Although the top contenders for September’s awards will most likely be Succession, Ted Lasso, or The White Lotus, let’s take a look at some of the other nominees. Especially as the past year has been full of really good TV productions…
Euphoria star Zendaya has already made history with a nomination, as she received her second Emmy nomination for her performance in the HBO teen drama, making her the youngest two-time actor nominee. The 25-year-old actress also topped that with the youngest producer nomination. Zendaya is aiming to confirm her own record, as she became the youngest person to win the Best Lead Actor in a Drama Actress category with her first win in 2020. Euphoria follows the daily lives of a group of high school students, including Rue, a 17-year-old drug addict played by Zendaya. The series focuses on gender and sexual identity, trauma, drugs, family, friendship and of course love and sex. The series, created, written, directed and executive produced by Sam Levinson, returned in January with a brutally powerful second season, making it the most-watched series in HBO history, behind only Game of Thrones.
Yellowjackets has already wowed audiences with its debut season, and is now being hailed as one of the frontrunners for the Emmy Awards. Showtime’s series has earned seven nominations, including one for lead actress Melanie Lynskey, who received her first Emmy nomination despite years of TV work. The actress plays Shauna, a plane crash survivor. In addition to Yellowjackets being nominated for Best Drama Series, we also have Christina Ricci, who is nominated for the award for Supporting Actress. The series also received nominations in the writing, directing, and casting categories.
Hannah Einbinder received her second supporting actress Emmy nomination for Hacks. The second season of the hugely successful HBO series received no fewer than 17 nominations, including Best Comedy Series and Best Lead Actress (Jean Smart). Smart plays a veteran Los Angeles comedian and Einbinder a young outcast writer, both trying to find their place in the world of comedy. Einbinder will be up against such big names as SNL’s Kate McKinnon and Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham in September. “It’s one of the few times on TV where we get to see a bisexual character whose bisexuality is not part of the reason she’s some kind of villain”, Einbinder said.
Hulu’s limited series Dopesick received 14 nominations, including creator Danny Strong’s first directing nomination for the finale. “I’m constantly looking for true stories. It’s hard to find ones that are worth two years of your life. So, as I’ve done before, I’ll work in all genres. Dopesick is in many ways a true crime story. I mean, the Sackler part, the Purdue Pharma part is in many ways done like a crime thriller. The detectives uncover clues to show that a crime has been committed”, said the two-time Emmy Award-winning director, who was also behind the hit HBO films Game Change and Recount.