The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards nominations will be announced on early Tuesday, kicking off an unusual awards season clouded by the COVID-19 pandemic. The awards, which honor the best and brightest
in television, will be held on September 20 in a live, virtual ceremony.

The industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, with shoot across the globe coming to a crashing halt. The TV calendar has been derailed and a number of shows could not be considered for this year’s award nominations. 

Still, the Television Academy’s 24,000 members were given a record number of
entries to sift through this year, and presumably had plenty of free time to
watch TV while cooped up at home due to the coronavirus lockdown.

“COVID has obviously canceled in-person events, so there’s been no
face-to-face schmoozing this year,” Joyce Eng, senior editor at
award-tracking website Gold Derby told news agency AFP.

“Between quarantine and the extended deadline, the assumption is that
voters have more time to watch TV, but we don’t know what they’re
watching,” Eng said. “Are they watching shows that premiered
three years ago but (they) haven’t had a chance to watch until now? Are they
watching all the shows that premiered this spring? Are they looking for
‘escapist’ fare?” 

Some of the fan favourites like ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Fleabag’ will not be a part of the race, as they ended their runs last year. In the drama category, the frontrunners are HBO’s dark humorous ‘Succession’, a show that narrates the tale of a powerful media family wrangling for control. Dark crime thriller ‘Ozark’ is also among the candidates likely to win the Best Drama category at this year’s Emmy Awards.

‘Even more
resonant’

Netflix’s flagship “The Crown” and Hulu’s dystopian drama
“The Handmaid’s Tale” — both of which sat out the awards last year
— are also likely to be considered, along with AMC’s “Breaking Bad”
prequel “Better Call Saul” and “The Morning Show,” from
newcomer Apple TV+.

On the comedy side, “The Marvelous Mrs Maisel” — Amazon’s story
of a 1950s housewife-turned-stand-up comic — is considered a favorite, along
with offbeat hit “Schitt’s Creek,” which just wrapped its run.

In the limited series race, HBO’s “Watchmen,” a superhero tale
that tackled racism in America, is expected to be the frontrunner.

“Watchmen is a great series on its own, but it’s become even more
resonant in recent weeks and will likely have a big day in the limited
races,” Eng said, referring to protests against racism and police
brutality that have roiled US cities in the last two months.

In the best drama actor categories, Brian Cox is likely to top the list for
his role in “Succession,” along with Jason Bateman for
“Ozark” and Bob Odenkirk for “Better Call Saul.”

Oscar-winner Olivia Colman of “The Crown” is expected to lead the
best actress category, along with Laura Linney (“Ozark”), Jennifer
Aniston (“The Morning Show”) and Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s
Tale”).

Eng noted that a new rule instituted by the Television Academy tying the
number of nomination slots in each category to the number of submissions,
except in drama and comedy series, will be another aspect to watch this year.

The nominations are to be announced Tuesday during a virtual ceremony hosted
by former “Saturday Night Live” star Leslie Jones. 

The Emmy Awards are set to take place September 20 and will likely also be a
virtual event because of the pandemic.