Emmy 2020: The main talking points as Watchmen leads nominations and Normal People snubbed

Jennifer Aniston is up for her first dramatic Emmy – and 10 other talking points

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The Emmy nominations for 2020 have been announced, with Watchmen, Succession and The Mandalorian all scoring prime spots in this year's list of contenders.

Leslie Jones hosted the announcement on Tuesday. Laverne Cox, Josh Gad, and Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslaney joined as presenters via a virtual weblink.

This year’s ceremony was thrown into question following the coronavirus pandemic, but events went back into motion with Tuesday's broadcast.

The 2020 Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on 2 September.

Here are the main talking points from the 2020 Emmys nominations:

Watchmen

In a better world, Watchmen’s incredible success at this year’s Emmys wouldn’t be such a surprise. But considering the Emmys’ history with anything particularly difficult or ambitious (or even their history with sci-fi alone), the show’s stunning 26 nods feel groundbreaking. It couldn’t have happened to a more special programme. Adam White

Better Call Saul

The Breaking Bad prequel may have a nomination in the main Drama category, but that voters didn't consider its lead stars worthy of acting nods is rather hard to comprehend. Bob Odenkirk and, in particular, Rhea Seehorn turned in their best work for the show's fifth season. But, with new blood such as The Morning Show and Succession, they've been criminally pushed down the list. Jacob Stolworthy

Elisabeth Moss

The Handmaid’s Tale star is a household name at the Emmys, having scored many nominations for both the dystopian show and Mad Men. She took home the trophy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2017, and her continued portrayal of June in the HBO show could have resulted in another nomination this year. Alas, it wasn’t to be. Clémence Michallon

Normal People

Normal People was the most talked-about series of the early summer, but only took home one solitary nomination for its male lead, Paul Mescal. It’s a testament to his star-is-born charisma on the show, but disappointing overall considering the Sally Rooney adaptation was such a lightning rod for discussion just a few months ago. Adam White

The Mandalorian

The inclusion of the Disney+ show on the list of nominees for Outstanding Drama Series is a considerable mark of prestige for the Star Wars series, which debuted in November last year to great acclaim. It also positions Disney+ as a serious contender in future awards races, alongside the likes of Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Amazon Studios. Clémence Michallon

Zendaya/Euphoria

While Zendaya is a major star, it still feels quietly radical that her provocative drama series Euphoria scored her a Best Drama Actress nomination. With its sex and drugs and wall-to-wall nudity, the HBO series is sort of the antithesis of everything the Emmys historically like to spotlight. Adam White

Tiger King

Netflix’s true-crime series, which became a must-watch as many viewers around the world entered coronavirus lockdown, was always a bit of a “love it or hate it” programme. Clearly, the Emmys fall in the former camp: Tiger King is up for six awards, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. Clémence Michallon

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon’s absence from the nominees came as a surprise, particularly as she has become enmeshed in television over the last two years. Despite her Apple TV+ series The Morning Show scoring a Best Drama Series nomination, and her co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell receiving their own acting nods, Witherspoon went away empty-handed. The same thing occurred with Little Fires Everywhere, the limited series Witherspoon starred in and co-produced (her co-star Kerry Washington received a well-deserved nod instead), and even the second, polarising season of Big Little Lies. That appeared to be slightly forgotten altogether, with only nods for Meryl Streep and Laura Dern in the Supporting Actress category. Considering how the show’s first season dominated the limited-series awards in 2018, it feels like a statement on its lesser quality. Adam White

What We Do in the Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows may be one of the funniest shows on TV, but with no acting nominations, it seemed unlikely to be recognised in the main Comedy category. Colour us surprised, then, to see it rear its head, and while it's unlikely to win, it's reassuring to know that voters have been glamoured by its vampire characters' antics. Jacob Stolworthy

Jennifer Aniston

Eighteen years after winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Friends, Aniston scores her first nomination for a dramatic Emmy thanks to her performance on The Morning Show. She’s up for Lead Actress in a Drama Series alongside Olivia Colman, Zendaya, Jodie Comer, Sandra Oh, and Laura Linney. Clémence Michallon

Claire Danes

Claire Danes has had her fair share of Emmy love in the past; with three nominations and one win since 2011, she certainly made her mark as Homeland character Carrie Mathison. However, considering voters have a history of nominating awarding winners for their final seasons (see: Jon Hamm for Mad Men, Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad), a final nod for Danes wasn't entirely unexpected. Sadly, it wasn't to be. Jacob Stolworthy

Follow the live updates as they happened during this year’s nominations with our live blog below:

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Key Points

• Full list of nominations
• Succession gets ahead
• Last year's list of winners

[28 July 2020 11:20 · Jacob Stolworthy]

It's pretty crowded over in the acting categories for Limited Series – in terms of lead star, all eyes are on Mark Ruffalo for his stirring portrayal of twins in I Know This Much Is True.

[28 July 2020 11:25 · Jacob Stolworthy]

Elsewhere, Russell Crowe should get a look-in for playing Roger Ailes in The Loudest Voice, while Hugh Jackman will likely be recognised for the lead role in TV film Bad Education (available now on Sky for anyone who's yet to see it).

[28 July 2020 11:28 · Jacob Stolworthy]

Who else is there? Paul Mescal for Normal People, of course, as well as Jeremy Irons for Watchmen. Could Aaron Paul sneak in for Breaking Bad film El Camino? Quite possibly.

[28 July 2020 11:31 · Jacob Stolworthy]

Leading the charge in the Best Actress in a Limited Series category has to be Regina King for her blistering work in Watchmen. If you're yet to watch it, start immediately.

[28 July 2020 11:33 · Jacob Stolworthy]

Will the Unbreakable trio prove their worth at this year's ceremony? Merritt Wever, Toni Collette and Kaityln Dever are all standing by to see.  

[28 July 2020 11:35 · Jacob Stolworthy]

Cate Blanchett (Mrs America), Kerry Washington (Little Fires Everywhere) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) could all be named, too.

[28 July 2020 11:37 · Jacob Stolworthy]

Time to run through the Supporting Actor category for a Limited Series, which surely must feature Watchmen lads Tim Blake Nelson and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Otherwise, perhaps Jim Parsons and Joe Mantello will be the only nominations for Ryan Murphy's Hollywood with John Turturro getting something for David Simon's The Plot Against America. We'll see.

[28 July 2020 11:44 · Jacob Stolworthy]

[28 July 2020 11:44 · Jacob Stolworthy]

Time for Best Comedy Series, which – with any luck – will be Schitt's Creek's time to shine.

[28 July 2020 11:45 · Jacob Stolworthy]

Expect nominations for its four lead stars, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy.