Warner Bros. Television Group was responsible for several of the most high-profile and critically acclaimed television shows of the last year, including “Ted Lasso,” Apple TV+’s breakout comedy series, as well as HBO’s recently canceled “Lovecraft Country,” both of which premiered their freshman seasons in 2020. “Ted Lasso,” which received 20 Emmy nominations, has since become one of the most critically well-received originals on Apple TV+; its sophomore season is slated to premiere July 23 and a third season has already been ordered. The 18 Emmy nominations for “Lovecraft Country” may prove bittersweet to fans, given that HBO axed the show on July 3. “Lovecraft Country” stars Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett reacted to the show’s 18 Emmy nominations on Tuesday, with the former stating that “our journey continues.”
“Ted Lasso” was also a key factor in Universal Studio Group’s 75 Emmy nominations on Tuesday morning, which put the studio in a very-close second place. Universal Studio Group is also one of the studios behind longtime Emmys favorite “Saturday Night Live,” which received 21 Emmy nominations. The studio was also behind HBO Max’s Jean Smart-led “Hacks,” which received 15 Emmy nominations on Tuesday. “Hacks” received widespread praise from critics, including IndieWire’s Ben Travers, when it premiered in May, and HBO ordered a sophomore season of the show last month. Netflix Productions came in third in Tuesday’s Emmy studio tally with 50 nominations. Netflix Productions was responsible for the Anya Taylor-Joy-led “The Queen’s Gambit” limited series, which received 18 nominations, as well as “Bridgerton,” which garnered 12 Emmy nominations. The critical success and reportedly high viewership of “Bridgerton” caused Netflix to order a third and fourth season (Season 2 is currently in production) of the show earlier in the year. Disney Television Studios received 42 Emmy nominations, 10 of which were for “Pose,” the acclaimed drama that premiered its third and final season earlier in the year. Disney Television Studios’ “This Is Us” and “black-ish” also received six Emmy nominations apiece. Though Disney has become well known for its superhero and “Star Wars” shows, titles such as “WandaVision” and “The Mandalorian” are produced by Marvel and Lucasfilm, respectively. Sony Pictures Television was the fifth most-nominated television studio with 37 Emmy nominations, 24 of which were for “The Crown,” the historical drama that premiered its fourth season on Netflix in November 2020. CBS Television Studios followed with 21 nominations; the studio’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” earned five nominations, while “The Amazing Race” and “Star Trek: Discovery” were each nominated for four Emmys.
The aforementioned tallies, which were cross-checked with reporting from Variety, do not include HBO Entertainment, which serves as a co-producer on all its network’s television shows. As for the networks and streaming services, Tuesday’s news was cause for celebration for the entities owned by WarnerMedia, Netflix, and Disney. The House of Mouse’s shows received more nominations than those of any other company; Disney came out of Tuesday morning with 146 Emmy nominations, 71 of which were for its Disney+ shows. The streaming service’s “The Mandalorian” and “WandaVision” received 24 and 23 nominations, respectively, and were among the morning’s most Emmy-nominated shows. WarnerMedia, which has historically received the most Emmy nominations every year, trailed Disney with 138 nominations, 130 of which went to HBO and HBO Max shows. Netflix was the third most Emmy-nominated platform with 129 nominations. NBCUniversal followed with 56 nominations, 46 of which were for NBC titles. Tuesday morning was not particularly kind to NBCUNiversal’s Peacock streaming service; the platform’s shows only received two Emmy nominations. ViacomCBS, which owns platforms such as CBS, Comedy Central, and the Paramount+ streaming service, followed with 54 Emmy nominations. The list of 2021 Emmy nominees can be viewed here. Final round voting for the Emmys begins August 19, 2021 and continues through 10 p.m. PT on August 30. The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards will be hosted by Cedric the Entertainer and air Sunday, September 19, 2021 on CBS. The event will also be available via streaming to Paramount+ subscribers. To keep updated with IndieWire’s coverage throughout Phase 2 of Emmy season, click here to sign up for our awards season and TV e-mail newsletters, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.