'Watchmen' leads 2020 Emmy nominees with 26 nominations: See full list

LOS ANGELES -- "Watchmen," cloaked in superhero mythology and grounded in real-world racism, received a leading 26 nominations Tuesday for the primetime Emmy Awards.

The series, which captured America's unease as it faces racial clashes amid a pandemic, was nominated as best limited series and received bids for cast members including Regina King and Jeremy Irons.

King was part of a vanguard of actors of color who showed that TV academy voters took heed of the calls for change.

The Amazon comedy "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" is the second most-nominated series with 20, followed by Netflix's "Ozark" with 18.

"This year, we are also bearing witness to one of the greatest fights for social justice in history. And it is our duty to use this medium for change," Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy said at the outset of the presentation.

Click here to see how 2020 Emmy nominees are reaction to their nominations

"The Mandalorian" earned its first nomination for Outstanding Drama Series alongside returning nominees "Better Call Saul," "The Crown," "The Handmaid's Tale," "Killing Eve," "Ozark," "Stranger Things" and "Succession."

"Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Dead to Me," The Good Place," "Insecure," "The Kominsky Method," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Schitt's Creek" and "What We Do in the Shadows" earned nominations for Outstanding Comedy series.

Regina King was part of a vanguard of actors of color who showed that TV academy voters took heed of the calls for change.

See the full list of nominees in key categories:

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

• Anthony Anderson, "Black-ish"
• Don Cheadle, "Black Monday"
• Ted Danson, "The Good Place"
• Michael Douglas, "The Kominsky Method"
• Eugene Levy, "Schitt's Creek"
• Ramy Youssef, "Ramy"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

• Christina Applegate, "Dead to Me"
• Rachel Brosnahan, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
• Linda Cardellini, "Dead to Me"
• Catherine O'Hara, "Schitt's Creek"
• Issa Rae, "Insecure"
• Tracee Ellis Ross, "Black-ish"

Outstanding Variety Talk Series

• "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah," Comedy Central
• "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," TBS
• "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," ABC
• "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," HBO
• "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," CBS

Sandy Kenyon has more on the 2020 Emmy nominations.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

• Jason Bateman, "Ozark"
• Sterling K. Brown, "This Is Us"
• Steve Carell, "The Morning Show"
• Brian Cox, "Succession"
• Billy Porter, "Pose"
• Jeremy Strong, "Succession"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

• Jennifer Aniston, "The Morning Show"
• Olivia Colman, "The Crown"
• Jodie Comer, "Killing Eve"
• Laura Linney, "Ozark"
• Sandra Oh, "Killing Eve"
• Zendaya, "Euphoria"

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

• "The Masked Singer"
• "Nailed It!"
• "RuPaul's Drag Race"
• "Top Chef"
• "The Voice"

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

• Jeremy Irons, "Watchmen"
• Hugh Jackman, "Bad Education"
• Paul Mescal, "Normal People"
• Jeremy Pope, "Hollywood"
• Mark Ruffalo, "I Know This Much is True"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

• Cate Blanchett, "Mrs. America"
• Shira Haas, "Unorthodox"
• Regina King, "Watchmen"
• Octavia Spencer, "Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker"
• Kerry Washington, "Little Fires Everywhere"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

• Kieran Culkin, "Succession"
• Billy Crudup, "The Morning Show"
• Giancarlo Esposito, "Better Call Saul"
• Bradley Whitford, "The Handmaid's Tale"
• Mark Duplass, "The Morning Show"
• Nicholas Braun, "Succession"
• Matthew Macfadyen, "Succession"
• Jeffery Wright, "Westworld"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

• Helena Bonham Carter, "The Crown"
• Laura Dern, "Big Little Lies"
• Julia Garner, "Ozark"
• Thandie Newton, "Westworld"
• Fiona Shaw, "Killing Eve"
• Sarah Snook, "Succession"
• Meryl Streep, "Big Little Lies"
• Samira Wiley, "The Handmaid's Tale"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

• Yvonne Orji, "Insecure"
• Alex Borstein, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
• Betty Gilpin, "GLOW"
• Marin Hinkle, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
• Kate McKinnon, "Saturday Night Live"
• Cecily Strong, "Saturday Night Live"
• D'Arcy Carden, "The Good Place;"
• Annie Murphy, "Schitt's Creek"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

• Mahershala Ali, "Ramy"
• Alan Arkin, "The Kominsky Method"
• Sterling K. Brown, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
• Daniel Levy, "Schitt's Creek"
• Tony Shalhoub, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
• Kenan Thompson, "Saturday Night Live"
• William Jackson, "The Good Place"
• Andre Braugher, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"

Outstanding Limited Series

• "Little Fires Everywhere," Hulu
• "Mrs. America," FX Networks
• "Unbelievable," Netflix
• "Unorthodox," Netflix
• "Watchmen," HBO

Outstanding Comedy Series

• "Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO
• "Dead To Me," Netflix
• "The Good Place," NBC
• "Insecure," HBO
• "The Kominsky Method," Netflix
• "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," Prime Video
• "Schitt's Creek," Pop
• "What We Do In The Shadows," FX Networks

Outstanding Drama Series

• "Better Call Saul," AMC
• "The Crown," Netflix
• "The Handmaid's Tale," Hulu
• "Killing Eve," BBC America
• "The Mandalorian," Disney+
• "Ozark," Netflix
• "Stranger Things," Netflix
• "Succession," HBO

Click here to see the full list of Emmy nominees.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is returning to host the Primetime Emmy Awards for the third time, which is set to air Sunday, Sept. 20, on ABC.

Tune in to On The Red Carpet at the Emmys on Sunday, Sept. 20, (check local listings) and watch the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards at 8 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. CT | 5 p.m. PT on ABC.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of FX, Hulu, Disney+ and this ABC station.