Shogun could be in for an epic night, The Bear could clean up for the second time in less than a year, and Baby Reindeer has gone from dark horse to contender as the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards arrive on Sunday (Monday AEST).
Back in their traditional mid-September spot after a single strike-delayed edition in January, the Emmys will be held at the Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The father and son duo of Eugene and Dan Levy, the winning stars of the 2020 Emmys with their show Schitt's Creek, will host.
Here's a look at the how the Emmys could play out across the major categories.
It may be impossible to slow the roll of Shogun. With its 14 wins at the precursor Creative Arts Emmy Awards last weekend, the FX series about lordly politicking in feudal Japan has already set a record for most Emmys for a single season of a series.
Shogun can extend its record by six, and industry prognosticators are predicting it will get them all.
The show seized all the Emmy power in the top categories by shifting from the limited series to the drama category in May when it began developing more seasons. And it was in some ways Emmy royalty from the start. During the golden age of the miniseries, the original 1980 Shogun, based on James Clavell's historical novel, won three including best limited series.
If it faces any competition at all for the best drama prize, it could come for the sixth and final season of The Crown, the only show among the nominees that has won before in a category recently dominated by the retired Succession.
Veteran screen star Hiroyuki Sanada, up for best actor, and New Zealand-born Anna Sawai, up for best actress, are in position to become the first Japanese actors to win Emmys.
Sanada could face a challenge from Gary Oldman, who has been quietly creating one of his career defining roles on Apple TV+ as schlubby spy chief Jackson Lamb on Slow Horses.
Sawai's competition comes from Emmy luminary Jennifer Aniston of The Morning Show, who has only won once before in 10 nominations. Imelda Staunton could win her first for playing Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown.
The Bear took most of the big comedy Emmys home in January for its first season, and is expected to do the same on Sunday for its second, which includes nominations for best comedy series, best actor for Jeremy Allen White and best supporting actor for Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
Ayo Edebiri, reigning best supporting actress, moves to the lead actress category for a character who is essentially a co-lead on the culinary dramedy. That means she'll be up against Jean Smart, a two-time winner in the category for Hacks who is back in the competition after a year off.
Meryl Streep, among several Academy Award winners among the night's nominees, could win her fourth Emmy to go with her three Oscars. She's up for best supporting actress in a comedy for Only Murders in the Building.
Another multiple Oscar winner, Jodie Foster, could get her first Emmy for best actress in a limited series for True Detective: Night Country.
The HBO show that features Foster as a police chief investigating mysterious deaths in the darkness of a north Alaskan winter was the top nominee among limited or anthology series. Kali Reis could become the first Indigenous woman to win an Emmy in the supporting actress category.
