When I looked back at my list of shows to start working on this piece, I was honestly surprised at how far we’ve come. Not just because of the fact 2020 has been 100 years long, but the breadth of shows released was really interesting. I had a harder than usual time narrowing down my choices for my personal Emmy ballot because there was a lot of shows I liked but only few that I loved. I felt this particularly in Drama, where the American shows that had good seasons last year did not have the same type of hold on me as they did last year. This allowed for my most international lineup ever in Drama, with the win going to Into the Night, an anxiety inducing French show about a plane trying to out run the apocalypse. The biggest winners were Watchmen and Schitts Creek, two superlative seasons of television that won five awards a piece. Now without further ado, here are my choices for the best of 2019-2020 tv in my personal Emmy ballot.
Animated Series
Black Clover
Demon Slayer
Fire Force
Gen:Lock
Harley Quinn
My Hero Academia
Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun
Voice Actor
Gakuto Kajiwara as Asta, Black Clover
Ryohei Kimura as Asmodeus Alice, Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun
Ayumu Murase as Iruma Suzuki, Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun
Matt Oberg as Kite Man, Harley Quinn
Tarusuk Shingaki as Mirio, My Hero Academia
Nick Wolfhard as Jack Sullivan, The Last Kids on Earth
Daiki Yamashita as Deku, My Hero Academia
Voice Actress
Kana Yuuki as Noelle, Black Clover
Lake Bell as Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn
Kaley Cuoco as Harley Quinn, Harley Quinn
Asia Kate Dillon as Valentina, Gen:Lock
Saori Hayami as Azazel Amelie, Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun
Montserrat Hernandez as June del Toro, The Last Kids on Earth
Sanaa Lathan as Catwoman, Harley Quinn
Writing
119, Black Clover
Sabito and Makomo, Demon Slayer
The Spreading Malice, Fire Force
L.O.D.R.S.V.P., Harley Quinn
Lemillion, My Hero Academia
Iruma-kun from Demon School, Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun
Director
119, Black Clover
The Boar Bears Its Fangs, Zenitsu Sleeps, Demon Slayer
Temari Demon and Arrow Demon, Demon Slayer
The Spreading Malice, Fire Force
Lemillion, My Hero Academia
Let’s Go, Gutsy Red Riot, My Hero Academia
Original Score
Black Clover
Demon Slayer
Fire Force
Gen: Lock
My Hero Academia
Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun
Movie
Descendants 3
John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch
Midnight Kiss
The Clark Sisters
Striking Vipers, Black Mirror
Miniseries
Devs
Encore
Hollywood
Normal People
Slow Burn
Watchmen
Years and Years
Guest Actor
Jovan Adepo, Watchmen
Guest Actress
Katie McGuinness, Hollywood
Actor
Claes Bang, Dracula
Jake Borelli, The Thing about Harry
Theo James, Sanditon
Rory Kinear, Years and Years
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Russell Tovey, Years and Years
Actress
Nicole Behaire, Black Mirror
Aunjuane Ellis, The Clark Sisters
Daisy Edgar Jones, Normal People
Regina King, Watchmen
Sonoya Mizuno, Devs
Dolly Wells, Dracula
Rose Williams, Sanditon
Supporting Actor
Charlie Barnett, Tales of the City
Zach Grenier, Devs
Joe Mantello, Hollywood
Jake Picking, Hollywood
Jim Parsons, Hollywood
Andre de Shields, John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch
Mark Stanley, Sanditon
Supporting Actress
Angela Birchett, The Clark Sisters
Alice Eve, Belgravia
Anne Reid, Sanditon
Jean Smart, Watchmen
Cailee Spaeny, Devs
Charlotte Spencer, Sanditon
Emma Thompson, Years and Years
Writing
Outlaws, Hollywood
Episode 2, Normal People
Episode #1.7, Sanditon
A God Walks into Abar, Watchmen
This Extraordinary Being, Watchmen
Episode 2, Years and Years
Director
Episode #1.2, Belgravia
Beauty and the Beast, Encore
Outlaws, Hollywood
Episode #1.7, Sanditon
This Extraordinary Being, Watchmen
Episode #1.4, Years and Years
Original Score
Belgravia
Descendants 3
Devs
Dracula
Sanditon
Watchmen
Costumes
Belgravia
Descendants 3
Dracula
Hollywood
Sanditon
Watchmen
Cinematography
Devs
Dracula
Encore
Midnight Kiss
Watchmen
Years and Years
Comedy Series
Dead to Me
Dollface
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Insecure
Schitts Creek
Upload
Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun
Guest Actor
Reggie Conquest, Insecure
Joe Hemphill, Schitts Creek
Dylan McDermott, The Politician
Dustin Milligan, Schitts Creek
Mark St. Cyr, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Derek Theler, Dollface
Saamer Usmani, Run
Guest Actress
Beth Grant, Dollface
Martina Navratilova, The Politician
Karen Robinson, Schitts Creek
Catherine Mudon, Dollface
Cocoa Brown, Never Have I Ever
Archie Panjabi, Run
Suzy Nakamura, Dead to Me
Actor
Robbie Amell, Upload
Joshua Bassett, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Darío Yazbek Bernal, La Casa de Las Flores
Jay Ellis, Insecure
Dan Levy, Schitts Creek
Eugene Levy, Schitts Creek
Ben Platt, The Politician
Actress
Kat Dennings, Dollface
Annie Murphy, Schitts Creek
Catherine O’Hara, Schitts Creek
Yvonne Orji, Insecure
Issa Rae, Insecure
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Never Have I Ever
Meritt Weaver, Run
Supporting Actor
Matt Cornett, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Paco León, La Casa de Las Flores
Jaren Lewison, Never Have I Ever
James Marsden, Dead to Me
Juan Pablo Medina, La Casa de Las Flores
Noah Reid, Schitts Creek
Larry Saperstein, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Supporting Actress
Emily Hampshire, Schitts Creek
Poorna Jagannathan, Never Have I Ever
Shay Mitchell, Dollface
Esther Povitsky, Dollface
Julia Schlaepfer, The Politician
Kate Reinders, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Natasha Rothwell, Insecure
Writing
Feminist, Dollface
Lowkey Feelin Myself, Insecure
… had to be on my best behavior, Never Have I Ever
Kiss, Run
The Incident, Schitts Creek
What I Want More Than Anything, Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun
Director
Feminist, Dollface
The Auditions, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Lowkey Feelin Myself, Insecure
… had to be on my best behavior, Never Have I Ever
Start Spreading the News, Schitts Creek
What I Want More Than Anything, Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun
Music
Dollface
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Insecure
Never Have I Ever
The Politician
Upload
Costumes
Dollface
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Insecure
Never Have I Ever
The Politician
Schitts Creek
Cinematography
Dollface
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Insecure
La Casa de Las Flores
Never Have I Ever
The Politician
Drama Series
The Boys
Dark
Into the Night
Kingdom
Legends of Tomorrow
Toy Boy
You
Guest Actor
Sean Delaney, Killing Eve
Haley Joel Osment, The Boys
Jin Seon-kyu, Kingdom
Brent Spiner, Picard
Drew Ray Tanner, Legends of Tomorrow
Robin Lord Taylor, You
Alec Utgoff, Stranger Things
Guest Actress
June Carryl, Mindhunter
Joan Cusack, Homecoming
Miriam Díaz-Aroca, Toy Boy
Julia Jones, The Mandolorian
Jane Lapotaire, The Crown
Jodhi May, The Witcher
Necar Zadegan, Picard
Actor
Penn Badgley, You
Laurent Capelluto, Into the Night
Louis Hoffman, Dark
Ju Ji-hoon, Kingdom
Jesús Mosquera, Toy Boy
Pedro Pascal, The Mandalorian
Atony Starr, The Boys
Actress
Suliane Brahim, Black Spot
Cristina Castaño, Toy Boy
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Pauline Etienne, Into the Night
Caity Lotz, Legends of Tomorrow
Kate Phillips, Miss Scarlett and the Duke
Cobie Smulders, Stumptown
Supporting. Actor
Joey Batey, The Witcher
Pedro Casablanc, Toy Boy
Hubert Delattre, Black Spot
Joe Keery, Stranger Things
Mehmet Kurtulus, Into the Night
James Scully, You
Mark Waschke, Dark
Supporting Actress
Adelfa Calvo, Toy Boy
Gina Carano, The Mandalorian
Erin Doherty, The Crown
Michelle Gomez, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Maya Hawke, Stranger Things
Babetida Sadjo, Into the Night
Maja Schöne, Dark
Writing
Tywysog Cymru, The Crown
Lost and Found, Dark
Jakub, Into the Night
Memento Mori, Miss Scarlett and the Duke
Piloto, Toy Boy
Fear and Loathing in Beverly Hills, You
Directing
Aberfan, The Crown
Jakub, Into the Night
Terenzio, Into the Night
Piloto, Toy Boy
Episode 1, War of the Worlds
Fear and Loathing in Beverly Hills, You
Music
The Crown
Homecoming
Into the Night
The Mandalorian
Stranger Things
The Witcher
Costumes
The Boys
Kingdom
The Mandolorian
Miss Scarlett and the Duke
Toy Boy
The Witcher
Cinematography
Black Spot
Euphoria
Into the Night
The Mandolorian
Westworld
You