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 The highest awards in
television are going ahead as a live, virtual
ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, but without a
celebrity audience or a red carpet, after six
months of lockdowns, no live concerts and a lost
summer movie season.
"Television has really dominated and helped
people in the last six months of pandemic. So
there perhaps is a sense of wanting to see how
these things we discovered during quarantine, or
watched again, will fare on Sunday," said Gerrad
Hall, senior TV editor at Entertainment Weekly.
Emmy producers say they have thrown out the
awards show playbook and are looking to do
something fun and unexpected, while cognizant of
massive wildfires, the pandemic and a divisive
presidential election campaign.
"We are not tone deaf. We are trying to make
this show in the backdrop of a lot of things
going on in this country," co-producer Ian
Stewart told reporters.
Television proved an escape for millions during
the lockdowns but many of the shows up for Emmys
are far from frivolous in a line-up that is
stronger than ever on diversity.
"Watchmen" based on a comic book but infused
with themes of racial injustice, goes into
Sunday's ceremony with a leading 26 nods and is
expected to end up one of the night's biggest
winners.
"It's big in scope, and its message of
institutional racism and diving deep into this
country's history of inequality couldn't be more
timely," said Michael Schneider, senior editor
at Variety.
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 Schneider called "Watchmen" a
"dead cert" to win the Emmy for best limited
series, with Regina King's kick ass police
detective seen as favorite for best actress.
The best drama series race appears to be a close
contest between money laundering thriller
"Ozark," starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney,
and squabbling media family saga "Succession,"
whose cunning patriarch is played by Brian Cox.
"It's strange in this day and age to see people
rooting and caring so much for rich white
people, but there is also a thrill in watching
them squirm," said Hall, talking of
"Succession."
Both shows, which tied with 18 Emmy nods,
"benefited from all the binge watching that
people did during quarantine," Hall added.
By contrast "Schitt's Creek," a leading
contender for best comedy series honors, is a
quirky feel good show about a rich family forced
to live in a run-down motel. It also got nods
for writing, directing and for its four main
actors - Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Daniel
Levy and Annie Murphy.
Previous Emmy champ "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
is also in the running but sentiment appears to
be with "Schitt's Creek," which went from
obscurity to a fan favorite in its 6th and final
season.
The Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on ABC on
Sunday, starting at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Grant
McCool)
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