Emmys 2021: Canceled CBS Show Picks up Nomination More Than 1 Year Later

Emmys unexpectedly gave a nod to a now-canceled CBS series this year. The nominations for the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards included expected nominees. The Crown and The Mandalorian tied for a leading 24 nominations each, with WandaVision grabbing 23 and The Handmaid’s Tale following with 21. However, there were quite a few surprises. Among those unexpected was the fact that CBS’ Man With Plan received an Emmy nomination despite its cancellation last year.

The Matt LeBlanc-starring series took home a nod in the Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series category for Season 4, Episode 12, “Driving Miss Katie.” The episode was nominated alongside The Conners‘ “Jeopardé, Sobrieté And Infidelité” (which ended up winning) and fellow CBS show Mom, which was nominated for “Scooby-Doo Checks And Salisbury Steak.” The episode just barely made it as a contender. The window for this year’s Emmys was from June 1, 2020, through May 31, 2021. Man With a Plan aired its series finale on June 11, 2020, with “Driving Miss Katie” has acted as the show’s penultimate episode when it aired on June 4, 2020, just days after the Emmys window opened. In the episode, per the synopsis, “Kate gets her driver’s license, and Adam has a hard time being okay with it, as he questions her abilities. Meanwhile, he loses his license at the DMV.”

Originally debuting on the network in October 2016, Man With a Plan starred LeBlanc as the old-school Adam, who started a construction business with wife Andi. Adam’s clueless older brother Don and their unlikely friend Lowell are also involved. Although the series pulled in decent ratings and audience size, it was announced in May 2020 that the show would not be returning for a fifth season. At the time of its cancellation, Man With a Plan ranked fifth in the demo and No. 4 in total audience among the eight comedies CBS aired that TV season.

Man With a Plan was not the only canceled series to appear on the list of nominations for the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Unveiled in July by Ron Cephas Jones and Jasmine Cephas Jones, along with Television Academy CEO Frank Scherma, Lovecraft Country, Pose, The Kominsky Method, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, all racked up nominations despite their recent cancellations. In fact, Lovecraft Country received a whopping 18 nominations, including nods in the Outstanding Drama Series, Drama Actor, and Drama Actress categories. It was announced earlier in July that the series would not be returning for a second season. Whether or not any of these shows take home an award remains to be seen. The 73rd Emmy Awards, to be hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.