The second Emmy awards of 2024 are nearly here after the Hollywood strikes delayed the 75th annual ceremony to January, and Wednesday morning’s nominees certainly shook up critics’ predictions.
While sweeps were expected from FX’s “The Bear” Season 2 and “Shōgun” — which already made waves by transitioning from a limited series to the drama category — there were a couple nominations we didn’t see coming, and some we wished we had seen.
Check out the 11 biggest snubs and surprises from this year’s Emmy nominations.
Surprise: “Reservation Dogs” (Lead Actor and Comedy Series)
FX’s “Reservation Dogs” is finally getting its flowers. After only nabbing one Emmy nod for sound editing for its first two seasons, the cult comedy got some much-deserved recognition for its third and final season, which debuted in August 2023. This year, “Reservation Dogs” earned a nomination for both Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, as well as two other nods for editing and cinematography.
Surprise: “What We Do in the Shadows” (Lead Actor and Comedy Series)
After flying under the radar when it comes to the main acting categories, “What We Do in the Shadows” saw some love this year. Star Matt Berry earned a spot in Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, marking the show’s first lead acting nod, while the show itself is once again up for Outstanding Comedy Series after receiving nods in the category in 2020 and ’22. Despite 29 nominations to date, “What We Do in the Shadows” has only won one Emmy.
Snub: Cosmo Jarvis, “Shōgun”
While FX’s “Shōgun” did indeed dominate this year’s nominations with 25 nods, a nomination was missing for frontrunner Cosmo Jarvis in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as John Blackthorne. However, costars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai did make it into their respective lead categories.
Snub: “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.”
Despite the Outstanding Talk Series category remaining relatively stable, all eyes were on John Mulaney’s Netflix special to break through. Instead, the category looked to its predecessors, “The Daily Show,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Snub: Emma Stone and “The Curse”
While Showtime’s unconventional series “The Curse” didn’t dominate TV viewership, its applause from critics was expected to transfer into some Emmys love — especially for its beloved star Emma Stone in the Lead Actress in a Drama Series category following her Oscar win for “Poor Things” earlier this year. Instead, Stone was left off the list and “The Curse” received no nods at all.
Surprise: “3 Body Problem”
Netflix’s “3 Body Problem” defied expectations with a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series alongside the likes of established staples like “The Morning Show” and “The Crown.” While the sci-fi series didn’t receive any acting nods in the main categories, “3 Body Problem” scored six nominations total, including nods for cinematography and sound editing.
Snub: Kelsey Grammer, “Frasier”
After being a regular nominee — and winner — in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category for his performance in the original “Frasier,” Kelsey Grammer did not get the same recognition for leading the Paramount+ reboot. The sitcom instead received three nominations for Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour), Outstanding Picture Editing for a Multi-Camera Comedy Series and Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series (Half-Hour).
Surprise: Idris Elba, “Hijack”
While “Hijack” didn’t make too much noise during its initial release, Idris Elba received the show’s only Emmy nod with a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Sam Nelson in the Apple TV+ series. He joins Donald Glover (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”), Walton Goggins (“Fallout”), Gary Oldman (“Slow Horses”), Hiroyuki Sanada (“Shōgun”) and Dominic West (“The Crown”) in the category.
Snub: Abby Elliot, “The Bear”
“The Bear” continued to dominate the comedy category after its many victories at the last Emmys, with acting nods for Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Lionel Boyce and Liza Colón-Zaya. However, Abby Elliot, who plays Carmy’s sister, Sugar, was missing from that list despite her impressive Season 2 performance.
Snub: Riley Keough, “Under the Bridge”
Fresh off her nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Prime Video’s “Daisy Jones & The Six,” Riley Keough did not receive a nod for her performance in Hulu’s “Under the Bridge.” Costar Lily Gladstone earned the show’s only nomination for Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for her performance.
Snubs: “The Gentlemen,” “The Great Lillian Hall” and “Masters of the Air”
Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentlemen” was anticipated to receive a couple nods this year — including a possible Lead Actor nod for Theo James — but the Netflix series scraped by with just three nods for stunts, directing and production design.
Similarly, Jessica Lange-led “The Great Lillian Hall” received no nominations, while Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’ “Masters of the Air” earned three nods for main title theme music, sound mixing and sound editing.
