Route to Emmy glory ran through Chicago for Strong, Brosnahan, Carell
First-time nominee Cecily Strong and perennial bridesmaid Steve Carell are among the Chicago-trained actors in the running for Primetime Emmy Awards.
In keeping with the city’s reputation as a launching pad for funny folks, most of the nominees with local roots are in the comedy categories. Strong, who grew up in Oak Park and performed at Second City and iO, is competing against her “Saturday Night Live” castmate Kate McKinnon in the comedy series supporting actress category.
Carell, nominated eight times for his work on “The Office” but never a winner, this year is competing as a dramatic actor for “The Morning Show” on Apple TV+.
His former Second City castmate Stephen Colbert is nominated as a writer for his “Late Show,” which is in the running for best variety talk series.
Two Emmy-winning stars of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” from Chicago’s suburbs kept up their streak of nominations: Highland Park High grad
Rachel Brosnahan again is up for lead actress in a comedy series, and Deerfield’s Alex Borstein again is in the supporting actress chase.
Second City alum Fred Willard, who died in May, is nominated posthumously for his guest appearances as Frank Dunphy on “Modern Family” — a decade after his earlier nomination for the role — and St. Ignatius College Prep grad John Mulaney won nods for writing on his Netflix special “John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch” and for the show itself.
Former Chicago theater actors Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman are nominated as a team in the reality show hosting category for fronting NBC’s “Making It.”
HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” created by and starring Northwestern and Second City alum Robin Thede, is up for three Emmys for its first season, including best variety sketch show.
And while they aren’t actually nominated, Michael Jordan and the the 1990s Bulls were the draw for “The Last Dance,” the docuseries nominated in three categories, including outstanding non-fiction program.