The Emmy winner is … maybe viewers, diversity, ‘SNL’ brand

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As Emmy Award nominees nervously wait to hear their name called, or not, there’s more on the line at Monday’s ceremony than personal glory.

“Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels is tasked with turning viewership around, after the 2017 Emmy audience of 11.4 million narrowly avoided setting a new low.

“The Handmaid’s Tale” is the defending best drama series champ, with past winner “Game of Thrones” its top rival.

On the comedy side, the front-runners are FX’s “Atlanta” and Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

Sandra Oh could become the first performer of Asian descent to win a top drama acting trophy for spy thriller “Killing Eve.”

The Emmys air 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC with “SNL” cast members Michael Che and Colin Jost as hosts.