Philly shows 'Abbott Elementary' and 'Task' nominated for Emmy Awards

Following a banner year for TV shows set in Philadelphia, the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary and HBO drama Task received multiple Emmy Award nominations on Wednesday.

The debut season of Task, the Delco crime thriller from Malvern’s Brad Ingelsby that filmed throughout the region, marks a triumphant return to the Emmys red carpet for the Mare of Easttown creator.

Starring Mark Ruffalo, the show received a total of six nominations and just began filming season two in Manayunk this week with new cast members including Mahershala Ali.

Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey both received acting nominations for their performances, in outstanding lead and outstanding supporting categories, respectively.

The finale “A Still Small Voice” received particular attention: Ingelsby was nominated for outstanding writing for a drama series and editors Keiko Deguchi and Amy E. Duddleston were nominated in the picture editing category. The episode “Crossings” was recognized as well, with director of photography Alex Disenhof nominated for outstanding cinematography for a one-hour series.

Additionally, director Salli Richardson Whitfield was nominated for directing the action-packed episode “Out Beyond Ideas Of Wrongdoing And Rightdoing, There Is A River.” She is also nominated in the same category for directing an episode of The Gilded Age.

Ingelsby told The Inquirer in an email that the Task team is “deeply honored” by the recognition.

“Task exists solely because of the remarkable people who have believed in it and helped bring it to the screen. Thank you to HBO for shepherding it into the world so beautifully,” Ingelsby wrote. “I’m especially happy to see our cast leaders Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey nominated for their extraordinary performances.”

“This recognition represents the entire Task team,“ he said, ”in front of and behind the camera who poured their enormous talent and hearts into bringing this story to life.”

He added: “We are busy at work shooting Season 2 right now, and this is a very nice reason to pause for a moment and celebrate.”

Fresh off concluding its fifth season, the Emmy-winning powerhouse Abbott Elementary returns to the awards ceremony with seven nods, including outstanding comedy series and outstanding casting. West Philly’s Quinta Brunson, Abbott’s star and creator, was nominated for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role as Janine Teagues and outstanding writing for a comedy series for the episode “Team Building.”

Joining Brunson in acting nominations are Janelle James, who plays the chaotically unpredictable principal Ava Coleman, and is nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series. Tyler James Williams, who plays the neurotic teacher Gregory Eddie, is nominated for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy.

Abbott Elementary also received a nod for outstanding directing for a comedy series, recognizing Randall Einhorn for his incredible effort filming the “Ball Game” episode during a live Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park last August. Phillies fans will remember it as the night Kyle Schwarber made MLB history hitting four home runs, while big Abbott fans will recall suspecting the mysterious janitor Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) was secretly the Phanatic.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” Brunson wrote on Instagram. “Congratulations to the hardworking cast and crew of Abbott. I am grateful for each and every person that makes this production move.”

In the supporting actor category, Williams will compete with West Philly native Colman Domingo, who was nominated for his role as the sharp and sassy Danny in Tina Fey’s Netflix comedy, The Four Seasons. This is his second consecutive year as a best supporting actor nominee. The show’s second season, released in May, was filmed partially at the Jersey Shore and revealed that Domingo’s character is also from Philadelphia.

Domingo received a second Emmy nomination this year for the final season of HBO’s Euphoria, in the category of outstanding guest actor. He played the tender-hearted and justifiably furious addiction sponsor Ali to Zendaya’s lovably tragic character Rue. In 2022, Domingo won the supporting actor Emmy for the same role.

The actor was just in Philadelphia for July Fourth, when he received a Philadelphia Freedom Award from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. Now on vacation in Europe, he’s celebrating the double Emmy nods that highlight his acting skills in both comedic and dramatic roles.

“I think the diversity of work is what I’ve always hoped for, to have these opportunities to flex very different muscles,” Domingo told Deadline on Wednesday. He added that he believes the finale of Euphoria “is some of my best work” and he “gave it everything I had.”

Another Philly son got a nomination this year: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator Rob Mac (formerly McElhenney) stars in and executive produces the Emmy-winning documentary series Welcome to Wrexham, about the Welsh soccer team he co-owns with Ryan Reynolds. The show is in the running for outstanding unstructured reality program, which it has won twice before. (Mac’s Always Sunny costar and wife, Kaitlin Olson, also received a nomination for her guest appearance in Hacks.)

Leading in Emmy nominations were The Pitt, the emergency room drama set in Pittsburgh, with 25 nods and Hacks, the comedy costarring Eagles superfan Hannah Einbinder, receiving 24. The daughter of a diehard Eagles fan from Doylestown, Einbinder is nominated again for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series. She won the award last year and made headlines for ending her speech with “Go Birds, f— ICE, and free Palestine.”

Hosted at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air at 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14 on NBC.