VF: Emmy Noms Snubs and Surprises
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mud
Jul 18 '24, 14:10
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BY DAVID CANFIELD AND REBECCA FORD
JULY 17, 2024
As expected, Shōgun, The Bear, and Baby Reindeer fared well in the Emmys 2024 nominations across the drama, comedy, and limited-series categories—but beyond them, voters threw us a few curveballs. Several Oscar winners once assumed to be safe for nominations didn’t make the cut. A few viral hits weren’t strong enough to take down the late-night old guard. Somehow, voters remembered a long-canceled HBO drama while ignoring two of its most heavily campaigned properties. And wait: Despite those reviews, Palm Royale got how many nominations? Below, we break down the biggest shocks of Emmy noms morning—from who we were most surprised to see to we were most surprised to, well, not see.
SNUB: Emma Stone, The Curse
Look, no one expected The Curse to be the Academy’s cup of TV. The Emmys lean more mainstream than the Oscars, and Nathan Fielder’s defiantly unusual, satirical drama was polarizing with viewers from the jump. But still: Did we really think they’d completely ignore a critically acclaimed vehicle for two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone? The series showcased one of the actor’s most deft, accomplished performances to date. It especially stings that she was snubbed in favor of Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon from The Morning Show—both of whom have been nominated for these roles before, and saw their show receive plenty of love elsewhere. Surely a little wealth could be spread here. Curse you, TV Academy! —David Canfield
SURPRISE: Selena Gomez lands her first acting nom
It took three seasons, but Gomez has landed her first acting nomination for her work in the charming Only Murders in the Building. Both her costars had previously landed nominations, and it was becoming increasingly glaring that the third member of this trio of murder solvers had yet to get her moment. The series performed really well overall this year, with nominations for Martin Short and Steve Martin, along with guest stars Meryl Streep, Matthew Broderick, and recent Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph. —Rebecca Ford
SNUB: Cosmo Jarvis left out of the Shōgun windfall
Shōgun was the top-performing series overall this year, with an astounding 25 nominations, but there was one glaring snub: Cosmo Jarvis. The British actor, who plays the bumbling but goodhearted John Blackthorne in the hit FX series, was left out of the lead-actor-in-a-drama category, though his costar Hiroyuki Sanada did land a nomination. As the outsider Blackthorne, Jarvis is our entryway into the world of Shōgun—and sometimes a much-needed provider of comic relief. He’s delivered a layered performance that is full of restlessness, bravado, and wonder. —R.F.
SURPRISE: Idris Elba Hijacks an acting nom
The Apply TV+ series Hijack wasn’t exactly on most people’s radar for Emmy nominations, but the TV Academy made sure to give its star, Idris Elba, some love with a nomination for lead actor in a drama series. In the thriller series, which has been renewed for a second season, Elba plays a business negotiator who must use his skills when a plane is hijacked on a flight from Dubai to London. —R.F.
SNUB: The Bear’s Abby Elliott
The Bear cleaned up and set a new record for nominations for a comedy series (23 total!), but unfortunately there wasn’t room for every member of the ensemble to earn an acting nod. While Liza Colón-Zayas and Lionel Boyce both landed their first nominations, Abby Elliott, who plays Carmy’s sister, Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto, missed out in the supporting-actress category. Here’s hoping the Saturday Night Live alum’s incredible work in the “Ice Chips” episode of season three (in which her character goes into labor) will finally land her that nomination next year. —R.F.
SURPRISE: Girls5Eva makes an appearance
While it remains a head-scratching tragedy that this funny, charming show continues to be left out of the conversation for series and acting nominations, Girls5Eva did get a little love from the TV Academy with a writing nomination for its “Orlando” episode, written by Meredith Scardino and Sam Means. It’ll be competing against heavyweights like The Bear, Hacks, and Abbott Elementary, but we’re happy to see the show land somewhere. (It also earned a nom for outstanding original music and lyrics for its song “The Medium Time.”) —R.F.
SURPRISE: Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig compete against each other…in two categories
Maya Rudolph is nominated for four Emmys this year—a major feat in and of itself. One of them is for her Apple TV+ comedy vehicle Loot. It’s her first lead-acting nomination; she’s nominated in that category alongside close friend and frequent costar Kristen Wiig, who is also up for a new Apple TV+ show in Palm Royale. Rudolph got another nod for hosting Saturday Night Live—and, yes, so did Wiig. That’s right: Our Bridesmaids besties are directly competing in not one but two races this year. As for the rest of Rudolph’s nominations, for voice-over in Big Mouth and music and lyrics on SNL? Wiig has some catching up to do. —D.C.
SNUB: New talk-series contenders
The Emmys’ noted preference for familiar favorites tends to be most evident in the talk-series category—they simply cannot quit their lineup of old-school late-night hosts. If ever there was a year when that would change, this was it: Due to fewer submissions, the number of nominee slots was cut down to four, and two fascinating new competitors entered the fray in John Mulaney’s weeklong Netflix phenomenon Everybody’s in LA and Sean Evans’s longtime YouTube viral hit Hot Ones. Yet neither pushed past the likes of returning players Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel. The late-night model may be changing, but the Television Academy doesn’t seem ready to acknowledge that just yet. —D.C.
SURPRISE: 3 Body Problem lands in drama series
This ambitious sci-fi series from the creators of Game of Thrones was very popular on Netflix—and, it seems, also with the TV Academy. Though it had mixed reviews, the series, which stars an ensemble cast that includes Jovan Adepo and Eiza González, earned six nominations, including a surprise nom in the drama-series category. It was also rewarded for its technical accomplishments, with nominations for cinematography, editing, and its main-title sequence. —R.F.
SNUB: Kate Winslet, The Regime
When you hear that Kate Winslet is starring in a new HBO limited series from an Emmy-winning creator, you’d be forgiven for assuming that an Emmy nomination is a given. But The Regime flopped with both critics and audiences, even as Winslet’s gonzo comic performance was widely praised, making it a tough sell for Emmy voters in a particularly crowded field. She wasn’t even the only Oscar winner left off the list: While Jodie Foster and Brie Larson made it in as expected, the Academy also snubbed Expats’ Nicole Kidman (more on that shortly) and The Great Lillian Hall’s Jessica Lange. —D.C.
SURPRISE: Winning Time overperforms
Remember HBO’s expensive, fairly well-received Lakers drama, which was abruptly canceled nearly a year ago? Well, Emmy voters apparently do. The show received an impressive haul of five nominations, including in a competitive directing race—getting in over best-drama nominees Fallout and The Gilded Age—and for Tracy Letts’s scene-stealing guest turn as coach Jack McKinney. While other, more heavily campaigned HBO efforts like The Sympathizer and The Regime could only nab a single nomination apiece, Winning Time maintained deep support that was hiding in plain sight. —D.C.
SNUB: Expats leaves empty-handed
The Amazon series Expats, based on a popular novel, had all the ingredients to be an Emmy-nominated show. The limited series starred a big name (Nicole Kidman), had an auteur director (The Farewell’s Lulu Wang), and was visually and technically impressive. Even if the acting races were too crowded to include Kidman or the supporting cast (which included strong performances by Sarayu Blue, Ji-young Yoo, and Ruby Ruiz), it’s surprising the series didn’t land a single nomination elsewhere, either. —R.F.
SURPRISE: Lead actor in a comedy mixes it up
The comedy-lead-actor category provided the most surprises on Emmy noms morning, with the inclusion of What We Do in The Shadows’ Matt Berry, and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai from Reservation Dogs. Both series are well-liked (they were also both nominated in comedy series this year), but it’s the first time these shows have earned individual acting nominations. —R.F.
SNUB: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Fargo
Fargo’s deep ensemble for season five wasn’t recognized as expected, with one of its seemingly surest bets, Jennifer Jason Leigh, left off of the supporting-actress lineup. The Oscar nominee chewed the scenery and got plenty of screen time as the fifth season’s powerful matriarch, and the show is well-represented in other categories. So what happened here, exactly? Well, Leigh signed onto that controversial post-Oscars open letter a few months back, which maybe didn’t help matters. But this was also a performance full of big choices that may not have been to every voter’s tastes. In a rich field, that alone can make the difference. —D.C.
SURPRISE: Lamorne Morris, Fargo
While Jennifer Jason Leigh didn’t make the cut, another supporting Fargo player, who was considered a much longer shot, did. Lamorne Morris has been doing great work on TV for a long time, mostly in comic roles (New Girl, Woke). But he imbued this Fargo season with a lot of heart as the state trooper who helps out Juno Temple’s mom on the run. It’s a deserved bit of recognition, and a nice example of voters going a bit out of their way to highlight subtler work from an actor who is yet to get his awards due. —D.C.
SURPRISE: Palm Royale has its moment in the sun
The stylish new Apple series came into Emmy nominations morning very much as a bubble show. But it earned a strong 11 noms, including for comedy series. Star Kristen Wiig, who plays an aspiring social climber in the sleek period comedy set in the high society of Palm Beach, Florida, landed a lead-acting nomination, and Carol Burnett earned a supporting-actress nom too. —R.F.
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