Wait, the Emmys are still happening? Really? In this economy?
Yes, the 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards remain on schedule — for now. Despite an FYC season altered by the writers strike executives refusing to treat writers like living, working, human beings and reports of a potential SAG strike forcing September’s ceremony to be delayed into next year, nominations for the 75th Annual Emmy Awards were announced Wednesday morning, with barely a mention of anything out of the ordinary.
What did feel out of the ordinary, though, were some of the TV Academy’s nominees. There were a handful of surprises and, as is inevitable, there were even more snubs. But before we get too far into the particulars, a polite reminder: When IndieWire uses the term “snub,” we’re simply relying on the industry’s accepted shorthand. A snub is just a series or individual who was expected to be nominated, thought deserving of a nomination, or both, and yet did not receive recognition for their work. Anything dubbed a “surprise” is basically the opposite: Whether they were thought unworthy of a nod or simply too far off the TV Academy’s radar, a surprising nominee was expected to be left off the ballot, yet made their way into the race anyway.
By the very nature of competition, not everyone can win (or, in this case, be nominated), and it’s only human for those who care about TV to react to lists with shock and awe, admiration and anger. (Trust us: We’re an online magazine.) So let’s explore those complicated emotions together, dear readers, via a curated list of snubs and surprises. Feel free to sound off on social media about your most welcome curveballs and most unwelcome omissions. Once you’ve had your say, keep following IndieWire for updates on the Emmy race, including fresh predictions, interviews with nominees, and, of course, any changes to the schedule. After all, there’s a decent chance we’ll be talking about the 2023 nominations until 2024!
Erin Strecker and Proma Khosla also contributed to this story.
Nathan Fielder’s HBO program faced tough odds running in the Best Comedy Series category (and Comedy categories in general), but voters failing to find even one nomination for last year’s best show is a massive oversight. Maybe we should treat this round of voting as the rehearsal and try again next week.
The little show that could went and did the thing, snagging four Emmy nominations, including one for Best Comedy Series. The genre-bending Amazon Freevee series follows a fake trial in LA where every single person is an actor — save for one unsuspecting juror who is stuck witnessing and reacting to the chaos around him. A perfect mixture of heartfelt and silly, the show has exploded in the months since its April release, becoming a genuine social media and word-of-mouth phenomenon. A particular delight is the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nod for James Marsden, who portrays an exaggerated version of himself on the show. Self-parody is a tricky little dance but Marsden never stumbles and his quips (and fuming reaction shots!) are a high point of this delightful eight-episode gem. —Erin Strecker
“Dead Ringers” may have been too much for Emmy voters to handle. Clearly, the TV Academy was happy to watch Amazon programming like “Jury Duty,” but less inclined to spend time in a bloody birthing center. That being said, there’s simply no excuse for overlooking Rachel Weisz. Playing two visibly identical twins, the Oscar winner brought incredible specificity to each character, delivering a career-best performance that should really count as her top two roles. Thankfully, Jody Lee Lipes was recognized for his cinematography, but “Dead Ringers” deserved better. (You’re really telling me “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and “Daisy Jones and the Six” are better limited series than this?)
“The Last of Us” was a smash hit with audiences and critics, right out of the gate, but the TV Academy has always been a bit so-so on zombie fare. Not this time. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann’s first season landed an astonishing 24 nominations — the second most of any series (behind “Succession”) and more than Emmy favorites like “The White Lotus” (23 nods) and “Ted Lasso” (21). In addition to marquee nominations for Best Drama Series, Best Actor (Pedro Pascal), and Best Actress (Bella Ramsey), the series racked up Creative Arts nods in Costumes, Hairstyling, Music, and more, plus four nominations for Best Guest Actor (Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett, Keivonn Montreal, and Lamar Johnson) and three for Best Guest Actress (Melanie Lynskey, Anna Torv, and Storm Reid). Together, it’s a huge win for the show, for HBO, and for genre fare in general.
“The Crown” made its way into the Best Drama Series race, but that’s nearly where the good news ends. Netflix’s one-time Emmy juggernaut saw its lowest nominations total ever, scoring only six slots in 2023 — and only one nomination for the cast. Elizabeth Debecki made the cut, but that left Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Leslie Manville, and Dominic West on the outside looking in. Staunton is the first actor to play Queen Elizabeth and not receive a nomination. (Claire Foy was nominated three times, winning twice, and Olivia Colman snagged two nods and one win.) Staunton will have another chance whenever Season 6 comes out, but it’s worth noting the series’ overall dip. When Season 4 was up for Emmys, four cast members won, and now only a single performer has been nominated? Either time is not on the show’s side, or the royal family has fallen even further out of Hollywood’s favor.
It’s not all that surprising that the “Star Wars” shows on Disney+ were recognized Wednesday. After all, “The Mandalorian” has been an Emmy favorite since its debut, and “Andor” was widely hailed for its tense first season. But what nominations these shows received were surprising.
“The Mandalorian” led all Disney+ programming with nine nominations… except it didn’t earn a Best Drama Series nomination, after two consecutive nods for its first two seasons.
“Andor” did land a Best Drama Series nomination — and eight total, including Writing, Directing, and Editing — but its cast was completely shut out?
And then there’s “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Broadly panned upon its release last summer, Ewan McGregor’s return to the Jedi managed five nominations… including a slot for Best Limited Series. While that race isn’t as competitive as in recent years, it still beat out “Black Bird,” “A Small Light,” and “Dead Ringers,” among other better-received options.
A longtime favorite among comedy fans, Marino earned a little extra attention in early 2023 thanks to his outstanding back-to-back turns in “Party Down” and “The Other Two.” Unfortunately for Marino, neither show has a good track record with voters, and it looks like not enough TV Academy members saw his impeccable work to secure a nomination. (Even a pitch-perfect cameo in the penultimate episode of “Never Have I Ever” couldn’t push him over the edge… though technically, that premiered after the eligibility deadline, so maybe he’ll snag a Guest Actor nod next year?)
Meanwhile, “The Other Two” landed a Best Comedy Writing nomination (as its only recognition) and “Party Down” was shut out once again.
Despite recognition from the Writers’ Guild Awards, TCA Awards, and Peabody Awards, “Reservation Dogs” is still without a single Emmy nomination. Given the acclaim, that’s a huge oversight, but it becomes more egregious considering the depth of quality apparent in Sterlin Harjo’s ambitious series. Devery Jacobs is certainly deserving among the excellent cast, but direction, writing, and editing are all top-notch, too. There are plenty of categories at the Emmys and plenty of spots where “Reservation Dogs” should be recognized. Voters just must not be watching.
With the final, spectacular season of “Atlanta” almost entirely snubbed, it seemed like a pipe dream for the Emmys to recognize Donald Glover and Janine Nabers’ heightened “Swarm.” Along with acknowledgement for its writing and costumes, the series earned an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series nod for Dominique Fishback, who plays the murderous superfan Dre. From the very first episode, Fishback fills Dre with both childlike innocence and psychotic rage, a duality that carries the series as she starts killing people who don’t like her pop idol Ni’jah. “Swarm” hinges upon a lead actress who can not only sell but sustain that, and Fishback’s performance undoubtedly makes the series as memorable as it is. —Proma Khosla
“Atlanta’s” die was cast a year ago, when the TV Academy widely shunned Season 3 (as Season 4 was airing). Typically, once a series is on the outs with Emmy voters, it’s hard to make it’s way back in — especially during a competitive year like this one. Still, Brian Tyree Henry deserved one more nod for his breakthrough turn as Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles. Alas, his time passed too soon — good thing the Film Academy is paying attention, at least. For its final season, “Atlanta” ended up with one nomination: Christian Sprenger, the defending winner in the Cinematography category.
If there’s a war still being waged between HBO’s “House of the Dragon” and Amazon Prime Video’s “The Rings of Power,” then the Emmy nominations offered another victory for the former, albeit a minor one. The “Game of Thrones” prequel scored eight nominations to the “Lord of the Rings” prequel’s six, including a Best Drama Series nod for “House of the Dragon.” “The Rings of Power” was shut out of that category, along with the Primetime Emmy categories entirely, though it did score a respectable number of nominations for a blockbuster series. The two shows will go head-to-head in Prosthetic Makeup, Sound Editing, Special Effects, and Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes, so expect a second battle to be fought whenever Emmys are handed out.
Despite strong reviews and topical subject matter, “Mrs. Davis” ended up with only one nomination: Sound Editing. It’s worth noting that Damon Lindelof’s track record with the TV Academy is a real rollercoaster. “Lost” won 10 Emmys overall, including Outstanding Drama Series for its debut season, and “Watchmen” dominated the Limited Series categories just three years ago, winning 11 trophies. But “The Leftovers” never got its due, and now “Mrs. Davis” has been overlooked as well. Perhaps a genre-hopping hybrid about a nun fighting an algorithm was just too out-there for the TV Academy. Or maybe voters didn’t want to endorse Lindelof after reports of a toxic work environment on “Lost” surfaced a few months back. Either way, Betty Gilpin was robbed.
If you were to tell me, prior to the Emmy nominations being announced, that “Shrinking” would land two nominations, I would’ve guessed they were for Best Comedy Series and Best Supporting Actor, Harrison Ford. Instead, they’re for Best Actor (Jason Segel) and Best Supporting Actress (Jessica Williams). These mark the first nomination for each performer — and should feel especially satisfying for Segel, who’s a co-creator and executive producer on the Apple TV+ comedy — but it’s still a bit odd considering Ford was right there. Not only was he the lifeblood of the series by a country mile, but he’s also had a banner year, between “Shrinking,” “1923,” and a fifth “Indiana Jones” (now playing). Perhaps it was too much Ford, too often?
“Succession” had a good day on the drama side, and “Barry” delivered its usual nods, but HBO’s other Sunday night series this spring couldn’t crack the nominations list. Bridget Everett’s “Somebody Somewhere” has been embraced by critics — and it’s done well enough in viewership to warrant two renewals — but it has yet to see its warm, welcoming spirit be returned at the Emmys.
Not that he needed any extra explanation — not after his exquisite performance in Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg’s limited series — but we already made the case for Carrell’s inclusion at this year’s Emmys. It’s hard to believe they found five stronger turns, and it’s even harder to believe “The Patient” wasn’t nominated for anything.
After breaking through with audiences in its first season and finding further critical acclaim in its sophomore outing, FX made a big push for “Dave” Season 3. The release date shifted from early spring/summer to the heart of the Emmy race in April and May. Guest stars were enlisted to help boost the comedy’s profile in a crowded market, and, creatively, co-showrunners Dave Burd and Jeff Schaffer hit a high bar — Season 3 is smart, self-aware, and a legitimate comedy (unlike other nominees). But all that work still netted zero nominations, which just goes to show how fickle (and stubborn) Emmy voters can be. If Brad Pitt can’t land a nomination, then you know they’re just not watching.
When Hulu’s adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s book, “Tiny Beautiful Things,” premiered in early April, it felt like it came and went, largely unnoticed. That can happen in the age of Too Much TV, but it can also just feel like it’s happening when, in fact, there are viewers tuning in. While we may never know how many people watched “Tiny Beautiful Things,” we know enough TV Academy voters found the program to nominate Kathryn Hahn and Merritt Wever in the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series categories, respectively. Job well done, Emmy voters.
HBO knew what it was doing when it premiered “Irma Vep” in the summer of 2022. For awards season newcomers, that’s not ideal for Emmy attention, and the six-episode limited series got none of it.
“Snowfall” had zero Emmy nominations entering its final season, and it has the same neglible amount today. It’s a pity on multiple fronts, but especially when it comes to lead actor, Damson Idris, whose extraordinary work here deserved wider recognition. But hey, at least the industry took note. Someday soon, someone’s going to write about his breakout role in Brad Pitt’s Formula 1 movie, and millions of “Snowfall” fans will simply shake their heads.
After breaking into the Best Drama Series race for its second season, Eric Kripke’s savvy superhero satire got booted from the Primetime categories in Season 3. Chalk this one up to stiff competition — the Drama categories are stacked — and tough timing. (Season 3 premiered over a year ago, and voters’ memories in the Peak TV era just aren’t that good.) Still, “The Boys” snagged two nominations for Sound Editing and Stunt Coordination.
“The Good Fight” earned two Emmy nominations — both in 2017, for Main Title Theme Music and Original Music and Lyrics. Since then, it’s been blanked, as it was Wednesday for the Kings’ incredible final season. Voters simply tuned out too soon, missing Emmy-worthy work from series regulars like Audra McDonald and Christine Baranski, as well as riveting supporting turns from Andre Braugher, John Slattery, and John Cameron Mitchell. Heck, you could throw a dart at the call sheet and hit an actor deserving Emmy gold. Maybe “Elsbeth” will have better luck.
Another year, another refreshing performance from Justin Theroux, another Emmy snub. One of these days, the TV Academy is gonna get their shit together.
