With two of last year’s nominees in the Emmy’s unstructured reality category not being eligible this year, the Television Academy was able to infuse it with new blood in the form of Netflix’s “Love on the Spectrum U.S.” scoring its first ever nomination.
In its debut season, the U.S. version of the hit Australian show has been widely praised for its nuanced approach to its subject matter, where a group of singles on the autism spectrum attempt to navigate the messy world of dating and relationships.
Bravo’s “Below Deck,” a newbie last year in the unstructured reality program category, was again nominated, this time for its ninth season, which aired last fall. It chronicles the lives of a yacht crew during charter season in the Caribbean —- as well as their sometimes horrendous guests.
Beyond “Below Deck,” last year’s nominees were the category’s eventual winner, VH1’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race Untucked,” and Netflix’s “Selling Sunset,” as well as Netflix’s “Indian Matchmaking” (which has been renewed for a second and third season, but its upcoming August 10 for Season 2 means it didn’t air during the eligibility period) and Disney+’s “Becoming,” a 2020 LeBron James-produced series that profiled the early lives of various celebrities, but hasn’t been renewed for a second season.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race Untucked” scored a nomination again this year as did “Selling Sunset.”
Meanwhile, Netflix’s “Cheer,” which won the category in 2020, has been nominated again this year in the unstructured category and has two other nominations, including in the outstanding picture editing for an unstructured reality program and outstanding directing for a reality program categories.