Emmy drama race pits streaming services against cable favorites, network newbie
Many of the usual suspects of recent years are in the running for the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards ... but there are other faces among the nominees, too.
Stephen Colbert — in the running himself for his weeknight “Late Show” — debuts as host of television's celebration of its own excellence as CBS presents the event at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17.
It's significant that a broadcast series (NBC's “Saturday Night Live”) and a cable series (for its first season, HBO's “Westworld”) are tied for the most Emmy nominations, with 22 each. Looking at the contenders, cable again has the lion's share, but streaming services also make an impressive showing.
The drama-series category is particularly interesting, since three of the seven nominees hail from Netflix. Despite the absence of HBO's perpetual contender “Game of Thrones” — whose season began after the close of Emmy eligibility — cable makes its mark with AMC's “Better Call Saul” and HBO's “Westworld.” And there's still room for NBC's “This Is Us,” the first broadcast drama in that contest since 2011.
Following are nominees in the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards:
Comedy series: “Atlanta” (FX); “Black-ish” (ABC); “Master of None” (Netflix); “Modern Family” (ABC); “Silicon Valley” (HBO); “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix); “Veep” (HBO).
Drama Series: “Better Call Saul” (AMC); “The Crown” (Netflix); “The Handmaid's Tale” (Hulu); “House of Cards” (Netflix); “This Is Us” (NBC); “Stranger Things” (Netflix); “Westworld” (HBO).
Leading actor, comedy series: Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”); Aziz Ansari (“Master of None”); Zach Galifianakis (“Baskets,” FX); Donald Glover (“Atlanta”); William H. Macy (“Shameless,” Showtime); Jeffrey Tambor (“Transparent,” Amazon).
Leading actress, comedy series: Pamela Adlon (“Better Things,” FX); Jane Fonda (“Grace and Frankie,” Netflix); Allison Janney (“Mom,” CBS); Ellie Kemper (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”); Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep'); Tracee Ellis Ross (“Black-ish”); Lily Tomlin (“Grace and Frankie”).
Leading actor, drama series: Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”); Anthony Hopkins (“Westworld”); Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”); Matthew Rhys (“The Americans,” FX); Liev Schreiber (“Ray Donovan,” Showtime); Kevin Spacey (“House of Cards”); Milo Ventimiglia (“This Is Us”).
Leading actress, drama series: Viola Davis (“How to Get Away With Murder,” ABC); Claire Foy (“The Crown”), Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid's Tale”); Keri Russell (“The Americans”); Evan Rachel Wood (“Westworld”); Robin Wright (“House of Cards”).
Limited series: “Big Little Lies” (HBO): “Fargo” (FX); “Feud: Bette and Joan” (FX); “Genius” (National Geographic); “The Night Of” (HBO).
Television movie: “Black Mirror” (Netflix); “Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love” (NBC); “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” (HBO); “Sherlock: The Lying Detective” (PBS); “The Wizard of Lies” (HBO);
Variety talk series: “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” (TBS); “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC); “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO); `The Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS); “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS); “Real Time With Bill Maher” (HBO).
Reality competition series: “The Amazing Race” (CBS); “American Ninja Warrior” (NBC); “Project Runway” (Lifetime); “RuPaul's Drag Race” (VH1); “Top Chef” (Bravo); “The Voice” (NBC).