Netflix series "Unorthodox," the story of a Hasidic Jewish woman who flees to Berlin from New York to escape her unhappy arranged marriage, on Tuesday received four nominations for the 2020 Emmy Awards.
The show's nominations were for Best Limited Series, Best Lead Actress for Shira Haas, Best Director for Maria Schrader and Best Writing for Anna Winger.
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Shira Haas as Esty and Amit Rahav as Yakov in Unorthodox
(Photo: Anika Molnar/Netflix)
Tel Aviv-born Haas has won widespread praise for her portrayal of Esty Shapiro in the series. The 25-year-old actress also played Ruchami Weiss in the critically acclaimed Israeli show "Shtisel," which was also picked up by Netflix for international distribution.
The leading contender is HBO series "Watchmen," with 26 nominations.
The dystopian superhero drama, which deals with race, police and white supremacy, is based on a 1980s graphic novel and stars Regina King.
The Amazon comedy "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," about a 1950s Jewish American housewife who becomes a stand-up comedian, is the second most-nominated series with 20, followed by Netflix's "Ozark" with 18.
Coming up behind with 15 nominations is sleeper hit "Schitt's Creek," a quirky little show that went without Emmy recognition until last year.
It received its nominations for its final season, including for best comedy series and lead acting nods for Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara. Levy co-created the show with his son Daniel and also plays his father in the show.
(Schitt's Creek trailer)
Host Leslie Jones kicked off the announcement Tuesday morning by appearing on a virtual set and joking that she was told there would be many others on set to announce the nominees and that she was locked in a studio with only a camerman.
The nominations, typically unveiled with fanfare at the TV academy's Los Angeles headquarters, were announced online Tuesday by Jones ("Saturday Night Live") and presenters Laverne Cox ("Orange is the New Black"), Josh Gad ("Frozen") and Tatiana Maslany ("Orphan Black").
Cox, Gad and Maslany appeared on by video feeds.
"This year, we are also bearing witness to one of the greatest fights for social justice in history. And it is our duty to use this medium for change," Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy said at the outset of the presentation.
The Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be presented Sept. 20 on ABC.