It seemed unlikely to many that a populist genre phenom like “Star Wars” would become a franchise associated with above-the-line awards attention. And for many years it wasn’t. Since the Oscar-decorated first instalment of George Lucas’ life-changing Skywalker saga, the franchise had not seen above-the-line awards attention for over four decades. But, after a close call with “The Force Awakens” in 2015, along came “The Mandalorian.”
The shiny new original series which spearheaded the launch of streaming platform Disney+, was a major hit across the board. Audiences were obsessed (8.7 IMDb rating), critics were impressed (93% rotten tomatoes rating) and Baby Yoda had completely taken over the pop culture zeitgeist. What followed was a surprising amount of attention from awards bodies including the TV academy.The first two seasons won 14 Emmys from 39 nominations.
A new “Star Wars” series garnering awards buzz this year is Tony Gilroy’s gritty, grounded political drama “Andor.” Many genre show have tried of late to produce gritty, grounded pieces of screen art, often citing James Mangold’s “Logan” and Todd Phillips’ “Joker” as reference points, but “Andor” is the first to actually pull it off. The series has had a stellar reception (96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 8.4 IMDb rating) and is poised for a strong showing at the Emmys.
“Andor” is bound to reap multiple below-the-line bids as did “The Mandalorian.” Further though, looking at our odds, the new show is likely to land multiple above-the-line nominations too. This includes Best Drama Actor for Diego Luna (8th in our combined odds), Best Drama Supporting Actor for Stellan Skarsgard (12th in our combined odds), Best Drama Supporting Actress for Genevieve O’Reilly (23rd in our combined odds), and Best Drama Guest Actor and Actress for Andy Serkis and Fiona Shaw (both 5th in our combined odds). The series is also a strong contender in Best Drama Writing and Directing which aren’t part of our odds.
All this broad support for “Andor” places it in a great position for a Best Drama Series nomination, which it is currently widely predicted to land. It is inside the top 8 in our combined odds. It’s actually ahead of “The Mandalorian”, which sits at 11th following a lesser acclaimed third season (85% Rotten Tomatoes score, 7.8 average IMDb rating). Will there be a passing of the “Star Wars” torch this year?
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
