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Emmys 2019: Will the awards show deliver on its diversity promise of last year?

While this year's nominations are less diverse than last year, strong nominations from 'When They See Us' and 'Pose' could mean that there will be more POC winners

BY NEETHA K

PUBLISHED SEP 22, 2019

In 2018, the Emmy Awards let everyone know that their pool of nominations was more diverse than ever, but when the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards ended, only two people of color won that night -- Regina King for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for Netflix's 'Seven Seconds' and Thandie Newton for Outstanding Supporting Actress for a Drama Series for HBO's 'Westworld'. Many viewers rightly called out the awards show for its claim of diversity not being reflected in the winners' list.

For the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, plenty of people of color have been nominated thanks to shows like 'When They See Us', 'Pose', and 'Killing Eve'. Of these, 'When They See Us' leads with acting nominations for Jharrel Jerome, Aunjanue Ellis, Niecy Nash, Asante Blackk, John Leguizamo, Michael K. Williams, Marsha Stephanie Blake, and writing and directing nominations for Ava DuVernay. This year, Jerome is the favorite to win the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his heartbreaking performance as Korey Wise, one of the Exonerated Five. Considering the reception for Netflix's 'When They See Us', Ava DuVernay could also stand to win one or both awards.

Director Ava DuVernay, center, with the Central Park 5: Raymond Santana, from left, Kevin Richardson, Korey Wise, Anthony McCray, and Yusef Salaam, attend the world premiere of "When They See Us," at the Apollo Theater in New York (Source: Donald Traill/Invision/AP)

Meanwhile, Sandra Oh has been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series again for her role in 'Killing Eve' -- as she was last year, but surprisingly lost to Claire Foy for her role in 'The Crown'. This year again, Sandra Oh is a fan-favorite to win, but many are wondering if she will be passed up again. Billy Porter has been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role in 'Pose' and is up again another favorite, Sterling K. Brown, who has been nominated for 'This is Us'. Brown has been nominated multiple times and this time, he is the favorite to win.

What remains to be seen is whether the diversity that the Academy aims for is just for the nominations. While the number of nominations for people of color was just 24 -- lower than the 38 from last year -- viewers hope more of these nominations get translated into wins. It is interesting to note that more female filmmakers have been nominated in 2019. With strong performances from nearly the whole cast of 'When They See Us', this could be possible.