And big wins might just be the cure.
THE MAIN POP POINT: Rarely—if ever—has such a tidal wave of newbies been bucking to add the glisten of Emmy gold to their already sparkling debut seasons as this year. With the age of Peak TV(!) in full effect, here’s a bit about the surge of fresh faces in the races for TV top honors ahead of the big night.
LIKE SHAKIRA’S HIPS, THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE: Among the 65 nominees across the 10 top categories—Best Drama/Comedy Series, Actor/Actress and Supporting Actor/Actress—there are six new Series contenders in the line-up, while a staggering 23 performers are first-timers for their respective shows (though many have been nominated—or won—for other roles).
In Best Drama Series alone, HBO adds fresh blood to the battle with new entry Westworld—tied for the most nominations of any show with 22—in a year when Game of Thrones takes a breather by airing outside of the eligibility period.
Netflix has upped its own game by adding to it’s annual WTF?-inducing recognition for House of Cards with nominations for Stranger Things and The Crown (18 and 13 total noms, respectively).
And Hulu represents with its first-ever nomination in the night’s biggest category for The Handmaid’s Tale (one among the show’s 13 nods), while NBC returns to the ring for the first time in a decade with This Is Us (in the running for 11 golden ladies).
In fact, the last time NBC was in the running was for the premiere season of Heroes, which took over The West Wing’s long-standing slot in 2007 after the awards juggernaut went off the air (which itself is tied for the most Drama Series wins in Emmy history).
THE STRANGER THING: While Heroes failed to win Best Drama series in NBC’s last grab for the big prize, it starred Milo Ventimiglia, a first-time Best Actor nominee this year for This Is Us. That’s a legit full-circle Hollywood awards moment, folks!
THE FINAL POP: …should be the cork in your Champagne bottle, because if you’re riding TV’s new wave, I have a feeling you’ll want to end the night with a splash (or tsunami) of celebratory bubbly to toast entertainment’s new awards show crashers. Monday morning hangover remedy not included. (Though I suggest a few Advil, large iced coffee, and greasy-as-possible bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. Just sayin’.)