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What to expect at the Emmys

SCOTT DETROW, HOST:

The 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards air tomorrow night. The award show is returning to a regular schedule after the previous Emmys were delayed due to the Hollywood actors' and writers' strikes. NPR's Mandalit del Barco has this preview of TV's biggest night.

MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: For their sitcom "Schitt's Creek," Eugene and Dan Levy both won Emmy Awards in 2020. Now, they'll be the first father-son duo to emcee the ceremony. Here they are together in a promo.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

EUGENE LEVY: We're hosting the Emmys. And this year, they're going highbrow.

DAN LEVY: No, they said eyebrow. They want you to make bad jokes about your eyebrows, which you're not doing.

DEL BARCO: This time, two series from FX could dominate the Emmys - "Shogun" and "The Bear."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SHOGUN")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As actors, shouting).

DEL BARCO: The hit Japanese period epic "Shogun" leads the charge with 25 nominations, including nods for its lead actors, Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada. "Shogun" follows "Squid Games" as just the second non-English language series to be nominated as Best Drama. It already swept the Creative Arts Emmys last weekend for its cinematography, costumes and other crafts. "The Bear" also picked up Creative Arts awards and has broken records in the Emmys comedy category with 23 nominations.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE BEAR")

LIZA COLON-ZAYAS: (As Tina Marrero) You got this, baby.

JEREMY ALLEN WHITE: (As Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto) Yes, Chef.

DEL BARCO: "The Bear's" Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and their co-stars all received acting nominations.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE BEAR")

WHITE: (As Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto) Refire. It's not perfect, it doesn't go out. No, no, no. I hate this. Richie, no surprise.

EBON MOSS-BACHRACH: (As Richard 'Richie' Jerimovich) Yes, surprise.

DEL BARCO: The Hulu comedy "Only Murders In The Building" picked up 21 nominations. It stars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING")

SELENA GOMEZ: (As Mabel Mora) Want to make a podcast with me?

STEVE MARTIN: (As Charles-Haden Savage) Oh, my God. This is corny.

MARTIN SHORT: (As Oliver Putnam) So corny.

GOMEZ: (As Mabel Mora) I know it is. Murder?

MARTIN: (As Charles-Haden Savage) Yeah, murder, yeah.

DEL BARCO: For the first time, the top categories at the Emmys include two series from Apple TV+, "The Morning Show" and "Slow Horses," and the third and final season of FX's "Reservation Dogs."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "RESERVATION DOGS")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) The Rez Dogs have returned.

DEL BARCO: The series Hacks has 16 Emmy nominations, including one for its lead, Jean Smart as a comedy legend, and Hannah Einbinder as her younger writer.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "HACKS")

JEAN SMART: (As Deborah Vance) I was perfectly content being a gorgeous Vegas comic, and then you come along, and you make me want more for myself.

HANNAH EINBINDER: (As Ava Daniels) So you're mad at me for pushing you to be better?

SMART: (As Deborah Vance) Yes.

DEL BARCO: In the Comedy Supporting Actress category, Einbinder will be contending with the likes of Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett. There could be some history made at this year's Emmys, with the first Indigenous actresses ever nominated. Fresh off her Oscar nomination for "Killers Of The Flower Moon," actress Lily Gladstone is up for Supporting Actress in a Drama for the series "Under The Ridge." And former world champion boxer Kali Reis is a contender for Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for "True Detective: Night Country."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY")

KALI REIS: (As Evangeline Navarro) The Night Country - it takes us one by one.

DEL BARCO: Another series to watch for at the Emmy Awards as this year's breakout hit "Baby Reindeer." It has 11 nominations, including for actor, producer and writer Richard Gadd. This is his story of being a struggling comedian stalked, harassed and abused by a woman named Martha.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "BABY REINDEER")

JESSICA GUNNING: (As Martha Scott, laughing).

DEL BARCO: A real-life Scottish woman named Fiona Harvey claims she inspired the show's villain.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "BABY REINDEER")

GUNNING: (As Martha Scott) Apologize to me right now.

DEL BARCO: Harvey filed a $170 million defamation lawsuit against Netflix. The network is fighting back with a motion to dismiss the case, but a California judge has yet to rule. Meanwhile, "Baby Reindeer" could soar at the Emmys. Mandalit del Barco, NPR News, Los Angeles. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

As an arts correspondent based at NPR West, Mandalit del Barco reports and produces stories about film, television, music, visual arts, dance and other topics. Over the years, she has also covered everything from street gangs to Hollywood, police and prisons, marijuana, immigration, race relations, natural disasters, Latino arts and urban street culture (including hip hop dance, music, and art). Every year, she covers the Oscars and the Grammy awards for NPR, as well as the Sundance Film Festival and other events. Her news reports, feature stories and photos, filed from Los Angeles and abroad, can be heard on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, Alt.latino, and npr.org.