Faced with one of the most crowded and competitive Emmy races in history, Television Academy voters ignored 2021, went international rather than sentimental and set up a fascinating showdown for top drama series between a vindictive American media baron and some casual Korean killers.
The 20,000-plus Academy voters produced a slate of nominees that included two of last year’s winners in the Outstanding Comedy and Drama Series categories, eight previous nominees that returned to the race after not being eligible last year, five new shows and one returning show that had never before been nominated. It was a reasonable way to take the measure of a bewildering and overstuffed year, in which shows returning to production after COVID-19 delays pushed the number of competitors to record levels.