Outstanding Drama Series
Nominations for Outstanding Drama Series include expected entries like Game of Thrones (HBO), Homeland (Showtime), House of Cards (Netflix), and Mr. Robot (USA), as well as a few possible surprises: Better Call Saul (AMC), Downton Abbey (PBS), and The Americans (FX).
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
On the Supporting Actor side, we see many of the same shows represented: Jonathan Banks for Better Call Saul, Peter Dinklage and Kit Harington for Game of Thrones, Michael Kelly for House of Cards, Ben Mendelsohn for Bloodline, and Jon Voight for Ray Donovan. This will mark Harington’s first Emmy nod.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesGame of Thrones dominates the Supporting Actress list, accounting for three of the five nominees. These include Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey, and Maisie Williams. They are joined on the nomination list by Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey), Maura Tierney (The Affair, Showtime), and Constance Zimmer (UnREAL, Lifetime). Williams and Zimmer are first-time nominees.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Aziz Ansari (Master of None) and Thomas Middleditch are first-time nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in this category, duking it out with Anthony Anderson (black-ish), Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth, Fox), William H. Macy (Shameless, Showtime), and multiple-winner Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent).
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
In the Outstanding Lead Actress category, HBO and Netflix account for two of the nominees each, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) and Laurie Metcalf (Getting On) for the former, and Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Lily Tomlin (Grace & Frankie) for the latter. Also nominated in that category is Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish), a first-time nominee, and Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer, Comedy Central.) This is also Kemper’s first nomination for her title lead role.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
On the Supporting Actor side, HBO once again snagged two nominations for Tony Hale and Matt Walsh, both from Veep. Louie Anderson was also nominated for FX’s Baskets, along with Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fox), Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Ty Burrell (Modern Family), and Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele, Comedy Central). Anderson and Walsh are both first-time nominees.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Amazon is making waves in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category with two nominations for Transparent, for Gaby Hoffman and Judith Light. Joining them is Anna Chlumsky, Veep; multiple-winner Allison Janney, Mom (CBS); Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live); and Niecy Nash (Getting On, HBO).
Outstanding Limited Series or MovieThe People vs. OJ Simpson is obliterating the competition with several nominations, including one for Outstanding Limit Series or Movie. Another FX series, Fargo, also received a nomination. Joining those two are American Crime (ABC), Roots (the remake from History), and The Night Manager (AMC).
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Cuba Gooding Jr. From The People v.s. O.J. was also nominated for Outstanding Actor, alongside his co-star Courtney B. Vance. The remaining four nominees include Bryan Cranston, All the Way (HBO); Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (PBS); Idris Elba, Luther (BBC America); and Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
On the Actress side, FX, ABC, and HBO are represented with two female actress nominations each: FX with Kirsten Dunst for Fargo and Sarah Paulson for The People vs. O.J, ABC for Felicity Huffman and Lili Taylor (American Crime), and HBO with Audra McDonald (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill) and Kerry Washington (Confirmation).FX
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
On the Supporting Actor side, an impressive five of the six nominees hail from FX: three from The People vs. O.J. (Sterling K. Brown, David Schwimmer, and John Travolta) and two from Fargo (Jesse Plemons and Bokeem Woodbine). Also nominated is The Night Manager’s Hugh Laurie. This marks first-time nominations for all but Schwimmer and Laurie.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Kathy Bates and Sarah Paulson both snagged nods for Outstanding Supporting Actress for American Horror Story: Hotel (FX). Others on the list include Olivia Colman (The Night Manager), Regina King (American Crime), Melissa Leo (All the Way), and Jean Smart (Fargo). Colman is the only first-time nominee in the category.
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
For Variety Sketch Series, Comedy Central dominates with Drunk History, Inside Amy Schumer, and Key & Peele. Also nominated is IFC’s Documentary Now! and Portlandia, and NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Outstanding Television Movie
The five nominees in the Outstanding Television Movie category are: A Very Murray Christmas (Netflix), All the Way, Confirmation,Luther, and Sherlock: The Abominable Bride.
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
We can’t forget the behemoth that is Reality TV. Nominated in that category is The Amazing Race (CBS), American Ninja Warrior (NBC), Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Project Runway (Lifetime), Top Chef (Bravo), and The Voice (NBC).
The who’s, what’s, and where’s of this year’s Emmy nominations: did your favs make the cut?
Last year’s Emmy Awards dished out the typical expected wins, alongside some disappointments, surprises, and outright shutouts. AMC’s Better Call Saul, for example, got little love. Ditto for Netflix’s House of Cards. Viola Davis took home the coveted Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series award for her role in How to Get Away With Murder, beating out fan favorites Taraji P. Henson (Empire) and Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black.) And with Mad Men off the air and Jon Hamm finally getting to take home a statue for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series award, the door is now wide open for a new male lead to win in 2016.
But first, it has to be an honor to even be nominated.
Top contenders
Leading the pack in nominations this year is (as usual) HBO, thanks to series like Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, and Veep, each of which received multiple nods, followed by FX and Netflix. The latter two saw total nominations numbers jump: FX from 38 last year to 56 this year and Netflix from 34 to a whopping 54; while HBO saw a decline in total nominations from an impressive 126 in 2015 to a still stellar 94 in 2016. Netflix’s top nominated series include Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, House of Cards, Bloodline, and Master of None. Noticeably absent from the nomination list, however, is one of Netflix’s most popular original series, and a frequent past nominee, Orange is the New Black.
By series, ones that received the most total nominations included Game of Thrones with 23, followed by The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story right on its heels with 22. Next in line is Fargo (18), Veep (17), and Saturday Night Live (16). Netflix was the top-nominated streaming service, next in line with 13 nominations for House of Cards. Also notable are the whopping 12 nominations for AMC’s The Night Manager, 11 for Silicon Valley, 10 for Downton Abbey, 8 for All the Way, and 7 for Better Call Saul.
The 68th annual Emmy Awards will air live on Sunday, September 18, 2016 at 7 p.m. ET. Stay tuned for our take on the most deserving winners in each category. You can also check out the full, comprehensive list of nominees on the Emmy’s Website.
