellious Thomas Brodie-Sangster, a poignant Bill Camp, and more.
“The Underground Railroad” (Amazon Prime Video)
Colson Whitehead’s magical-realist reimagining of the American South’s underground railroad stars the magnetic Thuso Mbedu as Cora, an escaped Georgia slave braving the journey north to freedom on a literal train. It’s all guided by the steady hand (and heart and mind) of adapter-director Barry Jenkins, cultivating what feel like the most intimate possible relationships between actor and camera lens; those slow zooms reach all the way into your soul.
“WandaVision” (Disney+)
Thanks to witty yet deep performances from Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, some witchcraft courtesy of scene-stealer Kathryn Hahn, and, most of all, its loving homage to TV sitcoms of every era, “WandaVision” has earned the Marvel Cinematic Universe its first Emmy recognition. Creator Jac Schaeffer swung for the fences, dreaming up a story whose premise ups the game for high-concept TV.
This story originally appeared in the Aug. 12 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.
Looking for remote work? Backstage has got you covered! Click here for auditions you can do from home!