2020 Emmy Nominations: My Initial Reactions – Acting
COMEDY SERIES
Lead Actress: Christina Applegate (Dead To Me), Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Linda Cardellini (Dead To Me), Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek), Issa Rae (Insecure), Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish).
The best news of the day is this category including both leading women from Dead To Me AND Issa Rae. I also adore Tracee Ellis Ross, so this is wonderful. Pamela Adlon, Aidy Bryant and Jane Levy deserve to be here. The favorite: Brosnahan or O’Hara.
Lead Actor: 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).
Ramy!!! I did not dig Black Monday this year, so I would have put Rob McElhenney in instead. And no Larry David? That’s a shock. The favorite: Levy. But watch out for Youssef.
Supporting Actress: Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place), Betty Gilpin (GLOW), Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), ]Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live), Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek), Yvonne Orji (Insecure), Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live).
This is the BEST group. I’m thrilled for Carden, Gilpin, Murphy and Strong (my favorite part of the SNL cast). And Orji! She’s wonderful. The favorite: Borstein. Again.
Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali (Ramy), Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method), Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Sterling K. Brown (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), William Jackson Harper (The Good Place), Daniel Levy (Schitt’s Creek), Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live).
Dan Levy is amazing, and I’m glad he’s in the mix. He’s got a lot of competition from heavyweights like Ali, Arki, Brown and Shalhoub. Harper and Thompson are very deserving. Sad not to see Noah Reid’s name for Schitt’s Creek. The favorite: Ali.
DRAMA SERIES
Lead Actress: Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show), Olivia Colman (The Crown), Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Laura Linney (Ozark), Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Zendaya (Euphoria).
Zendaya!!! Thrilled for Aniston. Expected the rest, but could have replaced the Killing Eve women with Viola Davis and Mj Rodriguez. It’s a shame. The favorite: Colman.
Lead Actor: Jason Bateman (Ozark), Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us), Steve Carell (The Morning Show), Brian Cox (Succession), Billy Porter (Pose), Jeremy Strong (Succession).
The omission of Bob Odenkirk for Better Call Saul is awful, maybe the biggest of the day. Very happy for Strong. Not surprised by everyone else. The favorite: Bateman or Cox.
Supporting Actress: Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown), Laura Dern (Big Little Lies), Julia Garner (Ozark), Thandie Newton (Westworld), Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), Sarah Snook (Succession), Meryl Streep (Big Little Lies), Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale).
Voters couldn’t ignore Dern and Streep. I probably would have. No one from Orange Is The New Black or Pose. What does Rhea Seehorn have to do get some respect?? Just ridiculous. Carter and Shaw are great, and Newton and Garner won here recently. Love, love, love Snook and Wiley getting nods. The favorite: Dern.
Supporting Actor: Nicholas Braun (Succession), Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Kieran Culkin (Succession), Mark Duplass (The Morning Show), Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul), Matthew Macfadyen (Succession), Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale), Jeffrey Wright (Westworld).
Lots of kudos for Succession — Braun! — and The Morning Show. Can’t argue with that. Good for Esposito, too. Where are the Pose boys or Josh O’Connor (The Crown)? The favorite: Crudup.
LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Lead Actress: Cate Blanchett (Mrs. America), Shira Haas (Unorthodox), Regina King (Watchmen), Octavia Spencer (Self Made: Inspired By The Life Of Madam C.J. Walker), Kerry Washington (Little Fires Everywhere).
Where are Dever or Wever??? Very surprised, especially with Spencer getting in. Haas is exceptional in the Netflix series. Ditto for Witherspoon, Kazan and Mueller. The other nominees are huge stars. The favorite: Blanchett. King and Washington are strong contenders.
Lead Actor: Jeremy Irons (Watchmen), Hugh Jackman (Bad Education), Paul Mescal (Normal People ), Jeremy Pope (Hollywood), Mark Ruffalo (I Know This Much Is True).
Congrats to Jeremy Pope! While I didn’t like Normal People, Mescal is very good. Same goes for Ruffalo. The favorite: Jackman.
Supporting Actress: Uzo Aduba (Mrs. America), Toni Collette (Unbelievable), Margo Martindale (Mrs. America), Jean Smart (Watchmen), Holland Taylor (Hollywood), Tracey Ullman (Mrs. America).
How do you choose one woman here? Aduba, Collette and Smart are fantastic. Martindale and Taylor have won Emmys. Ullman plays one of the best characters in Mrs. America. No Cherry Jones, Rose Byrne or Allison Janney? Wow. The favorite: Collette.
Supporting Actor: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen) Jovan Adepo (Watchmen), Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend), Louis Gossett Jr. (Watchmen), Dylan McDermott (Hollywood), Jim Parsons (Hollywood).
The men from Watchmen dominate here. Good. McDermott and Parsons are worthy, too. The biggest whiffs? Romano (Bad Education), Simmons (Defending Jacob) and Slattery (Mrs. America). The favorite: Parsons.