{"id":35502,"date":"2021-09-17T20:21:40","date_gmt":"2021-09-17T20:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=35502"},"modified":"2021-09-17T20:21:40","modified_gmt":"2021-09-17T20:21:40","slug":"emmy-2021-nominees-winner-predictions","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/emmy-2021-nominees-winner-predictions\/","title":{"rendered":"Emmy Nominees: Faves To Win, Hidden Gems and Overlooked Shows To Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Emma
Emma Corrin in The Crown<\/i> (Photo: Des Willie\/Netflix)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards take place this Sunday night, airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. The ceremony caps an unprecedented year in television — an unprecedented year in everything<\/em>, really. But despite pandemic delays and new safety protocols on set, the flood of TV and streaming content never really seemed to slow down significantly. Between drama and comedy series, anthologies, limited series, specials and reality shows, the number of Emmy nominees is dizzying as always.<\/p>\n

Unlike a lot of awards show watchers, I\u2019m not really in the prediction business — to borrow a phrase from the political podcasting class. Obviously, there are favorites to win, and those don\u2019t always square with the series and performances that resonated most with me. But taking one last look at the nominees before the big night, I\u2019ve got some thoughts — <\/em>and some recommendations.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t imagine anyone so inclined needs to be convinced to check out The Crown<\/em>, which is nominated for and will likely win Best Drama Series, but the Netflix series\u2019 fourth season really was a stand-out for an already acclaimed show. The mix of prestige drama and tabloid gossip reached its apex with the introduction of Emma Corrin<\/a>\u2019s Princess Diana in a star-making performance<\/a> that should earn her the Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama Series.<\/p>\n

\"Aunjanue
Aunjanue Ellis, Jurnee Smollett, Jonathan Majors, Michael K. Williams in Lovecraft Country<\/i> (Photo: Eli Joshua Ade\/HBO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The rest of the nominees for Drama Series are a truly odd assortment of genre shows and melodramas. The Boys<\/em> and Bridgerton <\/em><\/a>cater to very specific tastes (superheroes, romance), while I feel like The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/em><\/a> and This Is Us<\/em> are just here out of habit. But I do think Lovecraft Country<\/em><\/a> deserves a shout-out. Creator Misha Green\u2019s audacious single-season reimagining of sci-fi, horror and other pulp genre stories through the lens of the Black American experience wasn\u2019t perfect, but it\u2019s full of provocative delights, both visceral and thoughtful. The performances are fantastic too; Jurnee Smollett, Jonathan Majors, Aunjanue Ellis and the late Michael K. Williams all received nods.<\/p>\n

Actually, a word about The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/em>: The series is all over the Drama categories, and maybe this is a reflection of this year\u2019s comparatively slim pickings. Or maybe it has more to do with the laziness and myopia of Emmys voters, who tend to pick a favorite and stick with it year after year (Julia Louis Dreyfus, Modern Family<\/em>). But although the most recent season finally started to move the story of June (Elisabeth Moss) and her fellow handmaids<\/a> forward in long-overdue ways, after four seasons it continues to tread the same exhausting, brutal ground. If you\u2019re looking at these nominations and wondering whether to dive back in, just know that you\u2019re in for a lot of the same until the back half of the season.<\/p>\n

\"Uzo
Uzo Aduba in In Treatment<\/i> (Photo: Suzanne Tenner\/HBO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My sense is that Emma Corrin is a fave to win Best Actress in a Drama, and as much as I would love to see Mj Rodriguez become the first transgender performer<\/a> to win in this category, I can\u2019t argue against Corrin here. Her performance is electric and — I\u2019ve said it before — star-making. But among the other nominees, Uzo Aduba stands out. If you haven\u2019t checked out HBO\u2019s revival of In Treatment<\/em>, get on that. Aduba anchors this riveting series with a performance that showcases her warmth and empathy. It also doesn\u2019t hurt that she gets to go toe-to-toe with performers like Anthony Ramos, John Benjamin Hickey and Joel Kinnaman at the top of their games.<\/p>\n

Ok, enough drama. Obviously, Apple TV+\u2019s surprise hit Ted Lasso<\/em> dominates this year\u2019s Comedy categories. But for my money, Hacks<\/em> is the real MVP here. The HBO Max series follows an aging, Joan Rivers-esque Vegas comedienne (Jean Smart) as she makes a play for renewed relevance by hiring an ornery millennial writer (Hannah Einbinder) to modernize her act. Smart is a treasure as always, at her brassiest here, and Einbinder is a fresh talent to watch. It\u2019s no wonder they each received nominations for Best Actress (Smart) and Best Supporting Actress (Einbinder). And if you\u2019re not already convinced, ask your best gay boyfriend to tell you about Meg Stalter<\/a>. Hacks<\/em> is so good, even the minor characters have become stars!<\/p>\n

Smart seems like the obvious pick to win Best Actress in a Comedy, but I feel like honorable mention should go to Aidy Bryant in Shrill<\/em>. The Hulu series, based on Lindy West\u2019s essay collection, ended with its third season this year, and if you have a weekend to spend binging all three seasons, I highly recommend it. Shrill<\/em> somehow manages to be hilarious, empowering, insightful and comforting all at the same time.<\/p>\n

Oh, and this is definitely a longshot, but I\u2019m rooting for Bowen Yang<\/a> to win Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He\u2019s unquestionably one of the best things about SNL<\/em> right now.<\/p>\n

\"Michaela
Michaela Coel in I May Destroy You<\/i> (Photo: Natalie Seery\/HBO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, Limited or Anthology Series is the real category to watch. Mare of Easttown<\/em>, The Queen\u2019s Gambit<\/em>, WandaVision<\/em>, The Underground Railroad<\/em><\/a>, I May Destroy You — <\/em>they\u2019re all fantastic, can\u2019t recommend them enough, and you probably don\u2019t need much convincing to check any of them out. But I May Destroy You<\/em><\/a> deserves to win.<\/p>\n

Scattered among the Limited\/Anthology\/Movie categories, alongside all the Mare<\/em> and Hamilton<\/em> nominees are a couple of hidden gems worth checking out. Ewan McGregor is nominated for his starring role in Netflix\u2019s Halston<\/em><\/a>. Yes, it\u2019s a Ryan Murphy production, with all the pros and cons that entails. It\u2019s a soapy, sensationalist take on the iconic American designer\u2019s life<\/a>. But it\u2019s pretty and glossy and sexy, and honestly sometimes that\u2019s all you want from TV, right?<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Jennifer Hudson<\/a> may have been Aretha Frankin\u2019s choice to play her in Respect<\/em>, but Cynthia Erivo<\/a> is up for an Emmy for her performance as the Queen of Soul in Genius: Aretha<\/em>. Full disclosure: I\u2019ve never seen any of the previous seasons of Genius<\/em>, nor have I gotten around the Aretha<\/em>. But Erivo is one of those actors for whom I will always make time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29097,"featured_media":35503,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[38,16],"yoast_head":"\nEmmy Nominees: Faves To Win and Overlooked Shows To Watch - Grazia USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards take place this Sunday night, airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. 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