It is with great anticipation and not a little bit of trepidation that we officially begin the final countdown to the 2020 Emmy Awards with the kickoff of nominations-round voting. It's been a wholly unprecedented season to date and as a consequence, we might just be looking at the most unpredictable set of nominees in recent history.

Voting for the nominations round began on July 2, and is slated to close at 10 p.m. PT on Monday, July 13; it marks the midpoint of the Emmy calendar which has faced several adjustments at the hands of the Television Academy in recent months.

On March 6, when the widespread threat of coronavirus was not yet fully realized, the organization announced changes to its For Your Consideration events, barring autographs and selfies, meet-and-greets and audience questions, advising that attendees who felt ill or had pre-existing conditions to skip the events. Less than a week later, on March 12, the Academy announced that it was suspending live FYC events, opting instead to live-streamed and pre-recorded options for the whole of the Emmy season.

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#Emmys' nomination voting has begun. Our awards columnist is breaking down each category, from frontrunners to long shots. Click the link in bio for the latest awards forecast.⁠ ⁠ Comment below, what are you TV series standouts? 📺

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And that leaves us here. Looking down the barrel of an Emmy season that exists outside of FYC events and schmoozing and elbow-rubbing and face time. An Emmy season that exists outside of industry buzz. For the first time in ages, awards pundits have no idea what's about to happen and have no choice but to admit as much.