Below are the list of nominations for this year's Emmy's. I think the nominations are incredibly interesting and some of them are unexpected. Some of my favorite shows are once again overlooked, but there is just SO much TV out there that I cannot keep up. One of the biggest nominees, Succession, is something that I am almost completely ignorant of and cannot comment on its quality.
I find it interesting that House of the Dragon has so few nominations. I don't watch the show, but it has been getting a lot of praise and is a big hit on HBO. I'm glad Better Call Saul is getting its proper recognition for its final season. I watched all of The Last of Us, and I can understand the nominations. It is a very well-made show. But some of the writing really was not up to par for the rest of the work put into it. I didn't see Andor, but I'm glad that this show and Obi-Wan Kenobi were nominated. It is intersting, people who like one tended to dislike the other and then they both were nominated.
The stand out for me is Jury Duty. This is a very small show on a small streamer, FreeVee. I only caught the first few episodes, but it was very witty and creative. The first episode also had one of the funniest jokes I've seen all year.
And I'm also incredibly excited for "Weird" Al Yankovic. His movie received 7 nominations. Yankovic is someone who has navigated the uncertain waters of the music industry for decades and doesn't seem to have lost his unique humor and sense of self. I'm truly happy for him.
Here are the nominees and my thoughts as to what should win, not necessarily my prediction of what will win.
Drama Series
“Andor”
“Better Call Saul”
“The Crown”
“House of the Dragon”
“The Last of Us”
“Succession”
“The White Lotus”
“Yellowjackets”
While I there was a lot of good work in Last of Us, I think Better Call Saul should win. They wrapped up the entire series in a way that was emotionally satisfying and had some truly great performances.
Comedy Series
“Abbott Elementary”
“Barry”
“The Bear”
“Jury Duty”
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Ted Lasso”
“Wednesday”
I've only seen the first few episodes of Jury Duty, but there is a great deal of wit there. I also really enjoyed Only Murders in the Building and Wednesday. But Ted Lasso is the best comedy this year.
Limited Series
“Beef”
“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”
“Daisy Jones & the Six”
“Fleishman Is in Trouble”
“Obi-Wan Kenobi”
I've only seen Obi-Wan, which I loved. I'm glad this show was nominated.
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
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”)
While Pedro Pascal did some great work, Odenkirk should win this, hands-down. All the way until the final shot of the series, he reminds us what an amazing actor he has become.
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
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”)
I've only seen Last of Us, and Ramsey was decent, but there were other actresses better than her this year.
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Bill Hader (“Barry”)
Jason Segel (“Shrinking”)
Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building”)
Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso”)
Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”)
Segal did a great job on a terrible show and I'm surprised that Short was nominated but not Steve Martin. But Sudeikis once again knocks it out of the park. His one line read from the penultimate episode where he says "I know," is the emotional heart of the final episode.
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”)
Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”)
Natasha Lyonne (“Poker Face”)
Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”)
While I stopped watching Maisel, Brosnahan is fantastic. Ortega had a star-making turn as Wednesday Addams. But I am shocked by how good Lyonne was in Poker Face. In one of the final episodes, she reached an intensity that I have never seen in her before.
Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Taron Egerton (“Black Bird”)
Kumail Nanjiani (“Welcome to Chippendales”)
Evan Peters (“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”)
Daniel Radcliffe (“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”)
Michael Shannon (“George & Tammy”)
Steven Yeun (“Beef”)
This is actually a tough call for me because the acting demands for Black Bird and Weird are completely different. I might have to give it to Egerton. In those last few episodes, he knocked it out of the park. It was the best work I've seen him do.
Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
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”)
Didn't see any
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
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”)
While both Ted Lasso actors are excellent, I might have to give this one to Marsden. His performance has to feel like an over-the top caricature of himself without going to far beyond reality in order to fool the man at the center of the show.
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
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”)
There are a lot of good actresses on this list. But Waddingham did her best work this year in Ted Lasso.
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
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 SkarsgÃ¥rd (“Succession”)
Didn't see any. But is it weird that all of the nominees come from only two shows?
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”)
Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”)
Meghann Fahy (“The White Lotus”)
Sabrina Impacciatore (“The White Lotus”)
Aubrey Plaza (“The White Lotus”)
Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”)
J. Smith-Cameron (“Succession”)
Simona Tabasco (“The White Lotus”)
Only saw Better Call Saul, but Seehorn was stellar this year.
Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
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”)
Hauser's performance was horrifying and haunting in the best possible way and should win.
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
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”)
Didn't see any.
Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
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”)
Not horribly impressed with any of these (not having seen most of them), but I thought Pascal did a good job on SNL.
Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Becky Ann Baker (“Ted Lasso”)
Quinta Brunson (“Saturday Night Live”)
Taraji P. Henson (“Abbott Elementary”)
Judith Light “Poker Face”)
Sarah Niles (“Ted Lasso”)
Harriet Walter (“Ted Lasso”)
Judith Light was almost unrecognizable in her role here. S. Epatha Merkerson should have been nominated with her
Guest Actor in a Drama Series
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”)
Offerman. His performance was excellent.
Guest Actress in a Drama Series
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”)
Though she was only a short time, Tory did the best job of the ones on this list that I saw.
Reality Competition Program
“The Amazing Race”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Survivor”
“Top Chef”
“The Voice”
Amazing Race has always been good and is still the best show nominated.
Outstanding Television Movie
Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas • NBC • Warner Bros. Television in association with Magnolia Hill Productions and Sandollar Productions
Fire Island • Hulu • Searchlight Pictures Presents, a JAX Media Production
Hocus Pocus 2 • Disney+ • Walt Disney Pictures
Prey • Hulu • 20th Century Studios
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story • The Roku Channel • The Roku Channel, Funny or Die, Tango Entertainment
No question, Weird should win. It was one of the best movies last year.
Outstanding Animated Program
Bob’s Burgers • The Plight Before Christmas • FOX • 20th Television Animation
Entergalactic • Netflix • Netflix / Mad Solar / Khalabo Ink Society / Edelgang
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal • Shadow Of Fate • Adult Swim • Cartoon Network Studios
Rick And Morty • Night Family • Adult Swim • Rick and Morty LLC, Williams Street
The Simpsons • Treehouse Of Horror XXXIII • FOX • A Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Television Animation
I know, I know... "The Simpsons today is terrible!" But that is only in comparison to their best work in their first decade on the air. Compared to everything else on TV now... it's still the funniest one of the nominees.
Thoughts?