Mere months after the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, delayed due to the WGA & SAG strikes, we’re awarded a new crop of Emmy nominees have been minted. After last year’s abnormally long list of series finales, new shows had space to make their Emmys debut. Returning Emmys juggernauts, like “The Bear,” “The Crown,“ and “Fargo“ scored nominations alongside Emmy newcomers, like “Palm Royale” “Fallout,“ and “Reservation Dogs.“ As always, the announcements had surprises and disappointments, along with plenty to discuss. Let’s dive into the notable moments from the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.
“The Bear” Takes A Bite Out Of The Record Book
While “The Bear“ and the Emmys face deserved criticism for calling the show a comedy, the FX series received a whopping 23 nominations. This sets the record for the most nominations for a Comedy Series in a single year, surpassing the 22 earned by “30 Rock“ in 2009. These nominations for the show’s second season arrived weeks after the show premiered another critically acclaimed third season. “The Bear” racked up nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, while Emmy winners Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach returned to their respective categories. Fresh off her Emmy win in Supporting Actress, Ayo Edebiri made the move to Lead Actress, where she landed a nomination. Joining them were co-stars Lionel Boyce (Supporting Actor) and Liza Colón-Zayas (Supporting Actress), each snagging their first nominations. Bob Odenkirk, Jon Bernthal, Will Poulter, Olivia Colman, and Jamie Lee Curtis also scored nominations for their guest performances.
Even while garnering a record-setting number of nominations, “The Bear“ was totally invulnerable. Notably missing from the nominations was Oliver Platt, widely predicted to receive recognition as a Supporting Actor for his role as Uncle Jimmy. Platt is the only actor Emmy-nominated for the first season of “The Bear“ not to receive a follow-up nomination this year. Nevertheless, “The Bear“ is the clear frontrunner to win Comedy Series yet again and will likely take a few actors along for the ride as well.
“Hacks” Makes A Triumphant Return
After a year-long hiatus, “Hacks“ showed no signs of lost time with 16 nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series. The incomparable Jean Smart, who won Outstanding Lead Actress for the two previous seasons of “Hacks,“ is nominated yet again, setting the stage for a tough battle with “The Bear’s“ Edebiri, now competing in Lead Actress. That’s good news for Hannah Einbinder, nominated in Supporting Actress, who has a clearer path to victory in her category. Paul W. Downs, co-creator of “Hacks,“ finally scored his first acting nomination, landing in Supporting Actor. He previously won an Emmy for writing the show and is again nominated in the same category this year. Additionally, Christopher Lloyd, nominated for Guest Actor, scored his first Emmy nomination in over thirty years. He’s received three nominations (in 1982, 1983, and 1992) and won the Emmy each time. Perhaps he’ll keep the streak alive again this year.
“Reservation Dogs” And “What We Do In The Shadows” Score Welcomed Surprise Acting Nods
While the FX campaigning machine was busy with “The Bear,” “Shōgun,“ and “Fargo,“ it would’ve been easy to leave other series behind. Nevertheless, “Reservation Dogs“ and “What We Do In The Shadows“ picked up some surprise nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
“What We Do In The Shadows“ had previously been nominated for Comedy Series in 2020 and 2022, so that’s not quite so surprising. Still, the show had never received a single acting nomination until now. Matt Berry scored an unexpected nomination for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Berry has been delivering one of the greatest, most absurd performances on TV for years now, so the nomination is well-earned.
“Reservation Dogs,“ which just concluded after three seasons, had only received a single nomination for Sound Editing up to this point. Now, for its farewell season, the series landed in Comedy Series, while D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai scored a nomination in Lead Actor. Few prognosticators had predicted Woon-A-Tai to show up here, especially as the series had yet to be embraced by the Television Academy, making this quite a pleasant surprise.
Selena, Maya, And Kristen Round Out Lead Actress
Fresh off her shared Best Actress win at Cannes for the upcoming film “Emilia Perez,“ Selena Gomez finally landed her first acting nomination for “Only Murders in the Building,“ joining previously nominated co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short. The show’s newcomers, Paul Rudd (Supporting Actor) and Meryl Streep (Supporting Actress), were also nominated.
Kristen Wiig’s “Palm Royale“ was welcomed to the Emmys with a warm reception and seven nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series. Wiig received a nomination for Lead Actress, while Carol Burnett received her 25th Emmy nomination, landing in Supporting Actress.
While “Loot” couldn’t break into Comedy Series in its second season, Maya Rudolph scored the show’s first Emmy nomination, landing in Lead Actress. The show is growing in popularity each season, which could signify more tremendous Emmy success for future seasons.
Not So Gentlemanly For “The Gentlemen”
Guy Ritchie’s splashy Netflix spinoff series, “The Gentlemen,” wasn’t able to connect with the Television Academy. While some believed the show could land in Outstanding Comedy Series or Lead Actor (for star Theo James), those dreams fizzled out. Ritchie still scored an Outstanding Directing nomination, alongside the show’s Production Design and Stunt Coordination nominations.
“Shōgun” Leads In Overall Nominations
Despite initial category confusion as FX moved “Shōgun“ from Limited Series to Drama Series, the Television Academy still showed it plenty of love. The series landed 25 nominations, the most of any show this year. Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai scored nominations in their respective leading categories, while Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira both landed in Supporting Actor. Cosmo Jarvis was widely predicted to join Sanada in Lead Actor but was left out this time around. Still, it’s an impressive haul for the prestige series that could easily lead to a Drama Series win in September.
A New Dawn For The “The Morning Show”
Returning to the Emmys after a year off-air, “The Morning Show“ returned with a vengeance. In addition to an Outstanding Drama Series nomination, the show scored ten acting nominations, the same as “The Bear.“ While Jennifer Aniston was the lone nominee for Lead Actress in season one, and Reese Witherspoon was the same in season two, the stars are finally nominated alongside each other for this latest season. Additionally, four of the seven nominees for Supporting Actress belong to “The Morning Show:“ Nicole Beharie, Greta Lee, Karen Pittman, and Holland Taylor. Supporting Actors Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, and Jon Hamm all scored nominations, while Marcia Gay Harden received a Guest Actress nomination. It’s a truly impressive haul for the Apple TV+ series.
“The Curse” Is Cursed
One might say the show was…cursed from the start (you’re welcome). Nathan Fielder’s Showtime series “The Curse“ was never going to be an easy sell. Still, with the support of recent Oscar winner Emma Stone and the seemingly freed-up space in Drama Series, most prognosticators believed the show could break through. It didn’t happen. “The Curse” didn’t receive a single Emmy nomination, not even for Stone. Fielder’s style isn’t for everyone and clearly wasn’t for the Television Academy this time around.
Zero nominations is a tough pill to swallow. Even “The Idol“ got a nomination for its choreography this year.
“The Crown” Takes Its Final Bow
Of last year’s Drama Series nominees, “The Crown“ was the only one eligible this time around. It scored its sixth and final nomination in Drama Series. After sweeping every major category for its fourth season, the series stumbled last year, only receiving nominations in Drama Series and Supporting Actress (Elizabeth Debicki). The series rebounded in its final season, scoring nominations for Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville, Claire Foy, and Debicki, in addition to one writing and two directing nominations. While “Shōgun“ will be a formidable competitor, “The Crown“ has won Drama Series. It’s certainly possible that the Television Academy sends “The Crown“ off with a win one last time.
A Big Day For Genre Series
While the Television Academy is no stranger to genre fare, as evidenced by their love for “Game of Thrones,“ this year showed more support for thrillers and sci-fi than most years. Spy thriller/rom-com “Mr. & Mrs. Smith“ picked up 16 nominations, including seven for acting. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine landed leading nominations, while Paul Dano, John Turturro, Michaela Cole, Sarah Paulson, and Parker Posey all received guest-acting nods. Paired with writing, directing, and Outstanding Drama Series nominations, it’s a good day for the Prime series.
Prime’s “Fallout“ became the second series based on a video game to land an Outstanding Drama Series nomination after last year’s “The Last Of Us.” The post-apocalyptic series scored plenty of craft nominations, and surprised with a nomination for Walton Goggins in Lead Actor. This was a better-than-expected haul, though it missed out on a directing nomination.
While “Hijack“ was seemingly a sizable hit for Apple TV+ last summer, the thriller seemed more of a crowdpleaser than an awards fare. Few considered star Idris Elba a contender, but nevertheless, he landed a Lead Actor nomination. It’s a welcome addition and bodes well for future seasons.
Finally, Netflix’s “3 Body Problem“ scored a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series. While it’s a far cry from David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’s “Game of Thrones“ success, it’s still a big nomination. The sci-fi series had a somewhat lukewarm reception, but perhaps this nomination will lead Netflix to continue the series.
“Baby Reindeer” Lands Big
While not the nomination leader in Limited Series (that would be “True Detective: Night Country“), “Baby Reindeer” scored everywhere it needed to – and more. Richard Gadd was nominated for both his performance and for writing. Jessica Gunning landed in Supporting Actress, as did Nava Mau. She makes history as the first transgender Emmy nominee for acting in the Limited Series categories. The surprise nominee was Tom Goodman-Hill, nominated for his predatory turn as Darrien. The series is widely expected to win big in September, and these nominations affirmed that prediction.
“Fellow Travelers,” “The Sympathizer,” And “Masters of the Air” Left Out of Outstanding Limited Series
With a criminally small five nominees for Outstanding Limited Series, it’s inevitable plenty of deserving shows are left out. Apple TV+’s prestige series “Masters of the Air” couldn’t make the cut after flying under the radar this year. It only received three nominations: Score, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing. On the other hand, Showtime’s “Fellow Travelers” was also left out of the top category but still scored two major acting nominations. Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey were nominated for Lead Actor and Supporting Actor, respectively.
“The Sympathizer“ is the more confounding case. Despite hailing from HBO, with freshly minted Oscar-winner Robert Downey Jr., directed by Park Chan-wook, and excellent reviews, the show couldn’t crack the cultural zeitgeist. It only landed a single nomination, for Downey Jr. in Supporting Actor. It’s a rough haul for a series with so much going for it.
“Fargo” Rebounds In Season Five
After missing out on Limited Series nominations for its fourth season, “Fargo“ rebounded with a vengeance for season five. In addition to a Limited Series nomination, Jon Hamm, Juno Temple, and Lamorne Morris all received acting nominations this time around. The show clearly still has juice left in it, as creator Noah Hawley scored writing and directing nominations, too. This is a solid turn for the anthology series.
Oscar Winners In, Oscar Winners Out
In addition to Downey Jr., Academy Award winners Brie Larson (“Lessons in Chemistry”) and Jodie Foster (“True Detective: Night Country“) found themselves with Emmy nominations this year. Both their shows performed well, including capturing Limited Series nominations. Fellow Oscar winners Kate Winslet (“The Regime”) and Nicole Kidman (“Expats“) couldn’t say the same, as their shows were left out in the cold.
Goodbye Mr. Monk
Despite the Television Academy’s love for Tony Shalhoub, he wasn’t nominated for Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Television Movie. He reprised his role as Adrian Monk in “Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie.“ The film scored a nomination for Outstanding Television Movie, but surprisingly, it didn’t bring Shaloub along with it.
Everybody In LA Didn’t Vote For John Mulaney
Outstanding Talk Series seems to be a closed club. While John Mulaney tried to break in with his limited talk series on Netflix, “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA,“ the Television Academy didn’t go for it. Instead, it remained the usual suspects: “The Daily Show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers,“ and “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
Game Changers Couldn’t Break In
While this certainly isn’t a surprise, there was a groundswell of support for Dropout TV’s “Game Changer“ to break into the Emmys this year, either in Outstanding Game Show or Outstanding Host for a Game Show. The quest remained a long shot, though the campaign seems to have boosted awareness for the show as a whole. This writer may not be shocked but is disappointed to see it left off of the nominees. If you’ve never seen “Game Changer,” it’s absolutely worth your time.
And now, the campaigning kicks into second gear. We’re still a few months away from the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, so literally anything can still happen in some of these tight races. In this strange year for TV, I wouldn’t assume any races are locked at this point.
What were the biggest surprises for you among the nominees? Which miss hurt the most? Which category is the toughest to predict at the moment? Please let us know in the comments below or over on our X account. We will have our Emmy winner predictions updated shortly and a podcast recap is coming your way later today. You can watch Matt Neglia, Dan Bayer, and Tom O’Brien react to the Emmy Nominations live yesterday morning here.
