Wait, ‘Hamilton’ is nominated for Emmys?
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” won 11 Tonys, a Grammy, a Pulitzer, a Kennedy Center Honor and more accolades than we have room here to mention. And now the film version of the musical, spliced together from three 2016 stage performances featuring most of the original cast, is up for the Emmys, a year after its premiere on Disney+.
Because it’s a filmed version of a theatrical performance, “Hamilton” was placed in the prerecorded variety special category. But as it meets the 75-minute threshold to qualify for a TV movie, its cast was technically eligible to compete in the television movie/limited series acting categories. And compete they did: Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. earned Emmy nominations along with five members of the supporting cast: Renée Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Groff and Anthony Ramos.
“The Crown” and “The Mandalorian” dominate the 2021 Emmy nominations. Here are the honorees in the major categories.
The television academy’s decision to include the ensemble in the main acting categories felt like a stretch to some, leading to behind-the-scenes grumbling from executives at competing networks and streaming platforms. And as many of the cast won Tonys for these performances five years ago, there was also the feeling that they’d already had their reward.
The category confusion and controversy marks the end of the “Hamilton” movie’s bumpy awards saga. The motion picture academy ruled it ineligible for the Oscars. It did show up at the Golden Globes, nominated for best motion picture musical/comedy and Miranda’s lead turn as Alexander Hamilton. It was eligible in all categories at the Screen Actors Guild Awards but only Daveed Diggs managed to earn a nod.
Looking ahead, “Hamilton” stands as a favorite to win that prerecorded variety special award. After all those other honors, does Miranda need an Emmy? Eh ... probably not as much as the Emmys need Miranda in the audience for the ceremony.
The complete guide to home viewing
Get Screen Gab for everything about the TV shows and streaming movies everyone’s talking about.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
