The China Mail - 'Severance' leads Emmy nominations with 27

"The Penguin," HBO Max's Batman villain spinoff series, came in second with 24. HBO Max's "The White Lotus" and Apple's "The Studio" tied for third with 23 nominations each.

"Hacks" topped the comedy series nominations with 14, with "The Bear" close behind at 13.

The announcement from the Television Academy was the official start of the race to the 77th Emmy Awards, set for September 14 in Los Angeles.

After last year's record-breaking 18 Emmy Awards for Japan-set historical epic "Shogun," this year's drama competition looks to be more nuanced.

"Severance," in which employees of biotech company Lumon have their memories surgically separated between their "innie" work lives and their "outie" personal lives, is clearly the early favorite, with star Adam Scott a nominee for best actor.

But he will compete with "ER" veteran Noah Wyle, who leads "The Pitt" -- HBO Max's take on the travails of a Pittsburgh emergency room team during one 15-hour shift, covered effectively in real time.

"It's ER on steroids!" Deadline awards expert Pete Hammond told AFP of the show, which earned 13 nods.

Those two shows will battle for best drama honors with Disney+'s "Star Wars" offshoot "Andor," Netflix's "The Diplomat," HBO's apocalyptic video game adaptation "The Last of Us," Hulu political thriller "Paradise," Apple's spy drama "Slow Horses," and HBO's "The White Lotus."

Scott and Wyle have stiff competition for best actor: Oscar winner Gary Oldman in "Slow Horses," Pedro Pascal ("The Last of Us") and Sterling K. Brown ("Paradise").

"The Penguin" is competing for best limited series honors against "Dying for Sex" (FX) and three Netflix efforts: buzzy teen murder saga "Adolescence," "Black Mirror," and true-crime saga "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story."

- Comedy crapshoot -

In the comedy categories, HBO Max's "Hacks" -- starring Jean Smart as a stand-up comedian who locks horns with her dysfunctional millennial assistant -- and "The Bear," a dark satire set in the Chicago restaurant world, are the clear favorites.

"Hacks" won for best comedy and best actress in September last year, while "The Bear" took the top prize at the previous ceremony (held in January 2024 due to Hollywood strikes), and its star Jeremy Allen White has two trophies for best actor.

Other nominees for best comedy series are perennial ABC nominee "Abbott Elementary," rom-com "Nobody Wants This" (Netflix), Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building," Apple's "Shrinking" and "The Studio," and FX's vampire laughfest "What We Do in the Shadows."

Harvey Guillen ("What We Do in the Shadows") and Brenda Song ("Running Point") unveiled the key nominations in a livestreamed ceremony.

Voting members of the US-based Television Academy will then have a month to catch up on their viewing before final-round voting begins in mid-August.

The September 14 gala will be hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze.

P.Ho--ThChM