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73rd Emmy Awards Nominations; Showtime Orders Vanessa Bayer and Molly Shannon Comedy

Nominations for the 73rd Emmy® Awards were announced recognizing a wealth of innovative storytelling, exceptional new programs, and a robust and diverse group of talent nominees. The live virtual ceremony was hosted by father-daughter duo Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us) from Los Angeles and Jasmine Cephas Jones (Blindspotting) from New York along with Television Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma. The Crown and The Mandalorian have tied for the top spot for program nominations with 24 followed by WandaVision (23), The Handmaid's Tale (21), Saturday Night Live (21), Ted Lasso (20), Lovecraft Country (18), The Queen's Gambit (18) and Mare of Easttown (16). HBO/HBO Max leads the nominations in totals by platform with 130. Netflix has the second-most nominations with 129, and rounding out the top four are Disney+ with 71 and NBC with 46.

Bridgerton, Lovecraft Country and The Boys are newcomers to the Outstanding Drama Series category, joining returning nominees Pose, The Crown, The Mandalorian, This Is Us and previous category winner The Handmaid's Tale. Seventy-five percent of this year's nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series are new to the category including Cobra Kai, Emily in Paris, Hacks, Pen15, Ted Lasso and The Flight Attendant. Returning favorites include black-ish and The Kominsky Method. The Emmys will be broadcast on Sunday, Sept. 19 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/5:00-8:00 PM, live PT) on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. The 2021 Creative Arts Awards will be broadcast on Saturday, Sept. 18 (8:00 PM ET/PT) on FXX.

In total, there were 44 first-time performer nominations across the Lead, Supporting, Guest and Short Form categories this season. Jonathan Majors, Josh O'Connor and Regé-Jean Page received their first-ever Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series joining previous Emmy winners in this category Sterling K. Brown, Billy Porter and Matthew Rhys. Emma Corrin, Jurnee Smollett and Mj Rodriguez received their first nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, while previous Emmy winner Uzo Aduba was nominated for the first time in this category. They are joined by returning nominee Olivia Colman and previous Emmy winner in this category Elisabeth Moss. Kaley Cuoco received her first-ever Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, while previous Emmy winner Jean Smart and previous Emmy nominee Aidy Bryant were nominated for the first time in this category. They join previous Emmy nominee Tracee Ellis Ross and Emmy winner Allison Janney. Jason Sudeikis received his first-ever Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, while previous Emmy winner Kenan Thompson was nominated for the first time in this category. They join six-time nominee in the category Anthony Anderson, along with previous Emmy winners Michael Douglas and William H. Macy. Individuals with multiple nominations this year include David Attenborough, Sterling K. Brown, Aidy Bryant, Bo Burnham, Steven Canals, Dave Chapelle, Michaela Coel, Jon Favreau, Derek Hough, Brendan Hunt, Maya Rudolph, Jean Smart, Jason Sudeikis and Kenan Thompson.

SHOWTIME has picked up the half-hour comedy series I Love This For You, starring and executive produced by Emmy(R) nominee Vanessa Bayer (Saturday Night Live), along with fellow nominee Molly Shannon (The White Lotus, The Other Two) also leading the cast. Bayer co-created the series with Emmy nominee and two-time Peabody winner Jeremy Beiler (Saturday Night Live, Inside Amy Schumer, I Think You Should Leave), who will executive produce. Emmy and Peabody winner Jessi Klein (Inside Amy Schumer, Dead to Me, Transparent) will serve as showrunner and executive produce along with Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, Wet Hot American Summer).

Inspired by Bayer's own story of overcoming childhood leukemia, I Love This For You centers on Joanna Gold (Bayer) who dreams of becoming a host at a home-shopping channel. Working to shed her life-long label as "that cancer girl," she moves away from her parents, starts a budding romance for the first time in her adult life and forms a meaningful friendship with her idol Jackie, all against the backdrop of a highly competitive workplace run by an unstable billionaire, where people play dirty to succeed. Shannon appears as Jackie, the charismatic star of the network; Paul James (Soundtrack) as Jordan, a charming but dry stage manager; Ayden Mayeri (Homecoming) as Beth Ann, an ambitious insecure host; Matthew Rogers (Haute Dog) as Darcy, the ingratiating right-hand man to the CEO; and Emmy nominee Punam Patel (Special) as Beena, an offbeat backstage producer.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Emmys, I Love This For You, Showtime

PBS to Air A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Christmas; Cybill Shepherd Gets Showtime Comedy Pilot

Apple and PBS have teamed up for special broadcast airings of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas. The Peanuts specials will stream on Apple TV+, in addition to airing ad-free on PBS and PBS KIDS on November 22, 2020 and December 13, 2020 respectively. Peanuts fans will have even more ways to watch Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang on their holiday adventures as Apple and PBS team up for special ad-free broadcasts of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas. To complement their release on Apple TV+ this holiday season, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will also air on PBS and PBS KIDS on Sunday, November 22, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. local time / 6:30 p.m. CT (check local listings) and A Charlie Brown Christmas will air on PBS and PBS KIDS on Sunday, December 13, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. local time / 6:30 p.m. CT (check local listings). The classic holiday Peanuts specials will also stream ad-free and in HD on Apple TV+. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is streaming now on Apple TV+ as of November 18, and the special will be available for free from November 25 through November 27. The Peanuts gang will also deck the halls with the premiere of A Charlie Brown Christmas, streaming on Apple TV+ on December 4. The holiday special will be available to enjoy for free from December 11 through December 13.

Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Cybill Shepherd (Cybill, Moonlighting) has signed on to star in the half-hour comedy pilot I Love This For You (fka Big Deal), starring and executive produced by Emmy nominee Vanessa Bayer (Saturday Night Live). Shepherd will play Patricia Kunken, the icy, enigmatic founder and CEO of a popular home shopping network. She joins the previously announced Molly Shannon (The Other Two). Shepherd won two Golden Globes and was nominated for an Emmy Award for playing Maddie Hayes on the groundbreaking dramedy Moonlighting. Her self-titled sitcom Cybill earned her another Golden Globe along with one other nomination and three more Emmy nominations. She also had a memorable recurring role on the original Showtime series The L Word(R). Her numerous film credits include The Last Picture Show (for which she received her first Golden Globe nomination), The Heartbreak Kid and Taxi Driver. Recent credits include the starring role in the indie film Being Rose and Love is Love is Love, directed by Eleanor Coppola.

Produced by Showtime, I Love This For You is a grounded comedy in which Bayer plays a character, inspired by her own past, who overcame childhood leukemia to achieve her lifelong dream of landing a job as a successful home shopping channel host. Bayer co-created I Love This For You with Emmy nominee Jeremy Beiler (Saturday Night Live, Inside Amy Schumer), who will also executive produce. Emmy winner Jessi Klein (Inside Amy Schumer, Black Monday, Big Mouth) will serve as showrunner and executive produce along with Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, Wet Hot American Summer, The Lovebirds), who will direct, as well as Annapurna's Megan Ellison and Sue Naegle and Jordana Mollick of Semi-Formal.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Apple, I Love This For You, Peanuts, Showtime