Each year, the Primetime Emmy Awards pay tribute to some of the best projects in show, lauding TV's most stunning performances at one of the biggest nights in Hollywood. Its 2019-2020 season has undoubtedly been the busiest in entertainment history, and the number of Emmy submissions to be considered reflects that; almost 800 different shows and programs were submitted for this year's Emmy consideration. The coronavirus pandemic affected the calendar for the 2020 Emmy Awards, causing the Board of Governors to extending both the submission deadline and the voting period by over a month.
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Unfortunately, even with the extension, many of the submitted titles still won't be recognized at this year's award show. The nominations for the 2020 Emmys have been released, and while they include a number of pleasant surprises — I get to see my boyfriend-in-my-head Yahya Abdul Mateen II sporting another colorful tux at the ceremony because he nabbed his very first nomination for Watchmen, and Octavia Spencer's Netflix run as the Black hair icon Madam C.J. Walker also made waves — some of the most powerful television performances were paid dust, which meant we also got a few surprise noms.
Little Fires Everywhere received two Emmy nominations (Outstanding Limited Series and Kerry Washington for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie), but somehow, Reese Witherspoon's disturbing turn as the Hulu adaptation's bonafide supervillain was wholly ignored. It's like she screamed into the void for nothing! Witherspoon also missed out for Big Little Lies (HBO) and The Morning Show (Apple+).
Hulu's High Fidelity millennial reboot starring Zoe Kravitz was also shut out this season, as were the incredible onscreen performances on the platform's hilariously irreverent The Great — the series received nominations in a number of behind-the-scenes categories, but Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult's flawless portrayal of feuding Russian royals Catherine and Peter somehow flew under the radar. And Elisabeth Moss is the star of The Handmaid's Tale, but she didn't make the cut even after taking home several nominations and even a win in years past.
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The third season of Westworld may have been controversial amongst fans of the show, but its exclusion from the Outstanding Drama Series category is a shocker, especially since the series' earlier chapters had been up for nominations in the past. I know the plot line was a bit...twisted, to say the least, but damn. They even pulled Kid Cudi for this season!
In a disappointing but truly unsurprising turn of events, Ryan Murphy's FX original series Pose was not given its flowers despite season two being some of the best television I've ever seen. Billy Porter was rightfully nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, but the rest of the cast was left out of the race. Justice for MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Angelica Ross, and Dominique Jackson!
Glee alum Darren Criss was one of the biggest names in Netflix's glittering limited series Hollywood, but his portrayal of earnest director Raymond Aisnley was not nominated. Neither was co-star David Corenswet.
Considering the fact that this year's submissions pool was the most crowded it's ever been, it makes sense that the race is this tight. But damn!