Emmys 2017: What to expect from the awards show

Stephen Colbert will host the awards show.

By
JASON CHERVOKAS
September 17, 2017, 4:36 AM ET
4 min read

— -- The stars of the small screen will be out Sunday night for the 69th Primetime Emmy Award, set to take place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Though the annual TV awards show once took a Hollywood backseat to the Academy Awards, the growing prestige of television has drawn a growing number big names to the small screen.

This year’s nominee list includes a number of major movie stars. Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer are each up for awards for their roles in HBO's Bernie Madoff movie, “The Wizard of Lies." Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon are each nominated for their roles -- as Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, respectively -- in FX's "Feud: Bette and Joan." Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are nominated for their parts on Netflix's "Grace and Frankie." Ewan McGregor is nominated for his performance on FX's "Fargo." Anthony Hopkins has a nomination for his part in HBO's "Westworld." And Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Shailene Woodley all have nominations for their performances in HBO's breakout hit, "Big Little Lies."

"Westworld" and NBC's "Saturday Night Live" lead all nominees with 22 nods each. And both shows already won five Emmys each during the Creative Arts Emmys portion of the awards, which were handed out last week.

Netflix's sensation "Stranger Things" -- tied with "Feud" for the second-most nominations with 18 -- also took home five awards at the Creative Arts Emmys, including for casting. The casting award is often seen as foreshadowing the voting in the major categories -- “Stranger Things” is nominated in the Drama Series category.

Perennial Emmy winner "Veep" won the casting Emmy for a comedy last week. The HBO comedy locked in 17 nominations total, including another nomination for star Julia Louis-Dreyfus -- who has won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series five years running.

The Emmys air Sunday night beginning at 8 p.m. on CBS with first-time host Stephen Colbert, whose "Late Show" is up for six awards.

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Here are the nominees in the major categories:

Lead actress in a drama series

  • Viola Davis, "How to Get Away With Murder"
  • Claire Foy, "The Crown"
  • Elisabeth Moss, "The Handmaid's Tale"
  • Keri Russell, "The Americans"
  • Evan Rachel Wood, "Westworld"
  • Robin Wright, "House of Cards"

    • Supporting actress in a drama series

  • Uzo Aduba, "Orange Is the New Black"
  • Millie Bobby Brown, "Stranger Things"
  • Ann Dowd, "The Handmaid's Tale"
  • Chrissy Metz, "This Is Us"
  • Thandie Newton, "Westworld"
  • Samira Wiley, "The Handmaid's Tale"

    • Lead actor in a drama series

  • Sterling K. Brown, "This Is Us"
  • Anthony Hopkins, "Westworld"
  • Matthew Rhys, "The Americans"
  • Liev Schreiber, "Ray Donovan"
  • Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards"
  • Milo Ventimiglia, "This Is Us"

    • Supporting actor in a drama series

  • Jonathan Banks, "Better Call Saul"
  • David Harbour, "Stranger Things"
  • Ron Cephas Jones, "This Is Us"
  • Michael Kelly, "House of Cards"
  • John Lithgow, "The Crown"
  • Mandy Patinkin, "Homeland"
  • Jeffrey Wright, "Westworld"

    • Lead actress in a comedy series

  • Pamela Adlon, "Better Things"
  • Tracee Ellis Ross, "Black-ish"
  • Jane Fonda, "Grace and Frankie"
  • Allison Janney, "Mom"
  • Ellie Kemper, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"
  • Lily Tomlin, "Grace and Frankie"

    • Supporting actress in a comedy series

  • Vanessa Bayer, "Saturday Night Live"
  • Anna Chlumsky, "Veep"
  • Kathryn Hahn, "Transparent"
  • Leslie Jones, "Saturday Night Live"
  • Judith Light, "Transparent"
  • Kate McKinnon, "Saturday Night Live"

    • Lead actor in a comedy series

  • Anthony Anderson, "Black-ish"
  • Aziz Ansari, "Master of None"
  • Zach Galifianakis, "Baskets"
  • Donald Glover, "Atlanta"
  • William H. Macy, "Shameless"
  • Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent"

    • Supporting actor in a comedy series

  • Louie Anderson, "Baskets"
  • Alec Baldwin, "Saturday Night Live"
  • Tituss Burgess, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
  • Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"
  • Tony Hale, "Veep"
  • Matt Walsh, "Veep"

    • Reality competition series

  • "The Amazing Race"
  • "American Ninja Warrior"
  • "Project Runway"
  • "RuPaul's Drag Race"
  • "Top Chef"
  • "The Voice"

    • Variety talk series

  • "Full Frontal With Samantha Bee"
  • "Jimmy Kimmel Live"
  • "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver"
  • "The Late Late Show With James Corden"
  • "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert"
  • "Real Time With Bill Maher"

    • Variety sketch series

  • "Billy on the Street"
  • "Documentary Now!"
  • "Drunk History"
  • "Key & Peele"
  • "Saturday Night Live"
  • "Tracey Ullman's Show"

    • TV movie

  • "Black Mirror: San Junipero"
  • "Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love"
  • "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"
  • "Sherlock: The Lying Detective"
  • "The Wizard of Lies"

    • Limited series or movie

  • "Big Little Lies"
  • "Fargo"
  • "Feud: Bette and Joan"
  • "Genius"
  • "The Night Of"

    • Lead actress in a limited series or movie

  • Carrie Coon, "Fargo"
  • Felicity Huffman, "American Crime"
  • Nicole Kidman, "Big Little Lies"
  • Jessica Lange, "Feud"
  • Susan Sarandon, "Feud"
  • Reese Witherspoon, "Big Little Lies"

    • Lead actor in a limited series or movie

  • Riz Ahmed, "The Night Of"
  • Benedict Cumberbatch, "Sherlock: The Lying Detective"
  • Robert De Niro, "The Wizard of Lies"
  • Ewan McGregor, "Fargo"
  • Geoffrey Rush, "Genius"
  • John Turturro, "The Night Of"

    • Animated series

  • "Archer"
  • "Bob's Burgers"
  • "Elena and the Secret of Avalor (Sofia the First)"
  • "The Simpsons"
  • "South Park"

    • Comedy series

  • "Black-ish"
  • "Atlanta"
  • "Master of None"
  • "Modern Family"
  • "Silicon Valley"
  • "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
  • "Veep"

    • Drama series

  • "Better Call Saul"
  • "The Crown"
  • "The Handmaid's Tale"
  • "House of Cards"
  • "Stranger Things"
  • "This Is Us"
  • "Westworld"