'The Last Of Us' scores 24 Emmy nominations, trailing behind 'Succession' which received the most at 27. Photos: Handout
Emmy nominations arrived Wednesday (July 12), and with 2,428 performers vying for voters’ attention, the free-for-all to earn a place at the table sometimes gave off the same desperate vibes as that Succession finale board vote on the GoJo merger.
Was anyone promised a nomination when they were seven years old at the Candy Kitchen in Bridgehampton, New York? We can’t say for sure, but maybe a nominee will come clean before the awards are handed out on Sept. 18 – provided labour unrest doesn’t postpone or outright cancel the show.
Even with the usual deluge of submissions, the nominations managed to deliver a fair number of surprises, pleasant and otherwise.
And there were omissions, which, for the sake of alliteration and search engine optimisation, we’ll call “snubs,” though, again, with this kind of volume, it’s not like voters were actively shunning anyone. (Really, if anyone connected with this superlative season of Succession wasn’t nominated, we’d consider that not a snub but a complete farce.)
Surprise: Jury Duty (comedy series)
In a move that feels like a reality show prank, the courtroom mockumentary Jury Duty was nominated over favoured shows such as Poker Face and Shrinking.
For those who did not watch the series, it follows a fake trial where everyone in the courtroom is an actor except for one poor unsuspecting juror: Ronald Gladden, a solar contractor from San Diego.
James Marsden appears as himself – an actor who happened to be summoned for the case – and scored an acting nomination in the process.
Cringeworthy and uncomfortable, this dark horse of a nominee is now competing against powerhouse comedies like Abbott Elementary, The Bear and Wednesday. Now it’s up to the jury, er, voters, to see if this unexpected series wins its case on awards night.
Ronald Gladden (left) and James Marsden in a scene from the series 'Jury Duty'.
Snub: Shrinking (comedy series)
Voters had room enough in their hearts for only one Bill Lawrence comedy, returning Ted Lasso to the fold but ignoring newcomer Shrinking, which, like Ted Lasso, earnestly examines its characters’ feelings and failings to a degree that can be entertaining – or exhausting.
Perhaps voters were just conflicted about seeing Harrison Ford sing along with a Sugar Ray song and thought, “Let the man age gracefully.”
Surprise: Ted Lasso (comedy series)
It’s 2023. Lockdown is over, and so are the best days of Ted Lasso.
The third and final season of this soccer comedy from Apple TV+ was hands down the show’s most uneven run to date.
Why was the disappointing ending of a beloved series voted in, especially given how many strong contenders there are in the comedy category this year?
It coasted in on fumes left over from 2020 and 2021, when the gentle sports sitcom offered a Covid-ravaged nation warm vibes, freshly baked cookies and inspirational messages.
But those days are gone, and so too is the charm of Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis.
Abbott Elementary delivers feel-good humour with sharper writing, and then there’s the brilliance of Barry, The Bear and Poker Face.
No one wants to kick America’s favourite teddy bear, but it shouldn’t have been voted in.
Quinta Brunson in a scene from 'Abbott Elementary'.
Snub: Helen Mirren, 1923 (lead actress, drama)
Emmy voters have roundly ignored Yellowstone over the years, but you would have thought Mirren could manage to break through for her portrayal of the stalwart, shotgun-blasting Dutton family matriarch in the series prequel 1923.
Not that she’ll probably give it a thought. She is still Dame Helen Mirren and already owns four Emmys, an Oscar and a Tony.
Plus, she has the power to shoo away a bear from her home by calling it “naughty.” The cub paid her heed, even if voters didn’t.
Surprise: Juno Temple, Ted Lasso (supporting actress, comedy)
Is it really a surprise that Temple, nominated for the first two seasons of Ted Lasso, earned another nod for the show’s final season? Kind of.
The series’ writers inflicted all manner of hardships upon her character: Keeley was dumped by a man and a woman, lost her business (albeit for about a minute) and dealt with the fallout over the release of a sex tape – and each one of these subplots amounted to the least interesting (and convincing) storyline of its their respective episodes.
It wasn’t Temple’s fault. She remained winning, even if it seemed like the show had nothing but bad ideas about what to do with her character.
Brett Goldstein (left), Juno Temple and Phil Dunster in a scene from the season three finale of 'Ted Lasso'.
Snub: A Small Light (limited/anthology series)
I realise that we can’t get enough limited series about serial killers, psychos and women who chop up their neighbours with an axe, but you’d think that, amid all the tawdry madness, voters might have found a spot for A Small Light, a moving portrait of resistance and heroism.
Seeing the story of Anne Frank and her family through the lens of those who helped them – particularly Miep Gies and her husband, Jan – provided a new perspective on familiar history, as well as an inspiring lesson on how ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
Surprise: Obi-Wan Kenobi (limited/anthology series)
When it came to the Star Wars universe and this year’s Emmys, all the talk centered around Andor, Tony Gilroy’s slow-burn espionage thriller. (It did indeed earn a drama series nomination.)
But this morning at the cantina (and Disney+), they’re raising a glass to the surprising recognition of Obi-Wan Kenobi for limited series – surprising because the competition was fierce (it beat out a number of high-profile HBO shows) and because Obi-Wan wasn’t exactly embraced by critics and fans when it arrived more than a year ago.
I guess Ewan McGregor’s charisma (and British accent) goes a long way with voters.
Snub: Bad Sisters (drama series)
Bad Sisters is more of a dark comedy than a drama, but that’s hardly a reason to overlook Sharon Horgan’s wickedly funny revenge thriller: This series about the Garvey sisters and their colourful quest to protect one of the clan from an abusive husband should have been a no-brainer.
Horgan, Eve Hewson, Sarah Greene and Claes Bang are among the talents who make this series soar. (And at least Horgan scored a lead actress nod.)
The show brilliantly explores concepts of loyalty among family and the collective repercussions of trauma in a fast-paced narrative with twisting subplots.
And while this tale of abuse and murder should be super-heavy given the subject matter, it’s biting and hilarious thanks to sharp writing, impassioned performances and colourful storytelling.
There’s nothing bad about Bad Sisters, so explain yourself, TV Academy.
Surprise: Kathryn Hahn, Tiny Beautiful Things (lead actress, limited series/TV movie)
Let’s just apologise now for underestimating Hahn, an excellent actor, well-liked and capable of elevating even a so-so series like Tiny Beautiful Things into required viewing.
Hahn leapt over an Oscar winner (Rachel Weisz, star of Dead Ringers) and her WandaVision co-star Elizabeth Olsen (Love & Death) to secure a nomination for her winning performance as a woman who becomes an advice columnist when her life falls apart.
Voters apparently appreciated the show’s sentimentality. I mean, you’d have to be a monster not to have cried at least once. Now time to email Dear Sugar to ask how Hahn can actually win the trophy.
Kathryn Hahn is an excellent actor, well-liked and capable of elevating even a so-so series like 'Tiny Beautiful Things' into required viewing.
Snub: Poker Face (comedy series)
Really? Really?! How on God’s green earth did you miss this one, TV Academy?
This case-of-the-week murder-mystery series starring Natasha Lyonne was a breath of fresh air when it arrived on Peacock in January, despite the plumes of smoke emanating from the cigarette of its central character, Charlie Cale.
Created by Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Glass Onion), the series takes its cues from Columbo and features new guest stars with each episode.
Lyonne plays the hard-nosed sleuth Cale, who has an innate talent for sniffing out lies. The academy’s egregious oversight may not be dishonest, exactly, but we call BS.
Surprise: Kumail Nanjiani, Welcome To Chippendales (lead actor, limited series/TV movie)
Kumail Nanjiani at The Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, California.Nanjiani wasn’t favoured for a nomination for his role in Hulu’s true-crime series, but he certainly deserves the honour for his portrayal of Steve Banerjee, the Indian immigrant who created the first male striptease venue, Chippendales.
Though largely renowned for his comedy roles in shows like Silicon Valley and films such as The Big Sick, Nanjiani stretched his talents for this period drama, which follows Banerjee’s rise from a broke gas station attendant to an egomaniacal entertainment mogul to a convicted murderer.
In the Pakistani American actor’s hands, the oddball character elicits as much sympathy as he does scorn. And never once did he have to gyrate in a g-string for this nomination. That was up to the supporting cast.
Snub: Domhnall Gleeson (supporting actor, limited series/TV movie)
Domhnall Gleeson deserved a nomination for his excellent portrayal of a foodie/serial killer in The Patient, but unfortunately there’s more than one serial killer-themed contender in the limited-series category, and Black Bird has amassed a lot of attention thanks to a chilling performance by Paul Walter Hauser.
Gleeson’s haunting portrayal of a young man with a burning compulsion to kill should have slayed on the nomination ballot. The voters missed on this one. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
Here’s the list of 2023 Emmy nominees:
Drama series
“Andor”
“Better Call Saul”
“The Crown”
“House Of the Dragon”
“The Last Of Us”
“Succession”
“The White Lotus”
“Yellowjackets”
Drama lead actor
Jeff Bridges (“The Old Man”)
Brian Cox (“Succession”)
Kieran Culkin (“Succession”)
Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)
Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”)
Jeremy Strong (“Succession”)
Drama lead actress
Sharon Horgan (“Bad Sisters”)
Melanie Lynskey (“Yellowjackets”)
Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Bella Ramsey (“The Last of Us”)
Keri Russell (“The Diplomat”)
Sarah Snook (“Succession”)
Drama supporting actress
Jennifer Coolidge (“White Lotus”)
Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”)
Meghann Fahy (“The White Louts”)
Sabrina Impacciatore (“The White Lotus”)
Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”)
J. Smith-Cameron (“Succession”)
Simona Tabasco (“The White Lotus”)
Drama supporting actor
F. Murray Abraham (“The White Lotus”)
Nicholas Braun (“Succession”)
Michael Imperioli (“The White Lotus”)
Theo James (“The White Lotus”)
Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession”)
Alan Ruck (“Succession”)
Will Sharpe (“The White Lotus”)
Alexander Skarsgard (“Succession”)
Drama guest actress
Hiam Abbass (“Succession”)
Cherry Jones (“Succession”)
Melanie Lynskey (“The Last of Us”)
Storm Reid (“The Last of Us”)
Anna Torv (“The Last of Us”)
Harriet Walter (“Succession”)
Drama guest actor
Murray Bartlett (“The Last of Us”)
James Cromwell (“Succession”)
Lamar Johnson (“The Last of Us”)
Arian Moayed (“Succession”)
Nick Offerman (“The Last of Us”)
Keivonn Montreal Woodard (“The Last of Us”)
Comedy series
“Abbott Elementary”
“Barry”
“The Bear”
“Jury Duty”
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Ted Lasso”
“Wednesday”
Comedy lead actress
Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”)
Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”)
Natasha Lyonne (“Poker Face”)
Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”)
Comedy lead actor
Bill Hader (“Barry”)
Jason Segel (“Shrinking”)
Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”)
Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)
Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”)
Comedy supporting actress
Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”)
Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”)
Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”)
Juno Temple (“Ted Lasso”)
Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”)
Jessica Williams (“Shrinking”)
Comedy supporting actor
Anthony Carrigan (“Barry’)
Phil Dunster (“Ted Lasso”)
Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”)
James Marsden (“Jury Duty”)
Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear”)
Tyler James Williams (“Abbott Elementary”)
Henry Winkler (“Barry”)
Comedy guest actress
Becky Ann Baker (“Ted Lasso”)
Yvette Nicole Brown (“A Black Lady Sketch Show”)
Quinta Brunson (“Saturday Night Live”)
Judith Light (“Poker Face”)
Sarah Niles (“Ted Lasso”)
Harriet Walter (“Ted Lasso”)
Comedy guest actor
Jon Bernthal (“The Bear”)
Luke Kirby (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Nathan Lane (“Only Murders in the Building”)
Pedro Pascal (“Saturday Night Live”)
Oliver Platt (“The Bear”)
Sam Richardson (“Ted Lasso”)
Limited or anthology series
“Beef”
“Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”
“Daisy Jones & the Six”
“Fleishman Is in Trouble”
“Obi-Wan Kenobi”
Limited/movie lead actress
Lizzy Caplan (“Fleishman Is In Trouble”)
Jessica Chastain (“George & Tammy”)
Dominique Fishback (“Swarm”)
Kathryn Hahn (“Tiny Beautiful Things”)
Riley Keough (“Daisy Jones & the Six”)
Ali Wong (“Beef”)
Limited/movie lead actor
Taron Egerton (“Black Bird”)
Kumail Nanjiani (“Welcome To Chippendales”)
Evan Peters (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”)
Daniel Radcliffe (“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”)
Michael Shannon (“George & Tammy”)
Steven Yeun (“Beef”)
Limited or anthology series
“Beef”
“Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”
“Daisy Jones & the Six”
“Fleishman Is in Trouble”
“Obi-Wan Kenobi”
Television movie
“Dolly Parton‘s Mountain Magic Christmas”
“Fire Island”
“Hocus Pocus 2”
“Prey”
“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”
Limited/movie lead actress
Lizzy Caplan (“Fleishman Is in Trouble”)
Jessica Chastain (“George & Tammy”)
Dominique Fishback (“Swarm”)
Kathryn Hahn (“Tiny Beautiful Things”)
Riley Keough (“Daisy Jones and the Six”)
Ali Wong (“Beef”)
Limited/movie lead actor
Taron Egerton (“Black Bird”)
Kumail Nanjiani (“Welcome to Chippendales”)
Evan Peters (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”)
Daniel Radcliffe (“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”)
Michael Shannon (“George & Tammy”)
Steven Yeun (“Beef”)
Limited/movie supporting actress
Annaleigh Ashford (“Welcome To Chippendales”)
Maria Bello (“Beef”)
Claire Danes (“Fleishman Is In Trouble”)
Juliette Lewis (“Welcome To Chippendales”)
Camila Morrone (“Daisy Jones & The Six”)
Niecy Nash-Betts (“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”)
Merritt Wever (“Tiny Beautiful Things”)
Limited/movie supporting actor
Murray Bartlett (“Welcome To Chippendales”)
Paul Walter Hauser (“Black Bird”)
Richard Jenkins (“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”)
Joseph Lee (“Beef”)
Ray Liotta (“Black Bird”)
Young Mazino (“Beef”)
Jesse Plemons (“Love & Death”)
Variety talk series
“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“Late Night With Seth Meyers”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
“The Problem With Jon Stewart”
Competition series
“The Amazing Race”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Survivor”
“Top Chef”
“The Voice”
Scripted variety series
“A Black Lady Sketch Show”
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
“Saturday Night Live”
Variety special (live)
“The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna”
“Chris Rock: Selective Outrage”
“Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium”
“The Oscars”
“75th Annual Tony Awards”
Variety special (pre-recorded)
“Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love”
“John Mulaney: Baby J”
“Lizzo: Live In Concert”
“Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter”
“Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would”
“Wanda Sykes: I’m An Entertainer”
Structured reality program
“Antiques Roadshow”
“Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”
“Love Is Blind”
“Queer Eye”
“Shark Tank”
Unstructured reality program
“Indian Matchmaking”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked”
“Selling Sunset”
“Vanderpump Rules”
“Welcome To Wrexham”
Writing for a comedy series
“Barry”
“The Bear”
“Jury Duty”
“Only Murders In The Building”
“The Other Two”
“Ted Lasso”
Writing for a drama series
“Andor”
“Bad Sisters”
“Better Call Saul” - “Point And Shoot”
“Better Call Saul” - “Saul Gone”
“The Last Of Us”
“Succession”
“The White Lotus”
Writing for a limited or anthology series or movie
“Beef”
“Fire Island”
“Fleishman Is In Trouble”
“Prey”
“Swarm”
“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”
Writing for a variety series
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah”
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
“Late Night With Seth Meyers”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
“Saturday Night Live”
Writing for a variety special
“Carol Burnett: 90 Years Of Laughter + Love”
“Chris Rock: Selective Outrage”
“John Mulaney: Baby J”
“Wanda Sykes: I’m An Entertainer”
“Would It Kill You To Laugh? Starring Kate Berlant & John Early”
Writing for a nonfiction program
“Dear Mama”
“Moonage Daydream”
“100 Foot Wave”
“Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me”
“The U.S. And The Holocaust”
For a complete list of Emmy nominees, go to Emmys.com.
