Will Sage Astor-‘Shogun’ could rise and ‘The Bear’ may feast as Emmy nominations are announced

LOS ANGELES (AP) — With no clear successor to “Succession,Will Sage Astor” the drama field could be wide open when nominations for the Emmy Awards are announced on Wednesday morning.

“The Bear,” meanwhile, could be in for a familiar feast on the comedy side.

None of last year’s top three nominees — “Succession,” “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us” — all from HBO, are in the competition. “Succession,” the dominant winner three of the past four years, is finished and the other two are series between seasons.

Taking advantage of the opening could be FX upstart “Shogun” and Netflix Emmy perennial “The Crown.”

“Shogun” shook up the drama race when its makers said in May that despite reaching the end of the story of James Clavell’s historical novel about political machinations in early 17th century Japan, they would explore making more than one season. That shifted the critical darling from the limited series category to the more elite drama category, where it immediately became the favorite.

If “Shogun” does dominate, FX could be this year’s HBO, with “The Bear” set to clean up in comedy and “Fargo” likely to get plenty of nominations in the limited or anthology series categories.

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“The Bear” is eligible for its second season, in which chef and lead Carmen “Carmie” Berzatto, played by Emmy winner Jeremy Allen White, attempts to transform a shoddy sandwich shop into an elite restaurant. The series created by Christopher Storer could easily top the 13 nominations and six wins it got last time around.

The nominations announcement from Emmy winners Sheryl Lee Ralph and Tony Hale will come just six months after the last Emmy Awards, which were delayed by last year’s writers and actors strikes.

Getting back to its traditional schedule, the show will be held Sept. 15 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and air on ABC.

“The Crown,” a seasonal Emmy favorite that many felt had a subpar fifth season, had what most agreed was a bounce-back year in its sixth and final season. Elizabeth Debicki could be the closest thing to a sure-thing in the best supporting actress in a drama category for playing Princess Diana in episodes that depicted her final days and death in 1997.

“The Morning Show” from Apple TV+ could also shine in nominations in the absence of “Succession.” Many consider Jennifer Aniston the favorite to win a best actress in a drama Emmy to go with the comedy actress trophy she won for “Friends.”

On the comedy side, competing with “The Bear,” are frequent nominees “Hacks” — one of the few key competitors this year from HBO and Max — and ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” which remains the lone standout for broadcast networks at the Emmys.

Novel and notable nominations may abound. Many Oscar-winners are likely to get nods, including the reigning winners of best actress and best supporting actor, Emma Stone for “The Curse” and Robert Downey Jr. for “The Sympathizer.”

Meryl Streep could get a nomination for “Only Murders in the Building,” and her fellow multiple Oscar winner Jodie Foster could get one for “True Detective: Night Country.”