ATLANTA — With Georgia's place as a key production hub for the film and television industry, it's of little surprise that multiple series shot right in our backyard are up for multiple awards at this year's Emmys.
Among those nominated are a surrealist comedy, a gripping crime drama, and blockbuster streaming series.
Stranger Things
It's easily been the summer's biggest series, but how did "Stranger Things" fair with Emmy voters?
The sci-fi streaming series was not quite as much a powerhouse in the drama categories as it had been in years past. Of its 13 nominations, only one - Outstanding Drama - managed to land in one of the major categories.
An important note is that only the first seven episodes of the season were eligible, as the final two that dropped over Fourth of July weekend arrived after the Emmy's qualification window.
Did voters just not finish the fourth season? With its extended running time and the plethora of other series vying to attention in the last few months before nominations, it's certainly possible.
However, it's important to again keep in mind the Emmy's eligibility window (June 1, 2021 - May 31, 2022), meaning fall favorites such the acclaimed HBO drama "Succession" and fellow Netflix phenomenon "Squid Game" were in equal competition. By looking at the sheer number of nominations in each of drama categories, these two appear to be the clear favorites, meaning the kids at Hawkins likely just faced some stiff competition.
You can stream the entire series right now on Netflix.
Ozark
Another Netflix drama series with ties to the Peach State also garnered 13 nominations for its fourth and final season. Like "Stranger Things," the crime drama managed to snag an impressive Outstanding Drama nomination but also landed several notable acting nominations as well.
Among those were Jason Bateman for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Laura Linney for Outstanding Lead Actress, and Julia Garner for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
How well the show will perform in these categories remains to be seen. As mentioned earlier, the drama categories appear to be overflowing with "Succession" and "Squid Game" love, indicating a strong admiration for those series among voters. However, the Emmys do have a history of rewarding performances and series at the end of their runs. Meaning maybe now would be an optimal chance to reward someone like Bateman or Linney, who have yet to take home an acting prize here.
The whole Ozark series is currently available to watch on Netflix.
Atlanta
The comedy series from Donald Glover, who grew up in the Atlanta area, was a sensation its first two seasons, taking home awards at the 2017 and 2018 Emmys.
However, the shows third season drew a perhaps more divisive response from some viewers, splitting its time between the core cast over in Europe and more standalone episodes that explored ideas about race through the series' signature surreal style.
Nevertheless, the series walked away with three nominations on Tuesday - most notably a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Glover himself.
You can stream the whole series currently on Hulu.
The Staircase
Looking among the limited series categories, one thing is clear; the ripped form the headlines docu-series is easily one of the hottest trends in TV.
Series such as "Pam & Tommy," "Dopesick," "The Dropout," and "Inventing Anna" were all over these categories and its not hard to imagine why; their limited number of episodes are often attractive to big stars and there's often a built-in awareness from an audience standpoint, having some knowledge of the what the show is simply from reading about it in an article or watching a segment about it on the news.
Of these series, one did manage to film here in Georgia; "The Staircase," which follows the trial of crime novelist Michael Peterson after his wife was found dead at the bottom of their home's staircase. If you're by chance unfamiliar with the story, let's just say there was a particularly strange conspiracy theory involving an owl.
The show scored two nominations in the acting categories. Oscar-winner Colin Firth was nominated for Lead Actor in a Limited Series for portraying Peters, while actress Toni Collette was nominated for Lead Actress in a Limited Series for playing his wife.
You can stream the whole series currently on HBOMax.