The 73rd Emmy’s have finally returned, despite a year of dramatic change. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s, the Emmys were forced to go online, but it’s not the same in 2021.
Thanks to the strong distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in the US, the Emmys will be returning an in-person event. Though the pandemic’s presence while still be felt, in different ways, things are looking positive for the event in person this year.
The annual nominations were released on July 13th, with streaming services dominating the awards categories. The pandemic caused award-winning shows such as ‘The Marvelous Mrs Maisel’ to face production delays which made them unable to release new series before the eligibility window for this year’s awards closed.
In its second year of eligibility, the streaming service Disney+ has upped its nomination count, with both its major properties, Star Wars and Marvel, gaining high acclaim.
Marvel’s first Disney+ series ‘WandaVision’ has been nominated for an outstanding 23 awards, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited series for Paul Bettany’s portrayal of the synthezoid Vision, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited series for Elizabeth Olsen’s portrayal of Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for Kathryn Hahn’s portrayal of Agatha Harkness.
Marvel’s second series ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,’ released on Disney+ did not fare as well as its predecessor, only being nominated for five awards, including Outstanding Guest Actor for Don Cheadle’s portrayal of James Rhodes/War Machine.
The Star Wars series, ‘The Mandalorian’, on Disney+ received 24 total nominations, tied with Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ for the highest nominated programme. Some of the nominations include Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor for Giancarlo Esposito’s villainous Moff Gideon, and Outstanding Guest Actor for Timothy Olyphant’s portrayal of the Marshal, Cobb Vanth.
Meanwhile, Chapter 13, received wide nomination and praise. It is highlighted in a number of categories, for its production design, cinematography, costumes, editing, and prosthetic makeup. The last one is important to note, as it will be because of Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano, a fan favourite character. One place episode is not nominated in the Outstanding Directing for a Drama category.
This is extremely disappointing. The director, Dave Filoni, has been with Star Wars for over a decade, mainly involved in animation, meaning he was heavily involved with the popular Clone Wars TV show, Star Wars Rebels more and recently Star Wars The Bad Batch.
Filoni made his live action directing debut in The Mandalorian Season One Episode One: The Mandalorian, which made many fall in love with the series. He is also heavily involved with the rest of the series. While he got a writing nomination for Chapter 13, his overall directing efforts shouldn’t be ignored, especially for an episode so highly nominated otherwise. Without his efforts the series would not be what it is, and it is a shame it isn’t recognised here.
Another highly nominated show of the night is ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, nominated for 21 awards and the favourite in every category in which it was nominated. This show surprised fans as one cast member (Joseph Fiennes) was left out of the nominations on the fourth series.
Fiennes plays the show’s first villain Fred (Mr Waterford), without whom fans believed the show would not have received the reception it did, especially for the fourth series. Therefore, it was a massive shock when Fiennes was the only cast member absent from this year’s Emmy nominations.
The Emmy nominations for ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ went to Elisabeth Moss for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama, Bradley Whitford, Max Minghella, and O-T Fagbenle were all nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama category. Joseph Fiennes was the exception, being the only supporting actor not to receive a nomination for his work on the show, despite the fact that he appeared in more episodes this series than Whitford and Minghella.
Netflix maintained a strong presence at the awards, with 129 total nominations. As previously mentioned, its original series ‘The Crown’ received strong representation with 24 total nominations.in categories like Outstanding Drama Series, with both Olivia Colman and Emma Corrin being nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama category for their portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana, respectively.
Other Netflix series also received recognition. ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ was nominated for Outstanding Limited Series, three series (‘Cobra Kai’, ‘Emily in Paris’ and ‘The Kominsky Method’) all received nominations in Outstanding Comedy Series, and ‘Bridgerton’ in Outstanding Drama Series.
Catch the 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards on 19th September
By Ellie Moylan and Kieran Burt
Feature image: The Television Academy