LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Rob Reiner, fellow actor-turned-director Ron Howard and Oscar-winning actors Morgan Freeman and Octavia Spencer are among the nominees as the two-night 2023-24 Creative Arts Emmy Awards begin Saturday at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live.
Awards in 50 categories of reality, variety, documentary, nonfiction and animated programming and game shows will be presented. Reiner and Howard are among the nominees for outstanding directing for a documentary/nonfiction program -- Reiner for "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life," which aired on HBO, Howard for "Jim Henson Idea Man," which streams on Disney+.
Freeman and Spencer are nominated for outstanding narrator -- Freeman for the Netflix nature documentary series "Life On Our Planet," and Spencer for "Lost Women of Highway 20," Investigation Discovery's three-part documentary on a series of crimes against women on an east-west route in Oregon.
The other nominees in the category are David Attenborough for the BBC America nature documentary series, "Planet Earth III," Angela Bassett for the Nat Geo documentary series "Queens" on how females in the natural world rise to power, and Paul Rudd for the Nat Geo nature documentary series, "Secrets Of The Octopus."
Bassett is a four-time nominee in the category first presented in 2014 and Freeman a three-time nominee, but neither has won. Attenborough has won three times. Rudd and Spencer are first-time nominees.
"Jeopardy!" will be seeking its fifth consecutive victory as outstanding game show and 21st overall victory in the category since the show was revived in 1984. The other nominees in the category are "Celebrity Family Feud," "Password," "The Price is Right at Night" and "Wheel of Fortune."
Retired "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak will have a final chance to add to his three Emmys as outstanding game show host. The field also includes Steve Harvey of "Celebrity Family Feud," also a three-time winner in the category, "Password" host Keke Palmer, the winner at the strike-delayed January ceremony, "Jeopardy!" host Ken Jennings and "Weakest Link" host Jane Lynch.
RuPaul is seeking his ninth consecutive victory as host for a reality or competition program. The host of MTV's "RuPaul's Drag Race" has won each time he has been nominated.
RuPaul's eight wins are the most in the category established in 2008. "Survivor's" Jeff Probst is second with four.
Probst is among the other nominees, along with Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Kevin O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, from ABC's "Shark Tank," Alan Cumming of Peacock's "The Traitors" and Kristen Kish of Bravo's "Top Chef."
RuPaul is the only nominee from January's ceremony who is also among Saturday's nominees.
Maya Rudolph is nominated for the fifth consecutive season for outstanding character voice-over performance for supplying the voice of Connie the Hormone Monstress on the Netflix adult animated coming-of-age comedy "Big Mouth." She won in 2020, 2021 and January.
Alex Borstein, who supplies the voice of Lois Griffin in the Fox animated comedy "Family Guy" is also nominated for the fifth time. She won in 2018.
Hank Azaria is nominated for supplying the voice of bartender Moe Szyslak in the Fox animated comedy "The Simpsons," his 10th nomination in the category and first since 2020. He is a four-time winner, most recently in 2015.
The other nominees are first-timers in the category who have won in other categories.
Three-time Emmy-winner Sterling K. Brown is nominated for supplying the voice of Angstrom Levy, the main antagonist in the second season of the Amazon adult animated superhero series, "Invincible."
Hannah Waddingham was nominated for portraying the voice of Deliria, the goddess of self-destruction and questionable choice, on the Fox animated comedy "Krapopolis."
Waddingham won an outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series Emmy in 2021 for her portrayal of the owner of the fictional Premier League team AFC Richmond on the Apple+ comedy, "Ted Lasso."
The Creative Arts Emmys will conclude Sunday with the presentation of awards in 49 categories of scripted programming, mainly in such technical categories as hairstyling, makeup, costuming, production design, picture editing, sound editing, sound mixing and visual effects, but also including guest acting.
An edited presentation of the two nights will air Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. on FXX and be available on Hulu Sept. 15 through Oct. 9.
Awards in the top 25 categories in comedy, drama, competition, limited, variety and talk series and the Governors Award will be presented at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 15, also at the Peacock Theater. Programming had to initially be broadcast or streamed between June 1, 2023-May 31, 2024 to be eligible for all three shows.