Ron Cephas Jones and Jasmine Cephas Jones announced the 2021 Primetime Emmy nominations. Handout via Getty Images
As the world seemed to shut down this last year and social activities like concerts and theater-going hit a sudden dead end, arts and entertainment of various mediums rose to the occasion, filling the gaps in our hearts from the comfort of our home. From Disney+’s WandaVision, to heart-capturing performances from actors such as Regé-Jean Page in Bridgerton and Uzo Aduba in In Treatment, the 73rd Primetime Emmy Award nominations reflect the new normal of home-based digital media consumption.
The nominations were revealed during a livestream on Tuesday by Emmy-winning father-daughter Ron Cephas Jones of This Is Us and Jasmine Cephas Jone of #FreeRayshawn. They were joined by Television Academy chairman and CEO Frank Scherma, who said in a statement, It has been an extraordinary year in which television brought multigenerational families together in a shared love of their favorite programs.
And it surely has been. If the Emmy nominations this year reflect anything, it’s that even as we all navigate the uncertainty of the pandemic-impacted world, arts and entertainment have persevered to remain a solid part of our lives in one way or another and have the potential to bring people together, even in a socially distanced time.
You can watch the 2021 Emmy Awards, which will be hosted by Cedric the Entertainer on CBS and Paramount Plus on Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).
Drama Series
The Boys (Amazon Prime Video)
Bridgerton (Netflix)
The Crown (Netflix)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Lovecraft Country (HBO)
The Mandalorian (Disney Plus)
Pose (FX)
This Is Us (NBC)
Comedy Series
Black-ish (ABC)
Cobra Kai (Netflix)
Emily in Paris (Netflix)
Hacks (HBO Max)
The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)
The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
Pen15 (Hulu)
Ted Lasso (Apple TV Plus)
Limited Series
I May Destroy You (HBO)
Mare of Easttown (HBO)
The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime Video)
WandaVision (Disney+)
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country)
Josh O’Connor (The Crown)
Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton)
Billy Porter (Pose)
Matthew Rhys (Perry Mason)
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Uzo Aduba (In Treatment)
Olivia Colman (The Crown)
Emma Corrin (The Crown)
Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Mj Rodriguez (Pose)
Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country)
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson (Black-ish)
Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)
William H. Macy (Shameless)
Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)
Kenan Thompson (Kenan)
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Aidy Bryant (Shrill)
Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant)
Allison Janney (Mom)
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish)
Jean Smart (Hacks)
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)
Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You)
Cynthia Erivo (Genius: Aretha)
Elizabeth Olsen (WandaVision)
Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit)
Kate Winslet (Mare of Easttown)
Variety Talk Series
Conan
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Last Show With Stephen Colbert
Competition Program
The Amazing Race
Nailed It
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
Television Movie
Dolly Parton’s Christmas On The SquareOslo
Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia
Sylvie’s Love
Uncle Frank
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian)
O-T Fagbenie (The Handmaid’s Tale)
John Lithgow (Perry Mason)
Tobias Menzies (The Crown)
Max Minghella (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Chris Sullivan (This Is Us)
Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Michael K. Williams (Lovecraft Country)
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Gillian Anderson (The Crown)
Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown)
Madeline Brewer (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Aunjanue Ellis (Lovecraft Country)
Emerald Fennell (The Crown)
Yvonne Strahovski (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Carl Clemons-Hopkins (Hacks)
Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso)
Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso)
Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso)
Paul Reiser (The Kominsky Method)
Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso)
Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live)
Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live)
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Aidy Bryant (Saturday Night Live)
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Rosie Perez (The Flight Attendant)
Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live)
Juno Temple (Ted Lasso)
Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)
Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Thomas Brodie Sangster (The Queen’s Gambit)
Daveed Diggs (Hamilton)
Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You)
Jonathan Groff (Hamilton)
Evan Peters (Mare Of Easttown)
Anthony Ramos (Hamilton)
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton)
Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision)
Moses Ingram (The Queen’s Gambit)
Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Easttown)
Jean Smart (Mare of Easttown)
Phillipa Soo (Hamilton)
Golden Years is Observer’s clear-eyed coverage of the awards horserace.
