A relatively subdued Jimmy Kimmel opened Sunday’s Emmys broadcast by lampooning the show’s virtual format in front of an audience composited from old Emmys footage.
“Hello and welcome to the pandemmys,” Kimmel said at the top of the ABC broadcast. “Wow, it’s great to finally see people again. Thank you for risking everything to be here. Thank me for risking everything to be here. You know what they say you can’t have a virus without a host.”
The opening segment also featured a bit with “Ozark” star Jason Batemen as the only real person amid a crowd of MLB-inspired cardboard cutouts, and another with “Morning Show” star and Emmys presenter Jennifer Aniston as a humorous way of explaining the night’s unique at-home format.
“The big question that I guess we should answer is why would you have an award show in the middle of a pandemic? Seriously, I’m asking, why are we having an award show in the middle of a pandemic?
What the hell am I doing here? This is the year they decide they have to have a host.”
“Why is a question I’ve been asked a lot this week. And again, yeah, it might seem frivolous and unnecessary to do this during a global pandemic. But you know what else seems frivolous and unnecessary? Doing it every other year.”
“We’ve been confined to our homes like prisoners in a dark and lonely tunnel. What did we find in that dark, lonely tunnel? I’ll tell you what we found. A friend who is there for us 24 hours a day. Our old pal television. That’s right. Television is your friend. It’s your Friends, your Big Brother, your Sister, Sister, your Mama’s Family, your two dads, your three sons, your Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. It’s even your Dog, the Bounty Hunter, through the Good Times and the Breaking Bad’s for every day of your 600 Pound Life. Television is there for you.”
“Hats off to the television visionary Norman Lear, who this week became the oldest winner ever at age 98. Norman didn’t grow up dreaming of winning Emmys. In fact, television wasn’t even something people had until he was a teenager. When Norman was a boy, his dream was to not get kicked to death by a horse.”
“The network censors have decided that every time I say the words Schitt’s Creek, we’re required to put the words Schitt’s Creek on the screen. Just in case you were wondering why network television is almost dead. HBO can show us a big blue penis, no problem. I can’t say the word Schitt’s with a C.”
“Of course we don’t have an audience. This isn’t a MAGA rally. It’s the Emmys.”
Emmy Predictions in All 23 Major Categories, From 'Watchmen' to 'Schitt's Creek' (Photos)
These are our best guesses for what shows will come out on top at Sunday's 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, but beware: It wouldn't be the Emmys if a few of the winners didn't come out of the blue.
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" "Dead to Me" "The Good Place" "Insecure" "The Kominsky Method" "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" "Schitt's Creek" "What We Do in the Shadows"
Predicted winner: "Schitt's Creek"
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, "black-ish" Don Cheadle, "Black Monday" Ted Danson, "The Good Place" Michael Douglas, "The Kominsky Method" Eugene Levy, "Schitt's Creek" Ramy Youssef, "Ramy"
Predicted winner: Eugene Levy, "Schitt's Creek"
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, "Dead to Me" Rachel Brosnahan, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Linda Cardellini, "Dead to Me" Catherine O'Hara, "Schitt's Creek" Issa Rae, "Insecure" Tracee Ellis Ross, "black-ish"
Mahershala Ali, "Ramy" Alan Arkin, "The Kominsky Method" Andre Braugher, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" Sterling K. Brown, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" William Jackson Harper, "The Good Place" Daniel Levy, "Schitt's Creek" Tony Shalhoub, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Kenan Thompson, "Saturday Night Live"
Predicted winner: Daniel Levy, "Schitt's Creek"
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alex Borstein, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" D'Arcy Carden, "The Good Place" Betty Gilpin, "GLOW" Marin Hinkle, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Kate McKinnon, "Saturday Night Live" Annie Murphy, "Schitt's Creek" Yvonne Orji, "Insecure" Cecily Strong, "Saturday Night Live"
Predicted winner: Alex Borstein, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
"The Great" (episode: "The Great") "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (episode: "It's Comedy or Cabbage") "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (episode: "Marvelous Radio") "Modern Family" (episode: "Finale Part 2") "Ramy" (episode: "Miakhalifa.mov") "Schitt's Creek" (episode: "Happy Ending") "Will & Grace" (episode: "We Love Lucy")
"The Good Place" (episode: "Whenever You're Ready") "The Great" (episode: "The Great") "Schitt's Creek" (episode: "Happy Ending") "Schitt's Creek" (episode: "The Presidential Suite") "What We Do In the Shadows" (episode: "Collaboration") "What We Do In the Shadows" (episode: "Ghosts") "What We Do In the Shadows" (episode: "On the Run")
Predicted winner: "The Good Place" (episode: "Whenever You're Ready")
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
"Better Call Saul" "The Crown" "The Handmaid's Tale" "Killing Eve" "The Mandalorian" "Ozark" "Stranger Things"
Predicted winner: "Succession" "Succession"
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman, "Ozark" Sterling K. Brown, "This Is Us" Steve Carell, "The Morning Show" Brian Cox, "Succession" Billy Porter, "Pose" Jeremy Strong, "Succession"
Predicted winner: Jeremy Strong, "Succession"
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, "The Morning Show" Olivia Colman, "The Crown" Jodie Comer, "Killing Eve" Laura Linney, "Ozark" Sandra Oh, "Killing Eve" Zendaya, "Euphoria"
Predicted winner: Laura Linney, "Ozark"
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Nicholas Braun, "Succession" Billy Crudup, "The Morning Show" Kieran Culkin, "Succession" Mark Duplass, "The Morning Show" Giancarlo Esposito, "Better Call Saul" Matthew Macfadyen, "Succession" Bradley Whitford, "The Handmaid's Tale" Jeffrey Wright, "Westworld"
Predicted winner: Kieran Culkin, "Succession"
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Helena Bonham Carter, "The Crown" Laura Dern, "Big Little Lies" Julia Garner, "Ozark" Thandie Newton, "Westworld" Fiona Shaw, "Killing Eve" Sarah Snook, "Succession" Meryl Streep, "Big Little Lies" Samira Wiley, "The Handmaid's Tale"
Predicted winner: Julia Garner, "Ozark"
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
"The Crown" (episode: "Aberfan") "The Crown" (episode: "Cri de Coeur") "Homeland" (episode: "Prisoners of War") "The Morning Show" (episode: "The Interview") "Ozark" (episode: "Fire Pink") "Ozark" (episode: "Su Casa es mi Casa") "Succession" (episode: "Hunting") "Succession" (episode: "This Is Not for Tears")
Predicted winner: "Succession" (episode: "This Is Not for Tears")
OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
"Better Call Saul" (episode: "Bad Choice Road") "Better Call Saul" (episode: "Bagman") "The Crown" (episode: Aberfan") "Ozark" (episode: "All In") "Ozark" (episode: Boss Fight") "Ozark" (episode: "Fire Pink") "Succession" (episode: "This Is Not for Tears")
Predicted winner: "Succession" (episode: "This Is Not for Tears")
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Jeremy Irons, "Watchmen" Hugh Jackman, "Bad Education" Paul Mescal, "Normal People" Jeremy Pope, "Hollywood" Mark Ruffalo, "I Know This Much Is True"
Predicted winner: Paul Mescal, "Normal People"
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Cate Blanchett, "Mrs. America" Shira Haas, "Unorthodox" Regina King, "Watchmen" Octavia Spencer, "Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker" Kerry Washington, "Little Fires Everywhere"
Predicted winner: Regina King, "Watchmen"
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, "Watchmen" Jovan Adepo, "Watchmen" Tituss Burgess, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend" Louis Gossett Jr., "Watchmen" Dylan McDermott, "Hollywood" Jim Parsons, "Hollywood"
Predicted winner: Jim Parsons, "Hollywood"
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Uzo Aduba, "Mrs. America" Toni Collette, "Unbelievable" Margo Martindale, "Mrs. America" Jean Smart, "Watchmen" Holland Taylor, "Hollywood" Tracey Ullman, "Mrs. America"
Predicted winner: Jean Smart, "Watchmen"
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
"Little Fires Everywhere" (episode: "Find a Way") "Normal People" (episode: "Episode 5") "Unorthodox" "Watchmen" (episode: "It's Summer and We're Running Out of Ice") "Watchmen" (episode: "Little Fear of Lightning") "Watchmen" (episode: "This Extraordinary Being")
"The Daily Show With Trevor Noah" "Full Frontal With Samantha Bee" "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver" "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert"
Predicted winner: "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver"
OUTSTANDING COMPETITION PROGRAM
"The Masked Singer" "Nailed It!" "RuPaul's Drag Race" "Top Chef" "The Voice"
Predicted winner: "RuPaul's Drag Race"
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With Emmy favs ”Game of Thrones“ and ”Fleabag“ gone, who will take their place?
These are our best guesses for what shows will come out on top at Sunday's 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, but beware: It wouldn't be the Emmys if a few of the winners didn't come out of the blue.