All of the 2021 Emmy Nominations from WandaVision to Ted Lasso to Remind You of the Variety in Entertainment
We love awards ceremonies. Sometimes they give recognition to well-deserved and phenomenal pieces of art. Other times they cause unnecessary drama. Whatever the case, it’s fun to tune in and appreciate the artists behind the thing we spend most of our time doing these days. The Emmys show up just in time to help us forget about the post-Oscars slump and gives us a reminder of what we still need to cross off of our “to watch” lists. Without further ado, here are the official 2021 Emmy nominations!
The Official List Of The 2021 Emmy Nominations
Image via Disney+
Outstanding Drama Series
The Boys
Bridgerton
The Crown
The Mandalorian
Lovecraft Country
Pose
The Handmaid’s Tale
This Is Us
This category is often one of the most competitive of the night, and the 2021 Emmy nominations shows that it’s still true. There are often a few standouts that make us go into our predictions with somebody in the lead, but this year could go in almost any of these directions. We doubt that Bridgerton will get anywhere close to the winning spot, but The Mandalorian, The Crown, and Lovecraft Country all stand a chance, with others close behind.
Outstanding Comedy Series
Black-ish
Cobra Kai
Pen15
Emily in Paris
Hacks
Ted Lasso
The Flight Attendant
The Kominsky Method
And the winner is… Emily in Paris! Just kidding. As we discussed in our Golden Globes controversy post, critics and viewers around the world have been angry to watch as shows with such style over substance get nominated when others are snubbed. We expect Ted Lasso to win the fight here.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Regé-Jean Page, Bridgerton
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Billy Porter, Pose
Jonathan Majors, Lovecraft Country
Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason
Josh O’Connor, The Crown
Regé-Jean Page will never appear in another season of Bridgerton, so some voters may feel inclined to vote for his one-off performance. But others, like Billy Porter, have stronger performances under his belt.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Emma Corrin, The Crown
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Uzo Aduba, In Treatment
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Jurnee Smollett, Lovecraft Country
Mj Rodriguez, Pose
Mj Rodriguez has become the first trans woman to be nominated for a major acting category, which we’re thrilled to hear. So, how great would it be to see her take the trophy?
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Michael K. Williams, Lovecraft Country
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale
Max Minghella, The Handmaid’s Tale
O-T Fagbenle, The Handmaid’s Tale
John Lithgow, Perry Mason
Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian
Chris Sullivan, This Is Us
The Handmaid’s Tale seems to have a pretty good chance at winning something with this fantastic ratio, but John Lithgow and Giancarlo Esposito are always people that we’re down to see win.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Gillian Anderson, The Crown
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Emerald Fennell, The Crown
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale
Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid’s Tale
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
Madeline Brewer, The Handmaid’s Tale
Aunjanue Ellis, Lovecraft Country
While the odds are in the favor of The Crown and The Handmaid’s Tale, these nominations could work against each other. We won’t be surprised if Aunjanue Ellis ends up taking a deserving win!
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
William H. Macy, Shameless
Kenan Thompson, Kenan
William H. Macy is great, but Jason Sudeikis has been taking plenty of awards for Ted Lasso, so our prediction is in his favor.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Aidy Bryant, Shrill
Jean Smart, Hacks
Allison Janney, Mom
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Allison Janney took the award for this show in the supporting category back in 2015, so it would be very full-circle to see her take the lead.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
Brendan Hunt, Ted Lasso
Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso
Jeremy Swift, Ted Lasso
Paul Reiser, The Kominsky Method
Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Hacks
It’s a tough call when it comes to predicting the next Ted Lasso winner, but we might put Brett Goldstein close to the top if Kenan Thompson doesn’t take it.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Aidy Bryant, Saturday Night Live
Rosie Perez, The Flight Attendant
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso
Kate McKinnon has always been a fan-favorite for Saturday Night Live, but she’s triple-tied with equally talented comedians. This is another category that we wouldn’t put money on!
Outstanding Limited Series
Mare of Easttown
I May Destroy You
WandaVision
The Queen’s Gambit
The Underground Railroad
Phew… If there had to be a hard race to call, it would be this one. Mare of Easttown is the only reason that I subscribed to Crave, and I didn’t regret it once. But I May Destroy You is one of the most moving portrayals of trauma responses out there, and WandaVision also looks at serious topics like grief in innovative ways. Oh, and then there’s The Queen’s Gambit, which made chess look more interesting than the Super Bowl.
Outstanding Television Movie
Uncle Frank
Sylvie’s Love
Oslo
Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia
Dolly Parton’s Christmas on The Square
Sylvie’s Love leans to the top of our list on this one.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Paul Bettany, WandaVision
Hugh Grant, The Undoing
Ewan McGregor, Halston
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton
We’ll never stop supporting WandaVision over here at Comic Years, so we’re rooting for Paul Bettany. However, Hamilton might put up quite the fight.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown
Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit
Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision
Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha
Michaela Coel is the heart and soul of I May Destroy You, which she wrote and created. She is more than deserving, and our fingers are crossed for her. Though Anya Taylor-Joy has been sweeping other awards ceremonies, and Kate Winslet is also beloved by many voters. As much as we’re obsessed with Elizabeth Olsen’s role of Wanda Maxmioff, we think that Coel should be the frontrunner.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Jean Smart, Mare of Easttown
Julianne Nicholson, Mare of Easttown
Kathryn Hahn, WandaVision
Phillipa Soo, Hamilton
Renee Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton
Moses Ingram, The Queen’s Gambit
If Kathryn Hahn doesn’t walk on stage to sing Agatha All Along, then, well, I’ll be disappointed.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Daveed Diggs, Hamilton
Jonathan Groff, Hamilton
Anthony Ramos, Hamilton
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, The Queen’s Gambit
Evan Peters, Mare of Easttown
Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You
Paapa Essiedu definitely deserves this win, bringing a new weight to I May Destroy You. But Evan Peters played a role that took him far away from his usual typecast, and we’re happy to see him nominated.
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Courtney B. Vance, Lovecraft Country
Charles Dance, The Crown
Don Cheadle, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Timothy Olyphant, The Mandalorian
Carl Weathers, The Mandalorian
These categories often get to a point where I don’t even want to bother making a prediction because there are so many options. This is one of those categories. Though, we are surprised to see Don Cheadle in this one.
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale
Mckenna Grace, The Handmaid’s Tale
Claire Foy, The Crown
Phylicia Rashad, This Is Us
Sophie Okonedo, Ratched
Seeing young actresses nominated for awards shows is thrilling, and Mckenna Grace continues to prove that she’s the next up-and-coming star. Her winning would be a thrill!
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, Saturday Night Live
Dave Chappelle, Saturday Night Live
Daniel Kaluuya, Saturday Night Live
Dan Levy, Saturday Night Live
Morgan Freeman, The Kominsky Method
Alec Baldwin always delights on Saturday Night Live, but we’ve seen it already. Dan Levy winning might be more exciting after last year’s Schitt’s Sweep.
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Issa Rae, A Black Lady Sketch Show
Jane Adams, Hacks
Bernadette Peters, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Yvette Nicole Brown, A Black Lady Sketch Show
There is a lot to root for here, including big names in comedy like Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig. But our votes are behind Issa Rae.
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
A Black Lady Sketch Show
Saturday Night Live
Well, either way, there’s a 50% chance we’re right with whatever prediction we make. But Saturday Night Live has won enough. Seriously, it has 78 Primetime Emmys. We want to see A Black Lady Sketch Show take it home.
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Conan
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Conan has recently come to an end, and the loving outpour makes us think that this is the direction we’re going in with this category.
Outstanding Competition Program
The Amazing Race
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
Most of these shows pop up every year, and we’re never surprised. It could go to anybody, and they’d all deserve it. But we’re pretty big fans of Top Chef over here.
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness, Queer Eye
Nicole Byer, Nailed It!
Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons, Top Chef
Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, and Kevin O’Leary, Shark Tank
RuPaul is one of the most memorable hosts around. Could he win again when up against this list of the 2021 Emmy nominations? Maybe.
The Nominations For The 2021 Emmy Awards Are Ready to Fight
Image via HBO.
There are a lot of shows that we’re rooting for this year and some that we’re pleasantly surprised to see. WandaVision pulled in more nominations than we had expected, and we’re desperate to see it win at least one competitive category. Other favorites like I May Destroy You deserve wins after being overlooked by other competitions, and our hearts are full after seeing them get the nominations they deserve.
Whatever happens on September 19th when we see the 2021 Emmy nominations on the big screen, just know that we’ll need to prepare ourselves for some big moments. So, let’s start preparing!
Featured image via Disney+.
Meghan Hale is the kind of movie lover that has a "must watch" that is a mile long... and growing. When she isn't talking about the latest film and television news she is writing one of her many in-process novels, screaming film trivia at anybody who will listen, and working as a mental health care professional. Follow her on Twitter @meghanrhale for some fun theories and live reactions to all things entertainment.
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