Hundreds entered, but only one can triumph: South Korea's Squid Game will make a play for Emmys history Monday as it aims to become the first foreign-language television show to win top honours for best drama.
The Netflix show - in which misfits and criminals compete for cash in barbaric and fatal versions of schoolyard games - is aiming to follow in the footsteps of Oscar-winning movie Parasite with success at TV's top prize gala. It is already the first non-English-language series to earn a best drama series nomination. To convert that into a trophy at the ceremony in Los Angeles, it will need to overcome a previous winner in HBO's Succession.
"It's pretty hard to go against that HBO juggernaut," said Deadline awards columnist Pete Hammond, noting that the cutthroat drama about a powerful clan vying to inherit a media empire secured the most overall nominations with 25.
"I do think Squid Game is going to win best actor," said Hammond - an outcome that would make Lee Jung-jae the category's first winner whose performance was not in English.
Other shows contending for the night's top drama prizes include Apple TV+ dystopian workplace series Severance, starring Adam Scott, and the final season of Netflix's much-lauded crime saga Ozark. Zendaya, who became the youngest-ever best actress winner two years ago for the hard-hitting teen drama Euphoria, is tipped to repeat her work in the show's sophomore season.
Keaton 'lock'
Given the penchant of Television Academy voters for honouring previous winners, best comedy series looks like an open goal for season two of Apple TV+'s fish-out-of-water soccer coach Ted Lasso.
But its star Jason Sudeikis will have to fend off another previous winner for best actor in Bill Hader, whose dark hitman comedy Barry returns from a three-year, pandemic-prolonged absence. Jean Smart is also heavily tipped to repeat as best actress for Hacks, in which she plays an aging Las Vegas diva forced to reinvent her dated stand-up routine.
By definition, the nominees in the limited series section offer some fresh blood, which honours shows capped at a single season.
Four of the five contenders chronicle real-life scandals. Dopesick looks at the US opioid crisis, The Dropout recounts the Theranos fraud, Pam and Tommy recalls an infamous celebrity sex tape and Inventing Anna is inspired by a Russian con artist who scammed upper-crust New York. But the pundits' favourite in a tight race is The White Lotus, a satirical look at hypocrisy and wealth among the guests at a luxury Hawaii hotel.
The show - which is bending Emmy rules by returning for a second season, albeit with a largely new cast and location - has a whopping eight acting nominations, including for Jennifer Coolidge. Actors make up the biggest voting branch in the Academy.
"I think Michael Keaton has got a lock on the actor in a limited series for Dopesick," said Hammond, while Amanda Seyfried's turn as disgraced Theranos boss Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout is likely to prove popular.
'The Slap'
The ceremony will be hosted by Saturday Night Live stalwart Kenan Thompson. It is expected to mark a return to normality after the Covid-19 crisis forced producers to get creative with recent remote and socially distanced editions. The show takes place at a downtown Los Angeles theater, where A-listers will gather to walk the red carpet for the first major Hollywood awards ceremony since this year's extraordinary Oscars.
Back in March, Will Smith stunned viewers around the world by slapping Chris Rock live on stage for cracking a joke about his wife. Emmy organisers have rejected the suggestion that security will need to be beefed up to prevent a repeat. "I can't imagine that lightning will strike twice," Academy CEO Frank Scherma told Deadline. "We have smart security. We have people around that make quick decisions... We'll be on the lookout and we'll be smart like we always are."
Emmy nominees in key categories
Here is a list of the nominees in key categories for the 74th Emmy Awards, which will be handed out in Los Angeles on Monday. HBO's Succession topped the nominations list with 25, followed by Ted Lasso and The White Lotus at 20 each.
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
Euphoria
Ozark
Severance
Squid Game
Stranger Things
Succession
Yellowjackets
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary
Barry
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Hacks
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
Only Murders in the Building
Ted Lasso
What We Do in the Shadows
LEAD ACTOR, DRAMA
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Brian Cox, Succession
Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Adam Scott, Severance
Jeremy Strong, Succession
LEAD ACTRESS, DRAMA
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show
Zendaya, Euphoria
LEAD ACTOR, COMEDY
Donald Glover, Atlanta
Bill Hader, Barry
Nicholas Hoult, The Great
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
LEAD ACTRESS, COMEDY
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Elle Fanning, The Great
Issa Rae, Insecure
Jean Smart, Hacks
SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Park Hae-soo, Squid Game
Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
John Turturro, Severance
Christopher Walken, Severance
Oh Yeong-su, Squid Game
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA
Patricia Arquette, Severance
Julia Garner, Ozark
Jung Ho-yeon, Squid Game
Christina Ricci, Yellowjackets
Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul
J. Smith-Cameron, Succession
Sarah Snook, Succession
Sydney Sweeney, Euphoria
SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY
Anthony Carrigan, Barry
Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
Toheeb Jimoh, Ted Lasso
Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Henry Winkler, Barry
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Sarah Niles, Ted Lasso
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
OUTSTANDING LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES
Dopesick
The Dropout
Inventing Anna
Pam and Tommy
The White Lotus
LEAD ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Colin Firth, The Staircase
Andrew Garfield, Under the Banner of Heaven
Oscar Isaac, Scenes from a Marriage
Michael Keaton, Dopesick
Himesh Patel, Station Eleven
Sebastian Stan, Pam and Tommy
LEAD ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Toni Collette, The Staircase
Julia Garner, Inventing Anna
Lily James, Pam and Tommy
Sarah Paulson, Impeachment: American Crime Story
Margaret Qualley, Maid
Amanda Seyfried, The Dropout
SUPPORTING ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Murray Bartlett, The White Lotus
Jake Lacy, The White Lotus
Will Poulter, Dopesick
Seth Rogen, Pam and Tommy
Peter Sarsgaard, Dopesick
Michael Stuhlbarg, Dopesick
Steve Zahn, The White Lotus
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Connie Britton, The White Lotus
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Alexandra Daddario, The White Lotus
Kaitlyn Dever, Dopesick
Natasha Rothwell, The White Lotus
Sydney Sweeney, The White Lotus
Mare Winningham, Dopesick
Top 10 programs with the most overall nominations:
Succession - 25
Ted Lasso - 20
The White Lotus - 20
Hacks - 17
Only Murders in the Building - 17
Euphoria - 16
Barry - 14
Dopesick - 14
Severance - 14
Squid Game - 14
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