Apple TV+ made a splash in the Primetime Emmy Awards race in 2020 after their first slate of programming dropped in 2019, and every year their nomination count has increased. The Morning Show became a contender in the acting categories (despite missing out on a Drama Series nomination), but Ted Lasso swooped in the following two years to dominate the Comedy Series races. As a new Primetime Emmy Award season is upon us, can Apple TV+ go even further?
If you break down the three separate “branches” of the Emmys (Comedy, Drama, Limited/TV Movie), you will notice that Apple has a strong chance to be nominated everywhere. Something about this season feels stronger to me. Even with CODA becoming the first streaming platform to take Best Picture at the Oscars, it feels like Apple has taken little time to figure out how to champion their content for a long road ahead. Let’s take a look at Apple TV+’s most viable contenders for the upcoming Emmy season.
Prison or Hurricanes or Missing Husbands?
The streamer has only ever failed to land a series spot in the Limited Series category, but it doesn’t help that the number of submissions has limited the number of honorees to 5 instead of the 8 in Drama and Comedy in the last 3 years. Dennis Lehane’s Black Bird seems to be Apple’s first chance to nab a nomination in the category, especially since Paul Walter Hauser has won awards at Critics Choice and the Golden Globes (Hauser and Taron Egerton were pitted against each other at the Screen Actors Guild this year but lost to Evan Peters). Black Bird debuted last summer–shortly after last year’s voting period closed–so its presence at awards shows so far is a strong indication that it still is on people’s minds, and now more people will go back to tune in. While Hauser is taking home trophies, Egerton is a burgeoning star right now, and Tetris just debut on–wait for it–Apple TV.
There are two other contenders that could make a splash. Five Days at Memorial was critically beloved when it was released late last summer, and it features a strong ensemble led by Vera Farmiga and Cherry Jones. After last year’s race included fluffier fare like Inventing Anna and Pam & Tommy, Five Days could be a more serious alternative to the tabloid-friendly stories nominated in the category. It would not be a surprise if Jones landed double nominations for this and another Guest Actress in a Drama Series for HBO’s Succession. It’s interesting to note that she has only been nominated in the Drama Guest category, but she has won 3 out of her 4 nominations.
The Last Thing He Told Me, headed by Jennifer Garner, drops next week. Can it capitalize on that voracious book adaptation audience and become a sneaker hit? The star-studded Extrapolations (Daveed Diggs! Edward Norton! Streep!) had a quieter debut in mid-March, and I expect that it will pick up some crafts love.
Sisterly Blood Thicker Than Other Contenders?
This past season, Severance became Apple’s first contender for Outstanding Drama Series, and it racked up 4 acting nominations. Since it won’t be back for this year’s ceremony, will another series on Apple’s roster take its place? With a possible 8 slots open for the awards’ most prestigious prize, Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters is the network’s best shot at a nomination.
So far, the dark revenge series has been nominated at Critics Choice and BAFTA, and the fans of this show are very passionate and loyal. Horgan was previously nominated alongside Rob Delaney for Prime Video’s Catastrophe (seriously, go watch it) for writing, but she has yet to be nominated for her skilled work in front of the camera. Anne-Marie Duff is nominated at BAFTA and she, along with Eve Hewson, Sarah Greene, and Eva Birthistle are all nominated for Supporting Actress at the Irish Film & Television Awards.
If the Television Academy wanted to peek through Apple’s staple series, they could finally nominate Servant for something. Maybe they loved Knock at the Cabin, and they want to show M. Night Shyamalan some love? Maybe they are excited that Lauren Ambrose has joined the second season of Yellowjackets and they are catching up with her other stellar work as Dorothy? Will I give up banging the drum for Servant? Clearly not.
Apple has some quieter contenders in Truth Be Told (now in its third season), Hello Tomorrow!, Silo, and Dear Edward. Ever since Octavia Spencer crashed Lead Actress in a Limited Series for Self Made, I wonder if she can surprise again for Truth. Tomorrow is a production design bonanza, and Edward is a tear-jerker with an Emmy-friendly cast, including Connie Britton and Taylor Schilling. Silo, fronted by Rebecca Ferguson, drops the first week of May and follows a woman desperate to find answers surrounding the conditions outside a massive, hundreds-deep silo meant to keep humanity safe.
Last Hurrah for some HA-HAs?
Ted Lasso, Ted Lasso, Ted Lasso–that seems like all I have to write when it comes to the Comedy Series race.
The beloved soccer comedy still has its devoted fans, and this would (probably?) be the last chance the Television Academy would have to crown the Jason Sudeikis-fronted comedy. In case you need reminded, Ted Lasso has nabbed 14 acting nominations in just 2 seasons, but the small differences from season one to season two indicate that they aren’t just name-checking members of the cast because they see the on the ballot. Voters are passionately ticking names for the characters they love.
If this is truly Lasso‘s last lap, does Apple have another comedy to transition into the race? I’m glad you asked!
The obvious successor currently on Apple’s roster is Bill Lawrence’s Shrinking. Yes, one show is about a soccer coach and the other centers on an emotionally flailing therapist, but both are about men tapping into their feelings in a world that expects them not to. Both manage to be deeply emotional but hilarious at the same time, and Lawrence is a producer on both shows (having won back-to-back Emmys for Lasso‘s Comedy Series dominance).
Even if some shows don’t nab a Comedy Series nomination, acting nods could rack up Apple’s count on nomination morning. I personally think that Harrison Ford has a great shot for Shrinking. It’s a type of role that people love him for, and it has a dramatic undercurrent to it. Michael Urie is also way overdue for a nomination, and he delivers a bright, positive performance amid all the tear-soaked comedy.
Maya Rudolph should not be forgotten for Loot. Eat the rich, yes, but give Maya another nomination, please and thank you! I hope that Apple does a big push for this show since it has a great cast (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Joel Kim Booster, Nate Faxon), and I would love to see Rudolph’s wardrobe get a costume nomination.
Schmigadoon! came close, I suspect, to a nomination for Kristin Chenoweth in Supporting Actress, and she’s back with a Miss Hannigan/Mrs. Lovett mash-up in the second season. No disrespect to the Tony and Emmy Award winner, but Cecily Strong is especially great throughout Schmicago. Perhaps her final year on Saturday Night Live will boost her? Could The Big Door Prize…lead to Emmy prizes?! The comedy series has already been renewed for a second season, so there is confidence there.
A big question mark comes in the form of Jay Roach’s High Desert. It was announced earlier this week that the Ben Stiller-produced dark comedy, starring Emmy-winner Patricia Arquette, Matt Dillon, Bernadette Peters, and Weruche Opia, would debut on the platform on May 17. If the series debuts enough episodes (the requirement is 6) before the eligibility window closes (on May 31), could this be a last-minute, stealth nominee?
__________________________________________________
There you have it! What shows do you want to see make a splash this season? Are you rooting for Lasso to go three for three, or do you want a new show to emerge victoriously?