Spy drama The Americans received nominations for five award categories which, according to critics and experts were overdue and the nominations includes best actor for Mathew Rhys, Keri Russell for best actress, outstanding drama series and the best writing award for their season’s final show. Sarah Paulson is nominated for best lead actress in a limited series for her role as prosecutor Marcia Clark.
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Also in the best comedy category is Master of None, starring Aziz Ansari as a struggling NY actor coping with personal and professional woes.
The true-story series follows “Game of Thrones” domination with 22 nods including for Outstanding Limited Series that also has ABC’s “American Crime”, fellow FX series “Fargo”, AMC’s “The Night Manager” and History’s “Roots” as contenders.
The 68th Emmy Awards air live Sunday, September 18 at 7 p.m. on ABC, while Game of Thrones returns for season seven sometime in 2017 on HBO.
But Emmy voters appear to have ignored his failure to truly inhabit the role of O.J. Simpson and have given him a surprise Lead Actor in a Limited Series nod alongside his co-star and potential victor Courtney B. Vance.
HBO’s “Game of Thrones” led the way with 23 nominations.
Hiddleston will compete for the best lead actor in a limited series award against Elba, who is nominated for Luther, and Cumberbatch, who has been recognised for Sherlock.
The best thing about the Emmy nominations is that Laurie Metcalf received three nominations in three different categories. The other nominations of this fairytale show included best supporting actress and actor Maisie Williams, Emilia Clarke, Lena Headley, Kit Harington, Peter Dinkage (Who also won it previous year too) and the writers, DB Weiss and David Benioff also got the nod.
But ABC sitcom Black-ish was much less of a lockdown, as evident by the whoops and hollers from its star (and nominations co-host) Anthony Anderson at the nominations ceremony.
The nominations were announced by Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham and Black-ish’s Anthony Anderson, who whooped and cheered as he read out his own nomination in the best comedy lead category, one of several the show received.
The first series of American Crime Story is widely regarded as one of the finest TV shows of 2016 so far, but the man at the centre of it, Cuba Gooding Jr, was also seen as its weakest link.
A top acting nod for “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays a US vice president now elevated to the Oval Office, gives her the chance to score her fifth consecutive win and set a record.
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Speaking as he completed a Star Trek mural in Clerkenwell in London, he said: “I wasn’t expecting that”.
