'Watchmen' leads all Emmy nominees with 26

LOS ANGELES — "Watchmen," cloaked in superhero mythology and grounded in real-world racism, received a leading 26 nominations Tuesday for the prime-time Emmy Awards.

The series, which captured America's unease as it faces racial clashes amid a pandemic, was nominated as best limited series and received bids for cast members including Regina King and Jeremy Irons.

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King was part of a vanguard of actors of color who showed that TV academy voters took heed of the calls for change.

The Amazon comedy "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" is the second most-nominated series with 20, followed by Netflix's "Ozark" with 18.

"This year, we are also bearing witness to one of the greatest fights for social justice in history. And it is our duty to use this medium for change," Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy said at the outset of the presentation.

The nominations, typically unveiled with fanfare at the TV academy's Los Angeles headquarters, were announced online Tuesday by Leslie Jones ("Saturday Night Live") and presenters Laverne Cox ("Orange is the New Black"), Josh Gad ("Frozen") and Tatiana Maslany ("Orphan Black"). Cox, Gad and Maslany appeared on by video feeds.

Among the honorees whose nomination collided with current events: Brad Pitt earned a nod for a guest appearance playing Dr. Anthony Fauci on "Saturday Night Live."

The nominees for best comedy series are: "Curb Your Enthusiasm"; Dead to Me"; "The Good Place"; "Insecure"; "The Kominsky Method"; "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"; "Schitt's Creek"; "What We Do in the Shadows"

The nominees for best drama series are: "Better Call Saul"; "The Crown"; "Killing Eve"; "The Handmaid's Tale"; "The Mandalorian"; "Ozark"; "Stranger Things"; "Succession."

In addition to "Watchmen," the nominees for best limited series are: "Little Fires Everywhere"; "Mrs. America"; "Unbelievable"; "Unorthodox."

The nominees for drama series actress are: Jennifer Aniston, "The Morning Show"; Olivia Colman, "The Crown"; Jodie Comer, "Killing Eve"; Laura Linney, "Ozark"; Sandra Oh, "Killing Eve"; Zendaya "Euphoria."

The nominees for drama series actor are: Jason Bateman, "Ozark"; Sterling K. Brown, "This is Us"; Billy Porter, "Pose"; Jeremy Strong, "Succession"; Brian Cox, "Succession"; Steve Carell, "The Morning Show."

The nominees for lead actor in a comedy series are: Anthony Anderson, "black-ish"; Don Cheadle, "Black Monday"; Ted Danson, "The Good Place"; Michael Douglas, "The Kominsky Method"; Eugene Levy, "Schitt's Creek"; Ramy Youssef, "Ramy."

The nominees for lead actress in a comedy series are: Christina Applegate, "Dead to Me"; Rachel Brosnahan, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"; Linda Cardellini, "Dead to Me"; Catherine O'Hara, "Schitt's Creek"; Issa Rae, "Insecure"; Tracee Ellis Ross, "black-ish."

The nominees for best TV movie are: "American Son"; "Bad Education"; "Dolly Parton's Heartstrings: These Old Bones"; "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie"; "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend."

A high energy Jones kicked off the announcement Tuesday morning by appearing on a virtual set and joking that she was told there would be many others on set to announce the nominees and that she was locked in a studio with only a cameraman.

The Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be presented Sept. 20 on ABC.