Here are the nominees for the 2021 Emmy Awards
This year's ceremony will be hosted by Cedric The Entertainer and will air on Sunday, September 19 on CBS
TV News the 2021 Emmy Awards
After a strange year, this year’s Emmys promises a return to traditional form with a live-in person ceremony hosted by Cedric The Entertainer on September 19. But while COVID-19 forced The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to get creative in 2020, the pandemic isn’t completely finished with the Emmys. Pandemic-related filming delays mean many fan favorites and past Emmy contenders—including Succession, Stranger Things, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel—will be ineligible for awards this year. However, the list of shows that are eligible and have scored nominations include: Mare Of Easttown, I May Destroy You, Hacks, Shrill, The Underground Railroad, and The Flight Attendant.
Other changes to the post-pandemic Emmy this year include: a new category for anthology series and stunt performers receiving their own category. The Television Academy has yet to do away with gendered labels for acting categories, but winners will now be able to request that their statues and nomination certificates have the gender neutral terms “actor” and “performer.” At the end of 2020, The Academy also decided to collapse “Variety Talk and Variety Sketch Series” into a single category; but after backlash and lobbying from late-night producers, they reversed the rule in February of this year.
This year, the Emmy nominees were announced at a live event led by father-daughter duo Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us) and Jasmine Cephas Jones (Blindspotting), who teamed up with Television Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma.
The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards will air on CBS at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 19.
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Conan
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Outstanding Comedy Series
Black-ish
Cobra Kai
Emily In Paris
Hacks
The Flight Attendant
The Kominsky Method
Pen15
Ted Lasso
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Aidy Bryant, Shrill
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Allison Janney, Mom
Jean Smart, Hacks
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Michael Douglas, The Kominksy Method
William H. Macy, Shameless
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series
The Underground Railroad
Mare Of Easttown
The Queen’s Gambit
I May Destroy You
WandaVision
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology series Or A Movie
Paul Bettany, Wandavision
Hugh Grant, The Undoing
Ewan McGregor, Halston
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology series Or A Movie
Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You
Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha
Elizabeth Olsen, Wandavision
Anya Taylor Joy, The Queen’s Gambit
Kate Winslet, Mare Of Easttown
Outstanding Drama Series
The Boys
Bridgerton
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Lovecraft Country
The Mandalorian
Pose
This Is Us
Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Uzo Aduba, In Treatment
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Emma Corrin, The Crown
MJ Rodriguez, Pose
Jurnee Smollett, Lovecraft Country
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Jonathan Majors, Lovecraft Country
Josh O’Connor, The Crown
Regé-Jean Page, Bridgerton
Billy Porter, Pose
Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason
Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Gillian Anderson, The Crown
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Madeline Brewer, The Handmaid’s Tale
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale
Aunjanue Ellis, Lovecraft Country
Emerald Fennell, The Crown
Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid’s Tale
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian
O-T Fagbenle, The Handmaid’s Tale
John Lithgow, Perry Mason
Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Michael K. Williams, Lovecraft Country
Chris Sullivan, This Is Us
Max Minghella, The Handmaid’s Tale
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale
Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Aidy Bryant, Saturday Night Live
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Rosie Perez, The Flight Attendant
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Carly Clemons-Hopkins, Hacks
Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
Brendan Hunt, Ted Lasso
Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso
Paul Reiser, The Kominsky Method
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
Supporting Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie
Renée Elise Goldberry, Hamilton
Kathryn Hahn, WandaVision
Moses Ingram, The Queen’s Gambit
Julianne Nicholson, Mare Of Easttown
Jean Smart, Mare Of Easttown
Phillipa Soo, Hamilton
Supporting Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, The Queen’s Gambit
Daveed Diggs, Hamilton
Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You
Jonathan Groff, Hamilton
Evan Peters, Mare Of Easttown
Anthony Ramos, Hamilton
For a complete list of nominees, check out the official Emmys website.
114 Comments
I’m very interested to see what they choose this year. Very few of the big hitters from the last few years aired anything new in the eligibility period. Outside of Limited Series which had a terrific year.
Another year, and Always Sunny ain’t gettin’ shit.
Well, in the Emmys’ defense it does still suck ass.
At least the Emmys have an excuse this year, since there hasn’t been a new episode since 2019, so there was nothing to nominate.
Hey, if Hamilton can be nominated for so many awards despite being filmed four years ago, It’s Always Sunny should get some despite not showing any new episodes in almost three years!
Identity politic criticisms of meaningless award shows where rich and famous celebrities pat themselves on the back for being rich and famous in 3…2…
Somebody nominate Evil for something. That show rules. Best special effects makeup this side of Guillermo del Toro movies.
Wasn’t eligible this year. First season ended in early 2020 and the second season just started. But yes, Evil rules.
Oh, shoot, yeah. Makes sense. (Latest episode is the best they’ve ever done.)
The Lead Actress in a Limited Series category is ridiculous.
Micaela Coel, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Kate Winslet would each be clear frontrunners in just about any other year. But I’m guessing Winslet wins it on name recognition.
The category is insane! I could see Anya Taylor-Joy since QB was the show of the pandemic, and of course she’s really broken out. But Kate’s doing Heavy Accent Work, so it’s a coin toss.
I think it should be Coels win, but I feel Winslet will win this one.
100% agree. I’d personally give it to Coel because that show was brilliant (plus a thousand more glowing adjectives) and more people should watch it, but I think you’re right about Winslet.
yeah, I think the term “important television” is overused, but I May Destroy You deserves the term. especially because I don’t think a lot of people fully grasp how sexual assault sneaks it’s way into your day to day life and how hard it is to manage the constant threat of disassociation.
I May Destroy You is an amazing, groundbreaking work of art. Mare of Easttown was good and very well done, but was clearly from a pre-existing mold.
I think that might go against Anya Taylor-Joy. By the time the Emmy’s air it will have been nearly a year since Queen’s Gambit debuted, so it will be less fresh in people’s minds than something like Mare of Easttown. I also think Winslet’s performance was more impressive and has gotten a lot more coverage which, combined with her name recognition, gives her an advantage.
Man everyone is gonna be shocked when Elizabeth Olsen wins for Wandavision.
Man everyone is gonna be shocked when Elizabeth Olsen wins for WandavisionI wouldn’t hate it, even though the “iT’s NoT rEaL cInEmA!!1!” crowd will have a conniption. She was absolutely devastating.
Totally.
She’s my preferred choice, but even I don’t think she’s beating Winslet in this category.
Kenan Thompson Kenan, Saturday Night LiveI think his name is Kenan-Michael Thompson. (Yes, I’m joking, mocking this site’s lack of proofreading.)
I don’t think the basic spell check was run based off some of the mistakes.
Also he was nominated for “Kenan” not SNL. Was outraged on behalf of Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong being listed as supporting actresses, while Kenan was lead actor at SNL with that blunder.
Maybe the lack of proofreading is why he’s listed in both the Lead and Supporting categories for comedy, both for SNL?Presumably the lead is actually for his sitcom… unless Emmy Inc really did nominate him for the same show in both categories which would be weird as fuck but not that surprising.
the lead is for his sitcom
Well, then, I would say they should fix that in the article but the lack of original proofreading around here usually means most things stay broken, so…
Looks like they fixed it, but it’s still incorrect: Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night LiveNo, not for SNL. For “Kenan” the show. THAT is why the second “Kenan” was there in the first place.
Lol, they “fixed” it, but the wrong way.
Cynthia Erivo, Genuis: ArethaI wondervision who let this one slip by?
Hopefully Emily in Paris can get the recognition it deserves after its snubs at the Golden Globes.
Wait: “Lovecraft Country” is NOT a limited series, but “Mare of Easttown” is? I guess this depends on how long the contracts were for or something?
Yeah that was funny to see. Basically, Lovecraft Country was supposed to continue as a running series, and Mare was designed as a straight one-off. But the former got axed, and the latter has been hinted heavily as coming back down the road at some point, ha.
Well explained.
Funny, since Lovecraft Country was based on a book (which I don’t think has any sequels left to be adapted) and Mare of Easttown wasn’t.
If any of the Limited Series contenders win and then go on to a second season (Mare, Wanda/Vision), do they have to give back their award?
Nope, it happened with Big Little Lies a few years ago and they didn’t have to return anything
they should have because season two was awful.
Ha! Yeah. I was joking. But, thanks for pointing out instances of this actually happening.
Ask the cast of Big Little Lies.
I believe it’s up to the studio which category they want to submit a series under. When FX and Ryan Murphy submitted American Horror Story as a limited series, there was a minor controversy because FX was already promoting the second season.
FX and Murphy tried to get out of it by saying that AHS is an anthology where no two stories connect, similar to The Twilight Zone but on a season long scale, but then they started connecting past seasons as the show went on.
What’s weird is Fargo is continually nominated for Limited Series.I guess it’s like the Oscars where there’s no real guidelines for the difference between a lead and a supporting role, so people just submit in whichever they think gives them the best odds of winning.
apparently Lovecraft is a comedy and a drama and Michael K Williams is an actor and actress (actor in the drama version and actress in the comedy). fascinating!Supporting Actor In A Drama SeriesGiancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian
O-T Fagbenle, The Handmaid’s Tale
John Lithgow, Perry Mason
Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Michael K. Williams, Lovecraft Country
Chris Sullivan, This Is Us
Max Minghella, The Handmaid’s Tale
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale
Supporting Actress In A Comedy SeriesAidy Bryant, Saturday Night Live
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Rosie Perez, The Flight Attendant
Michael K. Williams, Lovecraft Country
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Man…Kenan got nominated in two categories…good for him!
And according to this list, so did Michael K Williams!Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Michael K. Williams, Lovecraft Country
Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Michael K. Williams, Lovecraft Country
Am I missing something, or did the all-winners mega matchup of Survivor somehow not get a reality nomination? Or was that last year and I’m pandemic brained?
Yeah, that was last year. The most recent episode of Survivor aired in May 2020. It didn’t air in the 2020-2021 season.
We were all nominated for Survivor for this year.
Impressive. Michael K. Williams is up for supporting actor in a drama and supporting actress in a comedy for Lovecraft Country.Theres no way he/she doesnt win, right?
Love the Jessica Walter nom for Malory Archer, should have happened sooner
The Emmy’s are really breaking down barriers by nominating Michael K. Williams as Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series for Lovecraft Country. So many laughs! So many of the wrong biological parts!
I want to imagine a world where this isn’t a typo and some PR flack has to come up with a spin on “It’s a bold commitment to diversity”
Michael Learned on line 2. 🙂
I… have very little to complain about. Some really strong recognition this year, and possibly fewer than average eye-roll noms?
Glad to see Mj Rodriguez getting a nomination finally. Also Ted Lasso is gonna sweep, I guarantee it.
same, Rodriguez has a really difficult role carrying the heart of the show.
Girls5Eva was robbed. It’s likely due to no one watching Peacock, since the network/streamer/whatever only got 2 nominations overall…but one of those was a writing nomination for the Girls5Eva pilot, so at least the writers were paying attention.
Rooting for Lovecraft Country and WandaVision.Please anything but The Crown.You have Michael K Williams listed in best supporting actress for comedy category. It would be incredible if he won.
Funny he keeps getting nominated but where were these nominations when he was playing Omar on The Wire.
Did The Wire receive ANY nominations?
2 nominations for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series, and they won neither. Briefly glancing at the nominees for Best Drama Series during the period there were some strong contenders, but there was also CSI and Grey’s Anatomy among others. I have to assume HBO was going all in on the Sopranos.
A couple I believe.
Kaley Cuoco did some amazing work on The Flight Attendant despite the show being mediocre. She really made you feel all the trauma she was carrying around but in the realistic way a lot of us carry around our shit.
I’m so glad to see her nominated for The Flight Attendant. Everyone I know who watched the show thought it was solid but not great, but that her performance really shone. She won’t win, but the nomination is much-deserved.
I think there’s a difference between “mediocre” and “trashy fun”
I never watched The Flight Attendant but I’m loving her work on Harley Quinn so I’m happy for Kaley regardless.
Nothing for Adventure Time??? Glob is dead.In Treatment should have gotten more recognition for its actors but I guess that would have meant every single actor from The Handmaid’s Tale and The Crown wouldn’t be able to be nominated.
It was submitted to the Daytime Emmys, where they got three nominations.
Must be a weak year for Comedies if Cobra Kai received a best series nomination. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed it but I wouldn’t call it award worthy. Atleast I actually finished it I can’t say the same for the other Netflix series I started
I have no idea why so many comedies were nominated when so many are mediocre. Just leave the list of nominees at five: Hacks, Ted Lasso, The Flight Attendant, Pen15, and Black-ish. I have absolutely no idea how The Kominsky Method keeps getting nominated for shit. It’s bad. Cobra Kai may be OK (I haven’t seen it) but it’s not going to win any awards. Emily in Paris was a hot mess. It’s insulting to the rest of the category to have it included in the nominees. It was not a particularly strong year for comedies, and there are only two real contenders for the award: Ted Lasso and Hacks. My hunch is Ted Lasso takes it home, while Jean Smart will win for her individual performance in Hacks.
Cobra Kai is incredible and William Zabka should be nominated over yet another William H Macy or Kenan nom.
Cobra Kai probably wouldn’t have been nominated in a normal year where shows like Maisel and Barry didn’t shut down due to COVID, but I still think it’s neat that it got a nomination this time around. It knows exactly what it is and doesn’t have the same sense of self-importance that a lot of prestige shows have. I love shows like Barry that confidently mix jokes and serious topics, but there’s also about a dozen imitators that strain for that same level of Importance but can’t pull it off.
You are, of course, entitled to your (wrong) opinion, but this is actually a very strong field. I’d say that Emily In Paris and Black-ish are the only undeserving nominees (Black-ish is good, but had been doing the same shtick for its entire run).
I actually only watched Cobra Kai. I saw a couple of episodes of the Flight Attendant didn’t think much of it. Since I canceled cable and during this pandemic I’ve really haven’t watch any new shows. What I liked about Cobra Kai is that it wasn’t a tough watch nothing too serious that I really don’t have to pay too much attention to.
I didn’t even realise Cobra Kai was classified as a comedy.
Kenan Thompson nominated TWICE for Saturday Night Live?!?! Nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series and for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series?Both for SNL. How?I’m happy for him, but seems a bit odd (that is, if the list is correct).
I’ve never watched Cobra Kai, but is it really a comedy?Also, I think there are still a few members of the cast of Handmaid’s Tale who didn’t get nominated.
There are jokes. I would call it either a pretty dark comedy (considering much of it features teenagers basically trying to murder each other) or a very light-hearted drama.
HAMILTON. Yikes! I’m the most Hamiltonest fan of Hamilton. I’m #TeamHamilton. All the way. It’s one amazing piece of art. Maybe our generation’s piece of art.But!Hamilton (2021) is the taping of a play. It’s not a movie. It was neither designed nor produced as a movie.Just as it wouldn’t be fair to screen a feature film at a theater and call it a play, showing the taping of a play on tv does not make it a movie.I’d love for Hamilton to win many, many more awards.But it’s not fair to the other nominees to consider the taping of a play something akin to their work.And still, go Hamilton!
I think for that very reason it will struggle to win at TV awards shows. I don’t necessarily think it’s unfair to the other nominees, but I think that filmed stage versions don’t necessarily make for good television (or don’t facilitate great acting performances for television).
This list is a bit of a mess. There’s nominees missing (Elisabeth Moss has been left out of the Leading Actress category?), there’s actors in the actress category (Michael K Williams for Supporting Actress In A Comedy?).
Kind of surprised Perry Mason isn’t nominated for best drama.
Same. Also, any other year and Tatiana Maslany would have been nominated but between The Crown and Handmaid’s, that category is full!
I will be watching and hoping for Evan Peters and Kate Winslet to come out holding hands to present for like best lighting or something. And they will be holding hands because they always hold hands when they see each other ♡♡ Also Jean Smart RULES THE SCHOOL!!
I would have liked some recognition for The Good Lord Bird as a Limited Series, and Ethan Hawke’s performance in particular. As for the rest, I think too many categories are overloaded with multiple same-show nominees- up to 4 in some cases- that really kills the chance for more great actors from more great shows to be recognized.
Surprised at no What We Do In The Shadows. Was that one of Emmy’s calendar quirks?
Omce again, Baby Yoda got screwed out of a nomination!#justiceforgrogu
-Mixed feelings on seeing Conan nominated for talk show. On the positive side, its awesome seeing him get some love on the way out. But on the negative, he’s done good work for years and they consistently ignored him. It’s almost insulting to give a nom now. If you’re gonna nom him now, he better win. Make it a pseudo-lifetime achievement Emmy because whether he was nominated each year or not, the man (and his staff) were as and/or more talented than anyone else in the field.-Good luck picking the winner for Anthology Actress. Taylor-Joy, Winslet, and Olsen? And Erivo and Coel are just as strong. Might be the toughest category top to bottom I’ve seen in quite awhile. My comic book bias is leaning Olsen though. Not only did she nail the quirks and mannerisms of sitcom actresses thru multiple decades, she brought out a ton of emotion for a character processing grief, depression, etc. And then she kicked some ass.-May be on an island, but it kinda feels wrong that Hamilton gets noms. It’s already super successful award winning Broadway play. It feels like cheating to adapt it to the small screen and rake in more awards. Stay in your lane.
They didn’t even adapt it, which would have been better. I love Hamilton and I was so glad to finally get to see the original cast but . . . they filmed the play. That does not a tv show make. Unless the Emmy’s are in the habit of nominating every filmed concert that ever makes its way to HBO?
What’s weird to me is that Hamilton is apparently TV for the purposes of the Emmys, but was a film for the purposes of the Golden Globes.
If you wanted to watch Olsen play grief & depression, you could have watched “Sorry For Your Loss”. Basically nobody did (I watched in anonymous mode, because screw Facebook).
(I watched in anonymous mode, because screw Facebook)So you hurt the ratings of a low-key, non-superhero drama that you enjoyed? Yeah, up yours, Zuck!!!
I knew the writing for Falcon and the Winter Soldier and the likely lack of interest in throwing all kinds of nominations at various Marvel shows would make for less nominations, but I was a little surprised Anthony Mackie wasn’t on there as he did a lot to keep his character arc afloat. Really there were a number of people from the cast who could have gotten on – Daniel Bruhl, Carl Lumbly, Wyatt Russell (the latter playing one of the most difficult roles I can remember in an MCU product). A year or two ago I was thrilled when Cecily Strong finally got an Emmy nomination. This year, it feels more like an attempt to atone for the years she was shut out. I would have given the nomination to Ego Nwodim, who not only stepped into the void when Aidy and Cecily were on a break in the first half of the season, but truly did a wonderful job establishing her voice as an actress and a writer. Still not entirely sure how I feel about Perry Mason Goes Grimdark, but Matthew Rhys was very wise casting and did a lot to make this take on the role work. Happy he got a nod.
Glad for Jean Smart too.
It’s weird that Don Cheadle was nominated for Falcon/Winter Soldier and not Carl Lumbly. Lumbly was one of the most memorable things about the show.
The Television Academy has yet to do away with gendered labels for acting categoriesThat would cut the number of awards in half and if there is one thing Hollywood loves it is getting awards. (mostly kidding)
Can we replace every fucking Hamilton nomination with more Underground Railroad? What the fuck are we even DOING
I really really hope Coel wins best Actress in her category. I know it will probably go to Kate Winslet or Anna-Taylor Joy and they both did fabulous jobs but Michaela Coel ripped out her beating heart and put it on display for the world. Just in a different class altogether.
CHRISTINE BARANSKI…has been snubbed again, goddammit.
One could almost say she’s been “Baranskied”…
Love Aidy Bryant’s double nomination! And Ted Lasso deserves everything and more
Thuso Mbedu’s Lead Actress snub was bad enough, but seriously? Three guys from Hamilton for Supporting Actor but nothing for Joel Edgerton?
Kenan Thompson was nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy for his sitcom ‘Kenan’ not SNL
Glad to see WandaVision scoring a few nods, even if it won’t actually win anything.
I’m not one to get conspiratorial about awards but Don Cheadle being up for a best guest star award for Falcon and the Winter Soldier might as well come with a “paid for by Disney” sticker on it.
Why don’t you just put a link to the Emmy website? Save you a lot of time and humiliation.https://www.emmys.com/sites/default/files/Downloads/73rd-nominations-key-categories-v1.pdf?q=1&q1=
Desus & Mero: robbed again. 🙁
Old Man Yells At Clouds: back in my day, awards had five nominees per category. Now it seems to be…no particular number? Often seven or eight? The lack of uniformity bothers me.
Stacey Abrams nominated for voice-over performance. Don’t tell Trump!
lol they nominated the season finale of the mandalorian for outstanding writing what a fucking joke
Max Minghella? Are they fucking high?
How can Keenan Thompson be nominated for both Lead and Supporting actor for the same show???
Not a single nomination for It’s a Sin – but a load of nominees for The Crown’s weakest season? Saturday Night Live continues to steal the comedy performers slots including for the worst host of last season Kristen Wiig? Is the Emmy Academy dominated by comedians who didn’t even try to watch It’s a Sin because it’s too sad? Why is the tabloid alternative history of The Crown so much more worth to their members than the original alternative history of For All Mankind? And of course no love for the cancelled Prodigal Son – the acting titans Michael Sheen and Tom Payne had to be overlooked for Bridgerton’s sexy dude Regé-Jean Page… I demand a recount!
Poor Phil Dunster (Jamie Tartt). He was literally the only person from the main cast of Ted Lasso to not get nominated.
Lovecraft Country should get an award for, “show I most wanted to love but ended up hating.” That’s a thing right?