Television shows binge-watched -- and even filmed -- during the coronavirus pandemic will vie for coveted Emmy nominations Tuesday, with Netflix's "The Crown" tipped to reign over a unique year for the small screen.
Like the rest of us, the Television Academy's 25,000 voters spent several months stuck at home, leaving them ample time to sift through a stripped-down selection of series from their sofas.
Nominees for TV's equivalent of the Oscars will be announced in a live-streamed ceremony starting at 1530 GMT, after which final-round voting begins for the 73rd Emmy Awards, set for September 19.
Here are five things to look out for as the nominations are unveiled:
Pandemic 'pandemonium':
The arrival of Covid-19 early last year shut down filming and upended TV production schedules, meaning the overall number of Emmy contenders has fallen.
Heavyweights like Netflix's royal drama "The Crown" managed to wrap just before lockdown, while others including Hulu's dystopian saga "The Handmaid's Tale" rushed back to set as soon as restrictions eased.
But the enforced hiatus meant popular shows like "Succession," last year's best drama winner, failed to produce a season in time for this year's awards.
That has created room for newcomers -- especially in comedy, where Michael Douglas's "The Kominsky Method" is the sole nominee from last year running again.
The race for best comedy series "is going to have so much fresh blood in it," said IndieWire's TV awards editor Libby Hill.
"When your job is to have an idea of what's going to happen, a year like this is just pandemonium."
- Netflix eyes top prize -
In recent years, Netflix has unseated HBO in the battle for the most nominations.
Given the streaming giant's prodigious output, that is unlikely to change this year, according to Hill, who describes premium cable channel HBO as the "niche arthouse to Netflix's megaplex."
But nominations don't necessarily translate into wins, and Netflix has somehow never won the Emmys for best drama, best comedy or best limited series.
Could that change come September?
"This is most likely The Crown's year," said Hill, with previous drama winners "Succession" and "Game of Thrones" absent, and the British royal’s saga delivering "a spectacular fourth season."
Netflix's cultural phenomenon "The Queen's Gambit," which sent chessboard sales soaring, is tipped to dominate the limited series awards. —Reuters
