LOS ANGELES — ''Severance'' could separate itself from the competition and reach the upper echelons of the Emmy Awards when nominations are announced Tuesday morning.
The dystopian workplace drama from Apple TV+ achieved a convergence of acclaim and audience buzz for its second season that often leads to the kind of Emmy dominance enjoyed in recent years by ''Succession'' and ''Shogun."
But a flowering of Emmys tends to follow HBO's ''The White Lotus" wherever it goes, and HBO Max's newcomer ''The Pitt'' could challenge for nominations and for wins when the trophies are handed out in September.
All will benefit from the absence of ''Shogun,'' which last year led all Emmy nominees with 25 and set a record for wins in a season with 18. Its second season is still in the early stages of production and it shouldn't be around for next year's Emmys either.
''Severance'' has become a signature show for Apple TV+. The streamer has gotten plenty of Emmy nominations for dramas including ''The Morning Show'' and ''Slow Horses,'' and ''Ted Lasso'' was downright dominant on the comedy side.
But Apple has lacked the kind of breakaway prestige drama that HBO seems to produce perennially.
Adam Scott and Britt Lower are virtual locks for lead acting nominations for what amounted to dual roles as their characters' ''innie" work selves and ''outie'' home selves. Tramell Tillman is just as likely to get a nod for playing their tone-shifting, pineapple-wielding supervisor, and Ben Stiller is bound to get a directing nomination.
''Severance'' got 14 nominations for its first season in 2023, but won just two, for its music and its title sequence.