Will ‘Atlanta’s’ Return Knock ‘Ted Lasso’ Out of the Emmys Winners’ Circle?

variety.com:

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterPlenty of newbies will be breaking into the comedy category this Emmys season, but two leading rivals for the title will be actual competitors for the first time: “Atlanta” and “Ted Lasso.”As wildly different series that fall into the same genre in the awards competition, their performances in this race will likely lead to a discussion about the industry’s relationship with feel-good TV.“Those shows are going to have interesting moments, both with Donald Glover having been out of the spotlight for a minute, intentionally, taking a detour with a music career that was more successful than I think a lot of people expected,” a Hollywood industry insider told Variety, “while there’s been probably more publicity than I think Apple would like on the fact that the upcoming third season is likely the last season of ‘Ted Lasso.’” The Jason Sudeikis-led Apple TV+ comedy is the reigning champ and has never aired in an “Atlanta”-less world, while Donald Glover’s show is a twice-nominated FX series that has lost twice, first to HBO’s “Veep” in Season 1 and then to Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs.

Maisel” in Season 2.And just as “Ted Lasso” has been a topic of joyful conversation continuously for almost two years, the very idea of when “Atlanta’s” Europe-set Season 3 would finally premiere — following a four-year wait since Season 2 — has also been a much-discussed event.“I’d anticipate that if ‘Atlanta’ was gone for so long and came back as the exact same thing, it probably would have less of a chance,” another industry insider says. “I think this season is coming back with something fresh, brand-new scenery, a brand-new situation for that cast and those characters.