‘SNL,’ ‘Westworld’ nab 22 Emmy nods apiece
Netflix has three series in best drama category
LOS ANGELES — “Saturday Night Live,” powered by madcap skits skewering the Trump administration, earned 22 Emmy Award nominations, including bids for Alec Baldwin’s florid portrayal of the president and Melissa Mccarthy’s manic, gender-busting take on press secretary Sean
Spicer.
The long-running NBC variety show tied with HBO’S sci-fi drama “Westworld,” which also earned 22 bids on Thursday, to jointly top the field for the 69th Primetime Emmys to be presented in September.
Netflix big-shouldered the best drama category with three contenders, “The Crown, “House of Cards” and “Stranger Things,” a best-ever total for streaming as its platforms grow in strength and compete with broadcast and cable.
“Feud: Bette and Joan,” about the epic clash of Hollywood divas Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, reaped 18 nominations, including for stars Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon. Other big-screen stars making a splash on the small screen: Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, nominated for “Big Little Lies,” which is competing with “Feud” for best limited series.
Robert De Niro earned a nod for his portrayal of fraudster Bernard Madoff in the nominated TV movie “The Wizard Of Lies.”
“Veep,” the most-nominated comedy with 17 bids, has a chance for its third consecutive top comedy trophy. Star Julia LouisDreyfus has the chance to build on her record of most wins for a lead comedy actress: She has five for “Veep” and one for “New Adventures of Old Christine.”
Jeffrey Tambor has a chance for the same Emmy hat trick: He’s nominated again as best comedy actor for “Transparent” after taking the trophy the past two years.
Emmy voters showed their willingness to recognize new comic voices as well as diversity. Donald Glover’s freshman “Atlanta” earned a best comedy bid, as did “Master of None,” starring its nominated co-creator, Aziz Ansari, and “blackish.” The TV academy noted that the majority of nominated writers are people of color.
The drama field opened up with the absence of HBO’S dominant “Game of Thrones,” which aired outside the eligibility window for Emmy consideration this year. It won 12 Emmys last year, including its second consecutive best drama award.