‘WandaVision’, ‘The Mandalorian’ could dominate the breed – The Hollywood Reporter

After last year’s virtual five-night affair, this year’s Creative Arts Emmys presentation may look like a slight return to normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Nominees will have the chance to attend an in-person ceremony, which will take place over two nights, September 11-12, in an “indoor / outdoor” and socially distanced setting at The Event Deck in LA Live. The TV Academy had not announced a host at press time, but the presenters will include nominees Debbie Allen (who will also receive this year’s Governors Award), Hacks‘Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Ted lassoby Brendan Hunt and A black lady sketch showby Yvette Nicole Brown.

TV Academy’s decision to limit the number of tickets to four per nomination will no doubt be felt during these two ceremonies (which will be edited into a two-hour show, aired on September 18 on FXX), with teams from artisans having to decide among themselves who will represent their work. (It could even be worse for the many producers vying for the chance to see their shows win at the Primetime Emmys on September 19.)

But despite the limited capacity, creative arts ceremonies will likely offer alternatives to the prime-time ceremony – at the main event it would be a shake-up if Ted lasso and The crown don’t win top comedy and drama awards, respectively, while a show like Disney +’s The Mandalorian (nominated for 24 Emmys, including 19 in the Creative Arts categories) could prove his technical supremacy at the previous ceremony. It also offers a chance for VFX-heavy horror drama Lovecraft Country to show it was worth more story arcs after just one season (although voters could still dispute the fact that HBO canceled the series in July after the Emmy vote was already underway). And while WandaVision faces stiff competition in the limited series categories, the Disney / Marvel series could do well on those two nights; it’s certainly a favorite for the original music and lyrics of “Agatha All Along,” a viral hit that would earn Kristen Anderson-Lopez EGOT co-author status along with her writing partner and husband, Robert Lopez, the most young person to hold the honor and the only one to win a “double EGOT” for his multiple victories.

Bo Burnham is also nominated for songwriting; he has five Creative Arts names for his Netflix special Bo Burnham: inside. He is also in the running for the production, the editing and the writing of the special, which the comedian with the multiple hyphens finished in quarantine. Another multiple nominee is Maya Rudolph, recognized this year for the two guest actresses in a comedy (Saturday Night Live) and the voiceover performance of the characters (Big mouth) – two categories in which she won her first Emmy last year. Its buzzing SNL performance as Kamala Harris could make her a shoo-in in the first, while her competition in the voiceover category includes real politician Stacey Abrams (for Blackish).

SNL is the third most nominated series in Creative Arts (behind The Mandalorian and WandaVision) with 14 names, including six honored guests in the guest categories – together with Rudolph there is a colleague SNL alum Kristen Wiig, former winner Alec Baldwin and Dave Chappelle, Daniel Kaluuya and Dan Levy.

This year could also be a good one for RuPaul, host of the favorite Emmy. RuPaul’s Drag Race, who won eight names (his catty counterpart behind the scenes, RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked, collected three). RuPaul has won an Outstanding Host in a Reality / Competition Series for the past five years; a sixth victory would be impressive, especially if he once again fends off Padma Lakshmi (nominated with her Top chef co-hosts Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons), who has been nominated 11 times without a win.

This story first appeared in the September 8 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.