While Disney+ is coming up on its second birthday and the streaming service already did very well at last year’s Emmys, earning dozens of nominations, it appears the domination of the Mouse House just needed a boost from Marvel Studios to really push it over the edge with this year’s awards season, as both “WandaVision” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” pick up a slew of Emmy noms today.
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The Emmys were announced today and, as we’ve seen in previous years, Netflix’s “The Crown” leads with 24 nominations. But right up there, tied with 24 nominations is “The Mandalorian.” And then, you have Marvel Studios’ first-ever TV series, “WandaVision” with a surprising 23 nominations. Combined with 5 more from “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and you have Marvel Studios contributing 28 nominations just from two series. (Keep in mind, these are the only two series that qualify, as “Loki” will have to wait for next year to be considered.) If 28 nominations don’t speak to the importance of Marvel Studios in the Disney+ machine, then nothing will.
And it’s not like “WandaVision” only landed creative arts Emmys or the “less glamorous” award recognition. The show earned recognition for Best Limited Series, Best Actress (Elizabeth Olsen), Best Actor (Paul Bettany), Best Guest Actress (Kathryn Hahn), as well as a slew of writing and directing nominations. Obviously, more so than just about any other show on TV, “WandaVision” is tailor-made for Emmy love, as the series itself is a celebration of TV shows of the past. But still, in a world where Marvel Studios routinely dominates the box office but doesn’t really earn any serious awards consideration on the feature film side, the success of “WandaVision” shows the studio can be a major player in the TV realm.
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As far as “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” the biggest nomination came for Don Cheadle, who earned a Best Guest Actor nom, with the remaining recognition being for the craft sections of the series. This series is definitely more of a typical Marvel Studios project, feeling like a film that was morphed into a show. So, if Marvel Studios doesn’t mix up the formula from time to time, we could be seeing fewer awards come its way if this is any indication.
That said, when you consider Disney+ earned 71 nominations and nearly half come from two Marvel Studios TV series, the importance of Kevin Feige’s superhero factory is clear. And let’s not forget, we’re only talking two series. Next year, we could be looking at even more nominations, as Marvel Studios will have “Loki,” “What If?,” “Hawkeye,” “Ms. Marvel,” and perhaps even more series debuting over the next calendar year.
And if you’re wondering where the rest of the Disney+ recognition came from, the aforementioned 24 nominations for “Mandalorian” certainly helped, as did the 12 from “Hamilton.”