HBO’s social-distancing satire “Coastal Elites” is packed with top-tier acting talent, several of whom are finalists for Emmys this year.
Stars Bette Midler, Issa Rae and Dan Levy were asked about receiving Emmy nominations during the coronavirus pandemic while sitting on Wednesday’s virtual CTAM press tour panel promoting their upcoming quarantine comedy. The trio was also asked for their thoughts on this year’s virtual celebration, which will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and air on ABC.
“Schitt’s Creek” co-creator, showrunner and star Levy found the humor — and potential storyline — in the situation.
“We just couldn’t help but think of how on-brand of our show it was to have this kind of recognition in our last season and then not be able to see each other,” Levy said. “It does feel very in line with something we would write for our characters.”
Rae, while honored, called the social-distancing version of receiving Emmy love “kind of anticlimactic.”
“It was like, ‘Of course.’ We have a big year and it’s very exciting, but we can’t see each other,” the “Insecure” creator and star said. “We drank and Zoomed, I toast to the camera, and then everybody left to our respective corners. It was just kind of anticlimactic.”
As for the 72nd Emmy Awards, which will be presented virtually on Sunday, Sept. 20, both Rae and Levy are not planning to sit home alone in their sweatpants.
“I’m excited to see the ingenue of the awards shows to make it happen,” Rae said. “I’m going to have a safe party anyway. I feel like I have to.”
“The awards show, whatever it may be, will obviously be kind of fun — or not,” Levy said. “Who knows? Look, we’re going to have a good time, and I think my dad is saying we might just put a tent up here in our backyard here in Toronto and have people over and be six feet apart, share a toast or something. I dunno, it all sounds very wild.”
And yes, we promised you something from Bette Midler. Nominated as a guest star on Ryan Murphy’s “The Politician,” Bette just can’t wrap her head around this whole virtual Emmys thing — especially the planning process.
“I can’t imagine what the room is like where people try to figure it out. I mean the Zoom call where people try to figure it out,” Midler said. “I sure am glad I’m not on that call.”
Emmy Nominations 2019: Snubs and Surprises, From 'Schitt's Creek' to 'The Big Bang Theory' (Photos)
The 2019 Emmy nominations were announced Tuesday morning, and as always, there were plenty of snubs and surprises.
Surprise: "Schitt's Creek" Pop TV's beloved word-of-mouth hit finally broke through at the Emmys this year not only with a long-overdue comedy series nomination, but also a pair of nods for its stars Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy.
Pop
Snub: "The Kominsky Method" Chuck Lorre's Netflix comedy took home the top TV comedy prize in an upset at the Golden Globes earlier this year, but "Kominsky" couldn't crack the series category at the Emmys despite nods for stars Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas.
Netflix
Snub: "The Big Bang Theory" Lorre had similarly bad luck with his long-running CBS hit "The Big Bang Theory," once an Emmy contender which was completely overlooked for its final season.
CBS
Snub: "black-ish" The beloved ABC sitcom starring Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross has been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series three times before, but this year the show was passed over for a nomination in favor of a trio of newcomers to the category.
ABC
Surprise: Alfie Allen, Gwendoline Christie, Sophie Turner, "Game of Thrones" HBO's fantasy epic went out with a bang at the Emmy's this year, besting its own record with a total of 32 nominations, including a trio of first-time nominations for supporting players Sophie Turner, Alfie Allen and Gwendoline Christie.
HBO
Surprise: "Nailed It" The reality competition category is often dominated by the same long-running shows, but this year Netflix's Nicole Byer-hosted ode to amateur baking snuck in with its first nomination.
Netflix
Snub: "The Masked Singer" Fox's adaptation of the South Korean celebrity singing competition found less luck in the reality competition category, missing out on a nomination despite being one of the few breakout hits of the last broadcast season.
Fox
Surprise: "Bodyguard" The Richard Madden-led series was a hit when it aired in the U.K. and found a new audience when it debuted on Netflix stateside. Madden was widely expected to get a nomination, but in the end, the show itself snuck into the drama series category while its star was overlooked.
Netflix
Snub: "Homecoming" Neither Julia Roberts nor her Amazon drama were nominated despite previous awards recognition. Beyonce's "Homecoming" concert film/documentary even got more nominations.
Amazon
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”Game of Thrones“ goes out on top but ”Big Bang“ misses out
The 2019 Emmy nominations were announced Tuesday morning, and as always, there were plenty of snubs and surprises.