Female-led TV leads the charge at this year’s Emmy nominations

Nominations for the 2019 Emmy’s have been announced, and it’s a great year for female-led television.

There’s no question that we’re living in a new golden age of television right now, in every genre from comedy to drama to fantasy. The Primetime Emmy Awards, recognising excellence in television productions, had their work cut out for them in narrowing down this year’s best TV to 23 categories. But yesterday, the nominees were announced, and it looks like the women are leading the charge at this year’s Emmys.

Game of Thrones led the way in nominations, with a staggering 11 nods for this year’s final season. The show has been on the recieving end of some criticism for the treatment of their female leads’ storylines in the final season, but while opinions differ on the quality of the ending, we can all agree that GOT’s lead cast is an example of gender balance for other large-scale projects (even if it may be lacking in other areas of diversity, such as race). Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, while no less than four nominations in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series are taken by the show, including for fan favourite Gwendolyn Christie, who plays Ser Brienne of Tarth.

The Waller-Bridge Effect

But while Game of Thrones may lead the way as an overall production, one figure can watch on proudly as two of her TV projects storm the nominations at this year’s Emmy’s. Phoebe Waller-Bridge has become a household name over the past 12 months, captaining two of TV’s best loved new shows – black comedy Fleabag and femme fatale drama Killing Eve. And what’s more, each and every one of Fleabag and Killing Eve’s nominations are going to women.

Waller-Bridge herself is nominated for the Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Fleabag, while the show is nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. Two of Fleabag’s best characters, lovable control freak Claire, played by Sian Clifford, and the hilariously passive aggressive Stepmother, played by Oscar winner Olivia Colman, are both up for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

For Killing Eve, which is no doubt one of the most talked-about new series of the past few years, Waller-Bridge can be proud again, as the series is nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, with both its leads Sandra Oh (Eve) and Jodie Comer (Villanelle) up for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

On the Irish front, our own beloved Fiona Shaw is nominated not once but twice for her role in the drama, and will have great support both at home and abroad.

The Exonerated Five

Another heavy hitter at this year’s awards is the utterly harrowing and unmissable When They See Us – a Netflix original drama that focuses on the lives of the Exonerated Five. Formally known as the Central Park Five, five New York teenagers were wrongly accused of the rape of a jogger in Central Park in 1989 and spent between five and 13 years in prison, before being exonerated in 2002. The show comes from the mind of filmmaker Ava DuVernay, who was the first black female director to have her film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, for her work on Selma in 2014.

But while DuVernay’s superb filmmaking is deserving of a win (not just for her, but for the five real men behind the story, who DuVernay has indicated will be accompanying her to the awards), the star of When They See Us is undoubtedly actor Jharrel Jerome, for his heartbreaking portrayal of Korey Wise. At just 21, Jerome was the only actor to portray his character both as a teenager and an adult, with an entire episode dedicated to Wise’s story, who was incarcerated the longest of the five boys.

Other honourable mentions include Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who may secure an award for her final series of political comedy Veep, while Queen B Beyoncé is up for her first Emmy, with six nominations for her Netflix documentary Homecoming.

Find the full list of Emmy nominations below:

Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
Bodyguard
Game of Thrones
Killing Eve
Ozark
Pose
Succession
This Is Us

Outstanding Comedy Series
Barry
Fleabag
Russian Doll
Schitt’s Creek
The Good Place
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Veep

Outstanding Limited Series
Chernobyl
Escape at Dannemora
Fosse/Verdon
Sharp Objects
When They See Us

Outstanding Drama Actor
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
Kit Harington (Game of Thrones)
Jason Bateman (Ozark)
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us)
Billy Porter (Pose)

Outstanding Drama Actress
Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)
Robin Wright (House of Cards)
Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
Mandy Moore (This Is Us)
Laura Linney (Ozark)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul)
Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul)
Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones)
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Michael Kelly (House of Cards)
Chris Sullivan (This Is Us)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
Gwendoline Christine (Game of Thrones)
Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones)
Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones)
Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve)
Julia Garner (Ozark)

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Michael McKean (Better Call Saul)
Glynn Turman (How To Get Away With Murder)
Kumail Nanjiani (The Twilight Zone)
Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Michael Angarano (This Is Us)
Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us)

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Apocalypse)
Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones)
Laverne Cox (Orange Is The New Black)
Cicely Tyson (How To Get Away With Murder)
Cherry Jones (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Phylicia Rashad (This Is Us)

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Game of Thrones “The Last Of The Starks”
Game of Thrones “The Long Night”
Game of Thrones “The Iron Throne”
Killing Eve “Desperate Times”
Ozark “Reparations”
Succession “Celebration”
The Handmaid’s Tale “Holly”

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Better Call Saul “Winner”
Bodyguard “Episode 1”
Game of Thrones “The Iron Throne”
Killing Eve “Nice And Neat”
Succession “Nobody Is Ever Missing”
The Handmaid’s Tale “Holly”

Outstanding Comedy Actor
Bill Hader (Barry)
Don Cheadle (Black Monday)
Anthony Anderson (Black-ish)
Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek)
Ted Danson (The Good Place)
Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)

Outstanding Comedy Actress
Christina Applegate (Dead to Me)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag)
Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek)
Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll)
Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Henry Winkler (Barry)
Anthony Carrigan (Barry)
Stephen Root (Barry)
Tony Hale (Veep)
Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Sarah Goldberg (Barry)
Sian Clifford (Fleabag)
Olivia Colman (Fleabag)
Betty Gilpin (GLOW)
Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Anna Chlumsky (Veep)

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series 
Robert De Niro (Saturday Night Live)
John Mulaney (Saturday Night Live)
Adam Sandler (Saturday Night Live)
Matt Damon (Saturday Night Live)
Luke Kirby (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Rufus Sewell (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Peter MacNicol (Veep)

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Fiona Shaw (Fleabag)
Kristin Scott Thomas (Fleabag)
Emma Thompson (Saturday Night Live)
Sandra Oh (Saturday Night Live)
Maya Rudolph (The Good Place)
Jane Lynch (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Barry “The Audition”
Barry “ronny/lily”
Fleabag “Episode 1”
The Big Bang Theory “Stockholm Syndrome”
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “All Alone”
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel “We’re Going To The Catskills!”

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Barry “ronny/lily”
Fleabag “Episode 1”
PEN15 “Anna Ishii-Peters”
Russian Doll “Nothing In This World Is Easy”
Russian Doll “A Warm Body”
The Good Place “Janet(s)”
Veep “Veep”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series
Mahershala Ali (True Detective)
Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal)
Benicio del Toro (Escape At Dannemora)
Sam Rockwell (Fosse/Verdon)
Jared Harris (Chernobyl)
Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series
Amy Adams (Sharp Objects)
Patricia Arquette (Escape At Dannemora)
Michelle Williams (Fosse/Verdon)
Joey King (The Act)
Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us)
Niecy Nash (When They See Us)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series
Ben Whishaw (A Very English Scandal)
Stellan Skarsgard (Chernobyl)
Paul Dano (Escape at Dannemora)
John Leguizamo (When They See Us)
Michael K. Williams (When They See Us)
Asante Blackk (When They See Us)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series
Emily Watson (Chernobyl)
Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects)
Marsha Stephanie Blake (When They See Us)
Vera Farmiga (When They See Us)
Patricia Arquette (The Act)
Margaret Qualley (Fosse/Verdon)

Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
A Very English Scandal
Chernobyl
Escape At Dannemora
Fosse/Verdon “Glory”
Fosse/Verdon “Who’s Got The Pain”
When They See Us

Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
A Very English Scandal 
Chernobyl
Escape At Dannemora “Episode 6”
Escape At Dannemora “Episode 7”
Fosse/Verdon “Providence”
When They See Us “Part Four”

Outstanding Television Movie
Bandersnatch (Black Mirror)
Brexit
King Lear
My Dinner with Hervé

Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
An Emmy For Megan
Better Call Saul Employee Training: Madrigal Electromotive Security
Hack Into Broad City
It’s Bruno!
Special

Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
Patton Oswalt (An Emmy For Megan)
Jimmy Fallon (Beto Breaks The Internet)
Ed Begley Jr. (Ctrl Alt Delete)
Jonthan Banks (Better Call Saul Employee Training: Madrigal Electromotive Security)
Chris O’Dowd (State of the Union)

Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
Ilana Glazer (Hack Into Broad City)
Abbi Jacobson (Hack Into Broad City)
Jessica Hecht (Special)
Punam Patel (Special)
Rosamund Pike (State of the Union)

Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
Creating Saturday Night Live
Pose: Identity, Family, Community (Inside Look)
Fosse/Verdon (Inside Look)
RuPaul’s Drag Race’s: Out Of The Closet
RuPaul’s Drag Race’s: Portrait Of A Queen

Outstanding Short Form Variety Series
Billy On The Street
Carpool Karaoke: The Series
Gay Of Thrones
Honest Trailers
The Randy Rainbow Show

Outstanding Animated Program
Big Mouth “The Planned Parenthood Show”
Bob’s Burgers “Just One Of The Boyz 4 Now For Now”
BoJack Horseman “Free Churro”
Come Along With Me (Adventure Time)
The Simpsons “Mad About The Toy”

Outstanding Competition Program
American Ninja Warrior
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Nailed It!
The Amazing Race
The Voice
Top Chef

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program
Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen’s Game of Games)
RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race)
Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman (Making It)
James Corden (The World’s Best)
Marie Kondo (Tidying Up With Marie Kondo)

Outstanding Structured Reality Program
Antiques Roadshow
Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives
Queer Eye
Shark Tank
Tidying Up With Marie Kondo
Who Do You Think You Are?

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
Born This Way
Deadliest Catch
Life Below Zero
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked
Somebody Feed Phil
United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell

Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program
American Ninja Warrior “Minneapolis City Qualifiers”
Queer Eye “Black Girl Magic”
RuPaul’s Drag Race “Whatcha Unpackin?”
Shark Tank “Episode 1002”
The Amazing Race “Who Wants A Rolex?”

Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
The Late Late Show With James Corden
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
Documentary Now!
Drunk History
I Love You, America With Sarah Silverman
Saturday Night Live
Who Is America?
At Home With Amy Sedaris

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
The 72nd Annual Tony Awards
Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All In The Family and The Jeffersons
RENT
The 61st Grammy Awards
The 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards
The Oscars

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-recorded)
Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live From Liverpool
Hannah Gadsby: Nanette
Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé
Springsteen on Broadway
Wanda Sykes: Not Normal

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
Documentary Now! “Waiting For The Artist”
Drunk History “Are You Afraid Of The Drunk?”
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver “Psychics”
Saturday Night Live “Host: Adam Sandler”
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert “Live Midterm Election Show”
Who Is America? “Episode 102”

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
Documentary Now!
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Late Night With Seth Meyers
Saturday Night Live
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special
Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live From Liverpool
Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé
Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All In The Family and The Jeffersons
Springsteen on Broadway
The Oscars

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special 
Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh
Amy Schumer Growing
Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live From Liverpool
Hannah Gadsby: Nanette
Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé
Wanda Sykes: Not Normal

Featured image: BBC

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