The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards nominations honoring the best and brightest in television will be announced early Tuesday, kicking off an unusual awards season clouded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The live, virtual ceremony is taking place at a turbulent time for the industry, which has been hit hard by the virus outbreak that derailed the TV calendar and prevented some shows from being considered for 2020's awards.

Still, the Television Academy's 24,000 members were given a record number of entries to sift through, and presumably had plenty of free time to watch TV while cooped up at home due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Some surprises can be expected, industry experts say, especially with the reigning champions for drama and comedy - Game of Thrones and Fleabag - out of the race, having ended their runs in 2019.

Among the frontrunners for best drama are HBO's darkly humorous Succession, which centers on a powerful media family's wrangling for control of its company, as well as dark crime thriller Ozark.

Netflix's flagship The Crown and Hulu's dystopian drama The Handmaid's Tale - both of which sat out the awards in 2019 - are also likely to be considered, along with AMC's Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul and The Morning Show, from Apple TV+.

On the comedy side, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel - Amazon's story of a 1950s housewife-turned-stand-up comic - is considered a favorite, along with offbeat hit Schitt's Creek, which just wrapped its run.

In the limited series race, HBO's Watchmen, a superhero tale that tackled racism in the US, is expected to be the frontrunner. In the best drama actor categories, Brian Cox is likely to top the list for his role in Succession, along with Jason Bateman for Ozark and Bob Odenkirk for Better Call Saul.

Oscar-winner Olivia Colman of The Crown is expected to lead the best actress category, along with Laura Linney (Ozark), Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show) and Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale).

The Emmy Awards are set to take place September 20 and will likely also be a virtual event because of the pandemic.