Aussies at front of Emmys race

Naomi Watts and Elizabeth Debicki are leading Australia’s hopes at the Emmy Awards as Shogun and The Bear lead the nominations.

Australian stars Naomi Watts and Elizabeth Debicki are up for Emmy Awards after the nominations were announced in a live-streamed ceremony from Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Watts was nominated for Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series for Feud: Capote vs. the Swans which documented iconic writer Truman Capote’s monumental falling out with his coterie of glamorous New York socialites (Watts played socialite and magazine editor, Babe Paley).

Naomi Watts has been nominated for an Emmy. Picture: AFP

Watts is up against enduring awards show favourite, Jodie Foster for True Detective: Night Country, Brie Larson for Lessons in Chemistry, Juno Temple for Fargo, and Sofia Vergara who was excellent as a Mexican cartel boss in Griselda.

Debicki is up for best supporting actress nod for her stunning portrayal of Princess Diana in the Final season of The Crown.

Debicki’s competition comes mainly from the cast of Morning Wars, a fly on the wall look at what goes on behind the scenes of a morning TV show. Nicole Beharie, Greta Lee, Lesley Manville, Karen Pittman and Holland Taylor are all nominated for their roles.

Christine Baranski (The Gilded Age) and Lesley Manville (The Crown) round out the nominations in the category.

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in The Crown. Picture: Daniel Escale/Netflix

Elsewhere, the hit drama series Shogun, which transported viewers to early 17th-century Japan, topped television’s Emmy nominations earning 25 nods.

The Bear broke the comedy record for most nominations in a single year, with 23, ahead of Only Murders in the Building which landed on 21.

True Detective: Night Country, starring Jodie Foster, topped the limited or anthology series section, scoring 19 nominations.

Nominees were announced in a live-streamed ceremony from Los Angeles, with final-round voting for the 76th Emmy Awards scheduled for next month, ahead of the September 15 ceremony.

Shogun – adapted from James Clavell’s historical fiction novel – portrays the intricate and deadly court politics of feudal Japan.

Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki has been nominated for an Emmy. Picture: AFP

Television Academy voters were not put off by the show’s heavy use of subtitles, showering nominations on its remarkable cast of Japanese heroes and villains, including its stars Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada.

Perhaps surprisingly, though, there was no nomination for Cosmo Jarvis for his portrayal of the marooned English sailor who frames the show’s narrative for audiences.

With another two seasons already in the works, Shogun is a hot favourite across this year’s drama categories.

It’s got everything going for it in terms of acting, writing, directing and many technical categories, Deadline awards columnist Pete Hammond said.

Richard Gadd as Donny Dunn, and Jessica Gunning as Martha, in the controversial Baby Reindeer. Picture: Ed Miller/Netflix

Shogun faces competition from the final season of Netflix’s British royal saga The Crown, and Apple’s The Morning Show, starring Jennifer Aniston.

Set in a chaotic Chicago restaurant run by a group of close-knit but abrasive and occasionally abusive chefs, The Bear topped the comedy categories, making history with its 23 nominations.

The previous record set in 2009 was held by Alec Baldwin’s 30 Rock. The Bear, a big winner for its debut season at the last Emmys, returned with an even more ambitious and experimental second run.

Jeremy Allen White has been a revelation in The Bear. Picture: AFP

Sumptuous montages of Michelin star-level dishes were paired with extraordinary episodes like Fishes — an hour-long portrait of a dysfunctional family tearing itself apart over one excruciating dinner.

Bizarrely entered in the comedy categories, despite dealing with hard-hitting issues like grief and addiction, The Bear is up against shows including Hacks, Abbott Elementary, Only Murders in the Building and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The categories for limited or anthology series are always packed with water-cooler hits.

This year, the latest instalment of the dark crime anthology series True Detective scored the most nominations.

Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder are again nominated for the HBO hit, Hacks. Picture: HBOMax

Among the other contenders was Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, adapted from Scottish comedian Richard Gadd’s pitch-black one-man show about his encounters with a female stalker.

The global phenomenon, which has suffered controversy after a woman claiming to be its real-life inspiration sued the streamer, earned 11 nods, including one for Gadd.

Other widely nominated shows in the limited series section included Fargo, Ripley and Lessons in Chemistry. There were surprising snubs for Kate Winslet (The Regime) and Emma Stone (The Curse).

The 76th Emmy Awards, scheduled for September 15, will be the second to take place in 2024, after last year’s ceremony was postponed to January due to Hollywood strikes.

It will honour television series that were broadcast between June 2023 and May 2024.

NOMINATIONS

Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series

Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country)

Brie Larson (Lessons in Chemistry)

Juno Temple (Fargo)

Sofia Vergara (Griselda)

Naomi Watts (Feud: Capote vs. the Swans)

Naomi Watts as Babe Paley in Feud: Capote vs. the Swans. Picture: Supplied

Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series

Matt Bomer (Fellow Travelers)

Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer)

Jon Hamm (Fargo)

Tom Hollander — Feud: Capote vs. the Swans

Andrew Scott (Ripley)

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Christine Baranski (The Gilded Age)

Nicole Beharie (The Morning Show)

Elizabeth Debicki (The Crown Netflix)

Greta Lee (The Morning Show)

Lesley Manville (The Crown)

Karen Pittman (The Morning Show)

Holland Taylor (The Morning Show)

Elizabeth Debicki’s performance as Princess Diana was striking. Picture: Netflix

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Tadanobu Asano (Shōgun)

Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)

Mark Duplass (The Morning Show)

Jon Hamm (The Morning Show)

Takehiro Hira (Shōgun)

Jack Lowden (Slow Horses)

Jonathan Pryce (The Crown)

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Idris Elba (Hijack)

Donald Glover (Mr & Mrs Smith)

Walton Goggins (Fallout)

Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)

Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun)

Dominic West (The Crown)

Hiroyuki Sanada has been rewarded for his outstanding performance in Shogun. Picture: AFP

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show)

Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age)

Maya Erskine (Mr and Mrs Smith)

Anna Sawai (Shōgun)

Imelda Staunton (The Crown)

Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show)

Drama Series

The Crown (Netflix)

Fallout (Prime Video)

The Gilded Age (Max)

The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Mr and Mrs Smith (Prime Video)

Shōgun (FX)

Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

3 Body Problem (Netflix)

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows)

Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)

Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)

Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)

Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Reservation Dogs)

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)

Ayo Edebiri (The Bear)

Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building)

Maya Rudolph (Loot)

Jean Smart (Hacks)

Kristen Wiig (Palm Royale)

Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

The Bear (FX)

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Max)

Hacks (Max)

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Palm Royale (Apple TV+)

Reservation Dogs (FX)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Jessica Gunning and Richard Gadd have both been nominated for their roles in Baby Reindeer. Picture: AFP

Limited or Anthology Series

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Fargo (FX)

Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)

Ripley (Netflix)

True Detective: Night Country (Max)

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Carol Burnett (Palm Royale)

Liza Colón-Zayas (The Bear)

Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)

Janelle James (Abbott Elementary)

Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary)

Meryl Streep (Only Murders In The Building)

Perennial award-winner, Meryl Streep, has been nominated for Only Murders in the Building. Picture: Getty Images

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Lionel Boyce (The Bear)

Paul W. Downs (Hacks)

Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear)

Paul Rudd (Only Murders In The Building)

Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary)

Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live)

Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series

Dakota Fanning (Ripley)

Lily Gladstone (Under The Bridge)

Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer)

Aja Naomi King (Lessons In Chemistry)

Diane Lane (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans)

Nava Mau (Baby Reindeer)

Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country)

Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series

Jonathan Bailey (Fellow Travelers)

Robert Downey Jr. (The Sympathizer)

Tom Goodman-Hill (Baby Reindeer)

John Hawkes (True Detective: Night Country)

Lamorne Morris (Fargo)

Lewis Pullman (Lessons In Chemistry)

Treat Williams (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans)

Originally published as Aussies at front of Emmys race