The Emmy nominations were announced last night, with HBO’s _Watchmen_
leading the way with 26 nominations. _Insecure _and _What We Do In The
Shadows_ earned their first Best Comedy nominations; Ramy Youssef nabbed
his first Best Actor and Best Director in a Comedy nominations for
_Ramy_; Zendaya earned her first ever Emmy nomination, as Best Actress
in a Drama, for _Euphoria_; and Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox are up for
Best Actor in a Drama for the first time, for _Succession_. Other first
time Supporting Actor nominees include_ Succession_ stars Nicholas
Braun, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfadyen and Sarah Snook, as well as
Nigeria’s Yvonne Orji (_Insecure_).
“Despite the unprecedented challenges facing the entertainment industry,
it has been an extraordinary year for television,” said Television
Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma. “Television has inspired, united
and comforted a global audience this season. We are honoured to be
recognizing so many of the talented programs, producers, directors and
craftspeople behind the remarkable storytelling that has brought us
together while we remain apart.”
Content currently available on Showmax has a whopping 113 nominations,
with more nominees coming soon. This includes:
[1]
WATCHMEN [1]
HBO’s _Watchmen_ is the most nominated show overall at this year’s
Emmys, with 26 nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series,
Writing, Cinematography, Lead Actor (Jeremy Irons as Ozymandias), Lead
Actress (Regina King as Sister Night), Supporting Actress (Jean Smart as
Agent Laurie Blake) and three Supporting Actor nominees (Yahya
Abdul-Mateen II as Cal Abar, Jovan Adepo as Hooded Justice and Louis
Gossett Jr. as William Reeves), not to mention three Directing and three
Editing nominations.
_ _
Inspired by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ iconic DC graphic novel,
_Watchmen_ was the best reviewed new TV show of 2019 on _Rotten
Tomatoes,_ with a 95% critics rating. Created by Damon Lindelof (_Lost,_
_The Leftovers_), the nine-part series was the_ _#1 show of last year
for the likes of _Empire_, _Mashable_,_ Vox_, and _Washington Post_,
where Hank Stuever said the show takes “my breath away with its
bracing vision of racism, mask-wearing vigilantism and super-heroic
qualms in a skewed-reality America.”
[2]
SUCCESSION S2 [3]
Having won Best Writing and Best Original Main Title Theme Music at last
year’s Emmys, _Succession_ is tied with _Ozark_ as the most-nominated
drama this year, with 18 nominations, including Outstanding Drama
Series. Having been snubbed last year, the show’s cast dominate this
year’s nominees in all the categories, including Lead Actor (both 2020
Golden Globe winner Brian Cox as Logan Roy and Jeremy Strong as his son
Kendall), Supporting Actor (Nicholas Braun as Cousin Greg, Kieran Culkin
as Roman Roy, and Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans), Supporting
Actress (Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy), Guest Actor (James Cromwell as Ewan
Roy) and Guest Actress (Harriet Walter as Lady Caroline Collingwood and
Cherry Jones as Nan Pierce).
In _Succession_, four very rich siblings behave very badly as they try
to win their father’s approval – and control of his company, a global
media empire. In Season 2, the Roys meet their liberal counterparts as
Logan attempts to orchestrate his biggest acquisition yet.
_Succession_, which won Best TV drama at the 2020 Golden Globes, topped
numerous Best of 2019 lists, from _AV Club _to _The Guardian_ to
_Uproxx._ As _The Guardian_ said: “2019 was the year HBO threw
millions upon millions of dollars at the final season of _Game of
Thrones_, only to have another of its shows blow it out of the water
entirely. That show was _Succession_, Jesse Armstrong’s dizzyingly
seductive drama about a billionaire media family, which became a runaway
hit with its second series. A veritable powerhouse, _Succession_
contained all the things that had once drawn us to Westeros: power,
wealth, loyalty and sheer nastiness.”
[4]
THE HANDMAID’S TALE S3 [5]
The Handmaid’s Tale is up for 10 Emmys this year, including Best
Drama, Supporting Actor (Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence),
Supporting Actress (2018 Emmy winner Samira Wiley as Moira), and Guest
Actress (2017 Emmy winner Alexis Bledel as Emily). Elisabeth Moss was
snubbed this year as June, a role that earned her Best Actress awards at
the 2017 Emmys and 2018 Golden Globes.
Season 1 was based on Margaret Atwood’s classic novel of the same
name, which won the first Arthur C. Clarke Award for its depiction of
Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States,
which has returned to ‘traditional values,’ with women treated as
property of the state.
Season 3 has a 81% critics rating on _Rotten Tomatoes_, where the
critics consensus says, “_The Handmaid’s Tale_’s third season reigns
in its horrors and inspires hope that revolution really is possible.”
[6]
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS S2 [7]
What We Do In The Shadows is having its best Emmys year yet, with eight
nominations, including its first for Best Comedy and three Best Writing
nominations.
From Jemaine Clement (_Flight Of The Conchords_) and 2020 Oscar winner
Taika Waititi (_Jojo Rabbit_, _Thor: Ragnarok_), the hit mockumentary
_What We Do In The Shadows_ is a look into the daily (or rather,
nightly) lives of three vampires who’ve lived together in New York for
over 100 years – plenty of time to get on each other’s nerves.
Season 2 is #9 on _Rotten Tomatoes’_ list of the Best TV Shows of 2020
So far, with a 100% critics rating. As the Season 1 critics consensus on
_Rotten Tomatoes_ put it, _What We Do In The Shadows_ is “delightfully
absurd and ridiculously fun… A mockumentary worth sinking your teeth
into.”
Season 2 of _What We Do In The Shadows_ releases on Showmax this
Saturday, 1 August 2020.
[8]
INSECURE S4 [9]
_Insecure_ had its best ever year at the Emmys, earning eight
nominations, including first-time nods for Best Comedy and Best
Supporting Actress for Nigerian comedian Yvonne Orji as Molly.
Co-creator Issa Rae received her second Best Actress nomination as Issa,
with the show also picking up Casting, Editing, Music Supervision and
two Cinematography nominations.
_Insecure_ centres on friends Issa and Molly in what the _Rotten
Tomatoes_ critic consensus hails as “an insightful, raunchy, and
hilarious journey through the life of a twentysomething black woman that
cuts through stereotypes with sharp wit and an effusive spirit.”
As The Peabody Awards put it, “Rae delivers a ground-breaking series
that captures the lives of everyday young black people in Los Angeles
with a fresh and authentic take. Breaking away from tired and familiar
representations of ‘diversity’ on television, this series offers a
fun and intimate portrayal of work, relationships, and the ordinary
experiences of the two young black women at its center.”
_Insecure _is the most nominated show, with _Watchmen_, at the 2020
Black Reel Awards and was named TV Program of the Year at the 2018
American Film Institute Awards.
[10]
EUPHORIA S1 [11]
_Euphoria _is up for six Emmys, including Zendaya’s first-ever Emmy
nomination, for Best Actress in a Drama as 17-year-old Rue, who returns
home from rehab with no plans to stay clean, and falls for the new girl
in town, Jules (played by trans superstar Hunter Schafer).
Zendaya won the 2019 People’s Choice Award for Favourite Drama TV Star
for her role in this adults-only high school drama series, as well as a
Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Series. She was also nominated for
a Critics Choice Award. The series also won the Camerimage TV Pilots
competition and Best Music Supervision from The Guild of Music
Supervisor Awards, and earned a 2020 GLAAD Media Award nomination for
Outstanding Drama Series, a Queerty nomination for Best Series, and a
BAFTA nomination for Best International Series.
_Euphoria _has an 8.3/10 rating on _IMDb_ and a 82% critics rating on
_Rotten Tomatoes_, where the consensus says, “_Euphoria_ balances its
brutal honesty with an empathetic – and visually gorgeous – eye to
create a uniquely challenging and illuminating series, held together by
a powerfully understated performance from Zendaya.”
[12]
MCMILLION$ [13]
_McMillion__$_ is up for five Emmys this year, including Outstanding
Documentary or Non-Fiction Series, Writing, and Editing.
The six-part HBO documentary investigates the biggest scam in the
history of fast food: the rigged McDonald’s Monopoly competition that
offered its US customers in the ‘90s the chance to go out for a burger
and come home with $1 million. The scam ran for over a decade, had links
to organised crime and netted $24 million worth of illegal profits.
_McMillion$ _has an 89% critics rating on _Rotten Tomatoes_, with _The
Hollywood Reporter_ saying, “_McMillion$_ tells a quirky and
frequently hilarious tale filled with enough twists and turns that
you’ll swear it came from the keyboard of a Carl Hiaasen or Elmore
Leonard.”
[14]
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE [15]
_Little Fires Everywhere_ is up for five Emmys, including Best Limited
Series, Directing, and Lead Actress (Kerry Washington as Mia).
Based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestselling book, _Little Fires
Everywhere_ follows the intertwined fates of the Richardsons – a
picture-perfect, privileged white American family – and enigmatic
African-American mother and daughter Mia and Pearl Warren.
Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon (_Big Little Lies, Walk the Line, Wild_)
and Teen Choice winner Joshua Jackson (_The Affair_, _Dawson’s Creek_)
co-star, with Lexi Underwood earning a 2020 Black Reel nomination as
Pearl.
_Little Fires Everywhere_ has an 80% critics rating on _Rotten
Tomatoes_. _The Guardian_ calls it “moreish, searing, excellent”,
while _CNN_ says it’s “one of those rare multi-generational dramas
where the arcs involving the kids are every bit as good as the
adults’.”
[16]
RAMY S2 [17]
_Ramy _is up for three Emmys: Best Actor in a Comedy and Best Director
for creator Ramy Youssef, as well as Best Supporting Actor for two-time
Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (_Moonlight,_ _True Detective_) as Sheikh
Malik.
_Ramy_ stars 2020 Golden Globe winner and stand-up comedian Ramy Youssef
as Ramy Hassan, a first generation Egyptian-American in politically
divided New Jersey, where he’s caught between a Muslim community that
thinks life is a moral test and a millennial generation that thinks life
has no consequences.
_Ramy_ won the Audience Award at SXSW 2019 and S2 is currently at #25 on
_Rotten Tomatoes’_ list of the Best TV of 2020 So Far, with a 96%
critics rating. As _Rolling Stone_ put it, “There is no other show
quite like _Ramy_, because there is no other character quite like
Ramy… Superb.”
The Emmy-nominated Season 2 comes first to Showmax on 1 November 2020;
in the meantime, binge Season 1 now.
[18]
A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW S1 [19]
HBO’s _A Black Lady Sketch Show_ is one of three nominees in the
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series category at the Emmys, where it’s
also up for Directing and Guest Actress (Angela Bassett).
Creator Robin Thede (host of BET’s _The Rundown with Robin Thede_ and
head-writer for _The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore_) executive
produces, writes and stars, with Issa Rae (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee
for HBO’s _Insecur_e) producing and guest starring.
The core cast includes Emmy winner Ashley Nicole Black (_Full Frontal
with Samantha Bee_), Gabrielle Dennis (_Insecure, S.W.A.T._) and Quinta
Brunson (_Quinta vs. Everything_), while other guest stars include Emmy
winners Lena Waithe, Emmy nominee Laverne Cox, Imagen Award winner Gina
Torres, _Nailed It!_ star Nicole Byer, Grammy winner Kelly Rowland and
Grammy hall-of-famer Patti LaBelle.
_Hollywood Reporter_ hailed the show as “energetic, funny and
wonderfully distinctive” and_ PopBuzz_ as “sharp, entertaining and
seriously overdue.”
[20]
BAD EDUCATION [21]
_Bad Education, _nominated for Outstanding TV Movie, is based on the
real-life scandal that went down at writer Mike Makowsky’s high school,
where a student journalist uncovered the single largest public school
embezzlement scheme in America’s history.
The movie follows Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman, who is up for Best Actor
for the role) and Pam Gluckin (Oscar winner Allison Janney), whose reign
over a prestigious school district is threatened by the embezzlement
scandal, forcing Frank to take drastic steps to maintain order and
secrecy.
The cast includes MTV Movie + TV Awards nominee Alex Wolff
(_Hereditary_), Kathrine Narducci (_The Irishman_, _Godfather of
Harlem_) and Golden Globe nominee Ray Romano (_The Irishman_, _Everybody
Loves Raymond_).
_Bad Education_ has a 93% critics rating on _Rotten Tomatoes_, where the
critics consensus is, “Anchored by an outstanding Hugh Jackman,_ Bad
Education _finds absurd laughs – and a worthy message – in the aftermath
of a real-life scandal.”
[22]
RICK AND MORTY S4 [23]
_Rick and Morty_ is nominated for Best Animated Program, where it’s
competing against _Big Mouth, Bob’s Burgers, BoJack Horseman, _and
_The Simpsons._
_ _
Rick Sanchez is a sociopathic genius scientist who lives with his
daughter Beth’s family, constantly bringing her, his son-in-law Jerry,
granddaughter Summer, and inherently timid grandson Morty on insanely
dangerous adventures across the multiverse.
Adult Swim’s half-hour animated comedy is the highest-rated animated
series of all time on _IMDb_, with a 9.2/10 rating, and has won an Emmy,
two Annie Awards and a Critics Choice Award, among other honours. Season
4 has a 94% critics rating on _Rotten Tomatoes_, which praises the
season as “both an exciting progression and a delightful return to
form that proves more than worth the two-year wait.”
[24]
ROBOT CHICKEN S10 [25]
_Robot Chicken _is one of three nominees for Best Short Animated
Program, for its Christmas special, _Santa’s Dead (Spoiler Alert)
Holiday Murder Thing Special_ – think _Murder of the North Pole
Express_, with Inspector Jesus on the case and a train full of fairytale
suspects. _ _
_Robot Chicken_ uses stop-motion animation to bring pop-culture parodies
to life in a modern take on the variety/sketch show format. In its
decade of existence, the show has attracted A-list pop culture voiceover
talent, from George Lucas and Scarlett Johansson to South Africa’s
very own Charlize Theron. The show includes both original characters and
hundreds of parody characters from pop-culture franchises like _Star
Wars_, DC Comics Universe, and now, _The Walking Dead_.
Having just aired its 200th episode, the six-time Emmy-winning series
remains among the top-rated original series on Adult Swim.
[26]
I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE S1 [27] | Thursdays at 23:00; binge from 6
August 2020
It’s no surprise that three-time Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo
(_Spotlight, Avengers_) is up for Best Actor in a Limited Series for his
dual role in _I Know This Much is True _as identical twin brothers, one
of whom is a paranoid schizophrenic.
As _The Los Angeles Times_ predicted, “In a transformative feat that
seems all but guaranteed to earn him an Emmy nomination, Ruffalo plays
both the Birdsey brothers. He lost 20 pounds before production began,
then spent 16 weeks filming his scenes as the aggressive Dominick. Then
he took six weeks off, gained 30 pounds by subsisting on oatmeal and
mashed potatoes, and returned as the more vulnerable Thomas.”
Based on the 1998 bestselling novel by Wally Lamb, _I Know this Much is
True_’s phenomenal cast includes Oscar winner Melissa Leo (_The
Fighter_), Emmy winner Rosie O’Donnell (_SMILF_), Emmy nominees
Kathryn Hahn (_Mrs Fletcher_, _Transparent_) and Rob Huebel
(_Transparent_), Golden Globe nominee Archie Panjabi (_Run, The Good
Wife_), and Oscar nominee Juliette Lewis (_Natural Born Killers_).
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL, FOLKS
Other 2020 Emmy nominees on Showmax include:
- HBO’s AI sci-fi series _Westworld [28]_, which is up for 11 Emmys,
including Best Supporting Actor (Jeffrey Wright as Bernard) and
Supporting Actress (2018 Emmy winner Thandie Newton as Maeve)
- HBO’s prestige drama _Big Little Lies [29]_, which is up for five
Emmys, including Supporting Actress (2017 Emmy winner Laura Dern as
Renata Klein and three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep as Mary Louise
Wright)
- NBC’s cop comedy _Brooklyn Nine-Nine [30]_, which is up for two
Emmys, including Supporting Actor (Andre Braugher as Captain Raymond
Holt). Seasons 1-6 are available to binge now on Showmax; Season 7 comes
to Showmax 1 January 2021
- The Discovery Channel documentary series _Why We Hate [31], _which
is up for Theme Music and Music Composition
- HBO’s Stephen King crime series _The Outsider [32]_, which is up
for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Jason Bateman as Terry
Maitland
The reality TV singing competition, _The Masked Singer_ S2, which is up
for two Emmys, including Outstanding Competition Programme, is coming to
Showmax on 1 October 2020, while HBO’s classic comedy _Curb Your
Enthusiasm_, which is up for_ _four Emmys, including Outstanding
Comedy,_ _has nine seasons available to binge, with its most recent
Emmy-nominated season coming first to Showmax in January 2021.
The 72nd Emmy Awards will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on
Sunday, 20 September 2020, with the Creative Arts Awards airing the
night before. Check out the full list of nominees here. [33]
[1] https://youtu.be/-VTiIWRpi5w
[2] https://youtu.be/MYjHQhjt0_M
[3] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/yous6pmy-succession
[4] https://youtu.be/s6pnCeFmW8s
[5] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/1v093ezv-the-handmaids-tale
[6] https://youtu.be/MHM7hvtmLU8
[7]
https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/urkn6mpb-what-we-do-in-the-shadows
[8] https://youtu.be/ifALAzlgdX0
[9] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/2ji8dze7-insecure
[10] https://youtu.be/I17p_TouI3A
[11] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/f9yitlkr-euphoria
[12] https://youtu.be/rI7c63OmczY
[13] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/vtk48c9r-mcmillions
[14] https://youtu.be/yrc_7rZRw5c
[15]
https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/hl8kpth7-little-fires-everywhere
[16] https://youtu.be/pC21ZnPpisc
[17] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/zi2chflv-ramy
[18] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7n65rVz95Y
[19]
https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/ig114ns0-a-black-lady-sketch-show
[20] https://youtu.be/CbsFQqvv4z0
[21] https://www.showmax.com/eng/movie/ybtxzbg5-bad-education
[22] https://youtu.be/lFZ0-1MtQWI
[23] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/av2y62wv-rick-and-morty
[24] https://youtu.be/CwVN3H_6GFk
[25] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/8zi4aphw-robot-chicken
[26] https://youtu.be/bkCyLA0zCfo
[27]
https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/yl86dkdr-i-know-this-much-is-true
[28] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/9bv3idbe-westworld
[29] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/2byme4cj-big-little-lies
[30] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/0t98tcf1-brooklyn-nine-nine
[31] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/w8osf7e3-why-we-hate
[32] https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/k61hiud2-the-outsider
[33]
https://www.emmys.com/sites/default/files/Downloads/72nd-nominations-list-v1.pdf?q=1
[34]
http://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=12994&d=zPGf2ymNQVu4F-FdGzx14zVwNqeXrjrcgICnQ-HqPA&u=http%3a%2f%2fshowmax%2ecom
[35] http://now.dstv.com
