The TV shows “The Crown” and “Ted Lasso,” two of the shows that helped divert America during an awful pandemic year, are up for Emmy awards. Father-and-daughter actors Ron Cephas Jones (“This Is Us”) and Jasmine Cephas Jones (“Blindspotting”), as well as TV academy chief executive Frank Scherma, will reveal the nominations for the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards.
With its rendition of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer’s courtship and troubled marriage, played by Josh O’Connor and Emma Corrin, the British royal drama “The Crown” got closer to current events in its fourth season. Along with Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II and Gillian Anderson as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the performers are among the front-runners for Emmy nominations.
“The Crown” may be the best bet for Netflix, which pioneered the boom of streaming services but has yet to win a top series award. It has already been nominated three times. Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, and Nick Mohammed might all be nominated for their roles in “Ted Lasso,” a feel-good comedy about a middling American football coach who is abruptly brought to England to take over a soccer team.
“The Queen’s Gambit,” starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a disturbed chess prodigy, and “The Underground Railroad,” based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead and directed by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”), are both contenders in the miniseries category. Thuso Mbedu and Aaron Pierre, who star in the harrowing portrayal of American slavery with elements of magical realism, are possible nominees.
Despite its cancellation by HBO after one season, “Lovecraft Country,” a story of mid-century racism with undertones of horror, is eligible for drama series accolades. The sci-fi and fantasy series “The Mandalorian” and “WandaVision” are among the contenders. Shows like the crime miniseries “Mare of Easttown,” starring Kate Winslet, and the thriller “The Undoing,” starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, are also up for Emmy consideration.
With little more than 34% of nominees, this is an improvement over the previous year’s figure of just under 28% for Black actors in those categories. Other actresses of color, such as Rosie Perez for the comedic thriller “The Flight Attendant” and trans actors Mj Rodriguez and Angelica Ross for “Pose,” are also up for nomination.
The event, which was held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, will be broadcast live on CBS from a theater with a small in-person audience of nominees and guests. Cedric the Entertainer is the host of the party.